The Treacherous Snows by Andrew C. Hartzell recounts a climbing vacation to Mt. Kilimanjaro. For most, the climb is a test of strength, endurance, and willpower. But for local guides and porters who supply tourists with strong backs and knowledge of the terrain, the climb is just part of the job. The final leg to the summit on December 31, 1983 began with the lead guide Effatta Jonathan waking the group up at 1:00 a.m.

we time our final climb

to arrive by dawn

the same thing every time

just the like the week before

with bedrooms on our backs

and kitchens without sinks

provisions of all kinds enough to please a king

we’ll never see the place

from where these people come where buildings reach the sky where riches can be won

we’ll slowly reach the top

then slowly we’ll descend

a day or two at home

then we’ll do it all again

yeah we’ll see our families smile then we’ll do it all again

James DaRin- drums

Dave Fridmann- mix master

Additional recording at Greywood Studio, Jamesville, NY

Mixing at Tarbox Road Studios, Cassadaga, NY

At 1:07 a.m. on February 2, 1915, a German agent named Werner Horn lit a bomb in an effort to destroy a bridge used to get supplies from the U.S. to England via Canada. To avoid collateral damage from the possibility of an unscheduled train passing through, Horn cut the fuse, which changed his escape time from fifty minutes to three.

devil wind, it’s blowin

shoulda stayed where it never snows

hard to be the hero

when you can’t even feel your toes

never thought I would be sittin in the middle of nowhere

one mistake away from Timbuktu

if I ever get away then I’m goin somewhere

somewhere far from everyone I know (give the devil his due)

we don’t need to beat the brow of our brother

we don’t need to send a train into the sun

we don’t need to escalate with each other

from the top tried to stop what you could

but it’s a job that never leads to no good

just because you can don’t mean that you always should

time is up, I know it

light it up and run and fast as I can

all alone, I’m frozen

some things never go as planned

I’m not the kind that takes too kindly to a hole in the story

certain expectation for the truth

I’m not interested in doin things for the glory

better not to dream of wealth and fame like I did in my youth

...

even if you never get to sainthood

find yourself a little forest to knock wood

just because you can don’t mean that you always should

fool ya once, shame on you

fool ya twice then it’s shame on me

I don’t know what’s gonna happen tomorrow

but tonight go ahead and make a hundred dollar bet

there won’t be any widows angry at me

Scott Collins- Variax banjo solo

Reggie Duncan- pedal steel

Additional recording at HighWay 44 Recording, McComb, MS

With a new family member in the house, a father reflects on the birth of his first child. At 1:10 a.m. on October 20, 2007, he writes to her in a journal that will be given to her someday.

light of the day glow far away

dark of the night comfort this place

here in the home, quiet and warm

closeness of sleep, ready to go

I’ll never be the same

forever I have changed

everyone I see looks different all because of you

everyone I meet seems different all because of you

everything is changed, it’s different all because of you

nothing is the same, it’s different all because of you

all that you are, all that I see

here in my life, joy that you bring

don’t wanna see what’s playing on the video

nothing matters, all I wanna do is be with you

don’t wanna hear what’s playing on the radio

nothing matters, all I wanna do is be with you

Former NFL football player turned police officer Patrick Goodpaster ran into a burning house at 1:15 a.m. on June 22, 2007 to rescue a 4-year-old. This song reflects on that moment through the eyes of (1) a fictional character who grew up with and continues to live in the shadow of the hero, and (2) another fictional character who sees the worth of this person who doesn’t find worth in himself.

they say the past can come back to haunt you

but there’s no time like the present for me

seems like I’m mostly scared of tomorrow

that it’ll be the same as yesterday

used to dream that someday I’d be the hero

gliding past the others for the win

they’d lift me high above on their shoulders

never let me down, never be the same again

when the truth comes for you now

where ya gonna run, yeah where ya gonna run tomorrow

jump in the fire or just sit and watch it burn?

when the truth comes for you now

where ya gonna run, yeah where ya gonna run tomorrow

so many things that we seem to never learn

seems like it’s not enough to be human

never enough to be yourself

the best of you is more than the things you do

see the one I see you and no one else

Jennifer Kimball- lead and backing vocals, vocal arrangement

Additional recording at The Living Room, Somerville, MA

On the evening of December 20, 1954, a small group gathered at a house, expecting to be visited by a spacecraft at midnight, sent by God to rescue them from earth’s impending destruction. After waiting well past 1:00 a.m., the youngest member, a teenager, made a call home to tell his mother he was on his way, as she had earlier threatened to call the police if he wasn’t home by 2 a.m.

hey, it’s me

I’m coming back

don't wanna talk about it

when we’re done I’ll call a cab

no need to get excited

on the ground I’m feeling like I can’t get lower

tried so hard believing that I’d be much higher

on my way to outer space

don’t wait, forever’s long enough

back and forth and back again

caught in an endless circle

hope I’ll see a different end

lights flashing red and purple

tripping over my shoes without any laces

sticks of gum without aluminum papers

on my way back home again

losing my way again, eyes will never mend

left with nothing

Ana Eveleigh- trumpets

At 1:28 a.m. on October 4, 2006, after reciting pi for 16 hours, Akira Haraguchi stopped at the 100,000th digit.

we can live a life according to truth

原口 證 (Akira Haraguchi)- text recitation

Rich Goyette- mix engineer

Nicholas Soures- π to midi conversion

Additional recording at the home of Akira Haraguchi, Mobara, JPN Additional mixing at Low Gravity Sound, Milton, NH

more song info here

Black Panther revolutionary Fred Hampton fell asleep during a phone conversation with his mother around 1:30 a.m. on December 4, 1969. Earlier that evening Hampton had been drugged in order to incapacitate him for a planned raid later that evening by law enforcement. At the time Hampton and his girlfriend Deborah Johnson were expecting the birth of their child, as she was more than eight months pregnant.

as chicago waits for sleep

on a cold december night

voices travel through the wires

familiar as the road that brings you home

there’s a mother and a son

tethering their quiet thoughts

of a newborn soon to come

the joy of life and beauty yet unknown

copper wires

through these copper wires the truth comes through

what would I do if you went away?

what would I do if you left for a while?

what would I do if you went far away?

take all the pennies in the world

melt them all down one by one

and wrap it all on a great giant spool

tie it to a messenger bird

fly away, all the way to you

Matt McGinley- drums, mix engineer

Additional recording at Furman Studios, Rochester, NY

Mixed at Low-Dar Sound, Binghamton, NY

October 26, 1985, 1:35 a.m., Lone Pine Mall parking lot. Doc Brown has just survived an assault rifle attack. He has yet to experience the time travel machine that he invented, and will soon be having an internal conversation trying to decide what his next move will be.

time again to plan ahead, time to find another way

libyans and violence always getting in the way

first you grab the gun again then make sure the coast is clear

plenty of plutonium, it can take you anywhere

have lunch with Edison

1927

or meet up with Faraday

Hampton Court #37

time to clean up everything, get it all back in the van

others will be coming soon so you need another plan

find a secret hideaway, maybe some deserted shack

pack up the delorean, you might not be coming back

go back to gettysburg

271 memorable words

or hear the voice of a carpenter

back at the mount of beatitudes

so long ago

watching the world around go back to what it was

go do whatever thing it is you’re thinking of

here’s another strategy if you wanna stay alive

drop the kid off quickly then get back in the car and drive

make a new reality, you’ve got everything you need

you can see tomorrow, you just need a little speed

you can forget your fears

just jump ahead by 30 years

or see the 23rd century

where you could live to eternity

or maybe more

life can pass you by

someday you’ll wake up but you won’t know that’s the day you die

there’s no compromise

just as certain as the sun will fall and the moon will rise

but this changes everything, yeah this changes everything

mathematics physics logic every concept of reality

yeah this changes everything, this changes every little thing

create a new beginning by watching the world around go

back to what it was

What do you do if it’s the middle of the night and you are craving a sandwich from a restaurant 1000 miles away? If you’re Elvis, you hop on your private jet.

flyin' a thousand miles

on ship number nine hundred nine

nothing but laughter and smiles

‘cause everyone’s feelin alright

started in the jungle room

conversation starts to turn

party with the boys in blue

anything you wanna have, well you can have it

everything’s within your reach, just reach up and grab it

if you wanna save your life for a happy ending

it’s alright, the only thing you’re missing is FOOLS GOLD

dining covered in leather buckles and faucets in gold perrier water and champagne a feast for a king and his court

there’s a price for everything

royalty with just one string

gonna have to shake those hips and sing

Aleisha Leo- backing vocals

Yona Marie- backing vocals

Michael Arden Sulzbach- backing vocals

Dave Hurwitz- guitar solo

Additional recording at A.L Studio, London, UK, and Song Spill Studios, Washington, D.C.

At 1:45 a.m. on September 17, 1988 in Boston, MA, a car was struck from behind, causing it to lose control, drive over a concrete median barrier, cross multiple lanes heading in the opposite direction, and jump a second curb, stopping on top of the pedestrian sidewalk as it hit the Tower Records on Mass Ave. Six people were struck by the car before it stopped, including 17-year old Frederick Cameron Weber, known to his family and friends as Ted.

it's gonna be alright

we’re gonna be ok

we’re gonna be sitting around and laughing about it someday

it’s gonna be alright

it’s gonna be ok

we’re gonna have stories to tell and pictures to share along the way

it’s gonna be alright

Patrick Cornelius- saxophone solo

Additional recording somewhere in Brooklyn, NY

On December 11, 1936 at 1:52 a.m., Parliamentʼs Bill of Abdication received Royal Assent, officially ending the reign of King Edward VIII, who had reached his limit with trying to please everyone but himself.

I've seen the frontlines of warfare

I’ve seen defeat of the brave

I’ve seen the face of confusion

where there was nothing to save

I’ve walked the streets of depression

where workers can’t get no pay

and in the moment that i say that something must be done

they try to warn me to get back in my place

the king is dead god save the king

I tried to follow the fanfare

pride pomp and circumstance

executing every appearance

the steps of the political dance

I tried to listen to reason

be the ruler that the good people need

but if a king ain’t allowed to choose his bride as his queen

then tell me what kind of king can he be?

Rich Goyette- guitars

Shawn Marquis- drums

Additional recording at Low Gravity Sound, Milton, NH, and

Studio 55, Berlin, NH

When recurring anomalies appeared to security guard Frank Wills during his early morning shift on June 17, 1972, he decided to call the police. His security log indicates that he returned to his station at 1:55 a.m. after doing his rounds at the Watergate Office Building in Washington, D.C.

someone's hiding in the shadows, someone’s hiding in the dark

this is no delusion, this is where it starts

someone’s in the building, don’t know where they are

call the police and let them know that something wrong is going on

tape is on the doorlock, something here is wrong

need more information, darkest before the dawn

they came in bluejeans, no uniforms

they looked disheveled, tattered and torn

police in plainclothes, they showed their badge

knock at the window, who can they catch

police in plainclothes, who will they catch

someone’s hiding in the shadows, someone’s hiding in the dark

don’t know what they’re doing, don’t know who they are

someone’s in the building, they’re not going far

Σεραφείμ Τριανταφύλλου (Serafeim Triantafyllou)- bouzouki

Σοφία Βουλγαρίδου (Sofia Voulgaridou)- accordion

Helen Broikos- backing vocals

Additional recording at Garden Music, Thessaloniki, GR