Words Unspoken

Steve Martin- all frailing, and most of the Scruggs style Banjo
Russ Barenberg - Guitar
Craig Eastman - Fiddle, Octave Violin
Matt Flinner - Mandolin
Brittany Haas - Fiddle
Skip Ward - Acoustic Bass
Pete Wernick - 2nd chair Banjo

This song has the longest journey form start to completion. I had the main melody as early as 1970, but no second part would follow. However, I never forgot the central theme. When I recorded (on my iPod with a mike the size of a dime) some sample songs as guide tracks for the musicians who might be involved in this album, I included it, calling it “Unfinished Sons in D.” Peter Wernick responded to it and asked if I would mind if he took a stab at the middle part. Well, he took a stab and pierced it, writing a lovely second half. It’s him playing mostly up the neck (toward the drum) and me playing down the neck (toward the peg head). We had been experimenting with words for it (Pete suggested the lyric, “words unspoken”), but I couldn’t get to it before the records release. I thought it made a great title for a song. The lyrics are practically finished, and will probably pop up on one of Pete’s records, or my record if I ever do another one, or maybe, just maybe, Barbra Streisand’s.