Hi Our Basement,

This is Don Rooke of The Henrys, sharing our new album Shrug. As bandleader, I formerly voiced my feelings with instruments and hired guest singers to deliver the words. This time it made sense to sing the songs myself, to explore personal ideas that developed over a few years of the pandemic, including concerns about what kind of planet we’re handing to our children.

The lake is down and losing ground
People watching with no sound
Say we’re much better
Than all of this

“A Night Beyond Repair” tells the story of a young woman who makes observations on her travels, then goes back home to find happiness in friends and community. Conjured by feelings about the American South, the Canadian North, and the environment. She sees people who witness the damage that’s being done to the planet, but are either not ready to engage, or can only find the capacity to process a certain amount of bad news.

Ultimately, the song suggests life is fun, and beautiful, but it demands our attention and a sense of responsibility.
—The Henrys