Chris Koza: Last One Up
Chris Koza: Last One Up
Composer: Chris Koza
Lyricist: Chris Koza
Voicing: High Voice & Piano
Date: 2018
Duration: 5:15
Text / Lyrics
don’t let the sun come up too fast
I’m at my peak while others sleep
I’ve tried prescriptions and tinctures
herbs and wine
there’s witchcraft and exercise
meditation, sex and sage advice
searching, soaring, slinking
wondering now who else is up
rising, rhythms, reeling
I’m wide awake my eyes won’t shut
I am commander of the night
growing wild and fearless while all is quiet
symphonies raging
storybook endings
skyline
sunrise
birdsong
traffic
only just starting to wake up
-Chris Koza
Skyline, midnight, no sleep
only just starting to wake up
Streetlights, nighthawks, music
only just starting to wake up.
I’m wide awake; my eyes won’t shut
Crowned as King while others dream
only just starting to wake up
I’m wide awake; my eyes won’t shut
watching the skyline
hearing the music
Insomnia is a gift
just think of the time lost unconscious
throw open the window
to let sensations grab ahold of you
Floating, feeling, finding
I’m wide awake; my eyes won’t shut
lazing, looking, learning
only just starting to wake up
all that’s wrong turns right at night
Source Notes
“Last One Up” was commissioned as part of the 2018 Source SongBook, celebrating the festival’s 5th anniversary. It was premiered on August 5th, 2018 at Westminster Hall in Minneapolis, MN by Jacob Christopher, tenor & Mark Bilyeu, piano.
Performer Notes
I really enjoyed exploring these songs by Chris. His song-writing skills are so unique, and it was interesting working with him to translate his ideas into more accessible piano writing. Some liberties were taken with the printed score! -MB
Composer Info
Chris Koza is a composer and performer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Both solo and with his band Rogue Valley, he has supported and shared the stage with artists such as Brandi Carlile, Ingrid Michaelson, The Jayhawks, Neko Case, Kathleen Edwards, Dan Wilson, Stephen Kellogg, This is the Kit, and Tift Merrit, among others. His music appears regularly on ABC’s General Hospital and 60 Minutes, and his song Be Wild will be featured as the soundtrack to an upcoming State of Minnesota tourism campaign. His song (Rogue Valley) The Wolves and the Ravens was featured in Ben Stiller’s film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
The music Chris produces is rooted in Americana but heeds its own spirit. Born out of folk, country, storytelling and rock ’n roll, Chris both honors and builds on Americana traditions by incorporating a unique pop-music sensibility, subtle synthesizers, rich harmonies, and imaginative production choices. But despite late-night deep dives in the studio, Chris never strays from the core of the song itself and isn’t afraid to let a raw vocal and woodsy acoustic guitar deliver the story. Chris performs solo, as a duo, and with a band of almost any other configuration.