From an interview with Linford Detweiler concerning Over The Rhine's album Drunkard's Prayer. The interview may be found here.


Jeffrey:
"Spark" has a riveting refrain: “Sleep with one ear close to the ground / And wake up screaming / When we lay our cold weapons down / We'll wake up dreaming." That sounds like a sentiment with a story behind it — something that could be about a relationship, or about the drama playing out on the world stage. (It strikes me as a “sequel” to “Changes Come.”) Can you give us a window into the genesis of that song?

Detweiler:
You’ve nailed it. It applies to relationships for sure, but it’s basically a protest song at the end of the day -- very much in the spirit of “Changes Come”. It’s a simple statement that addresses the reality of the fact that as long as we rely on massive military solutions to supposedly resolve conflict, we deny the possibility that there could be more innovative, creative, helpful solutions. We deny the fact that America, the country that gave the world Jazz and Bluegrass and Blues and Gospel music, could be equally as innovative when it comes to human conflict. The fact of the matter is, when we ignore the lives of people like Jesus, Gandhi or Martin Luther King and rely on force to bring about change, we do irreparable damage to the psyche of our nation.