Copyright (c) by Rick Yost
Although the majority of tunes on this album were either recorded or partially recorded in 1991, this tune wasn't dreamed up until just before returning to complete the album project 7yrs later. It became my fave and ultimately the title track.

This song is one of my artistic-political-commentaries; this one speaks of what I see as the fall of American society.
I either reference or am inspired by several different pieces of literature including;

Fredrich Nietsche's "Thus Spoke Zarathustra"...
The travels, trials and tribulations of a misunderstood wiseman;
A wiseman that left his life of solitude in the mountains to walk the Earth spreading the word of his visions. Through these visions he saw how the human race might improve and progress, and climb out of the muck that is the lingering, traditional-stupidity in the world- if we'd only allow ourselves to do so.



"...He (Zarathustra) spoke of the Mother of invention..." - 'Necessity!' This isn't from any particular literature piece, I just seem to need to explain it sometimes.
Aside from the "Thus Spoke..." reference,
this line describes our lives and entire society; constructed around the concept of all of us constantly 'needing' things!

Ernest Hemingway's "For Whom The Bell Tolls"...
"...not to know for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee."
...which I turned into...
"No need to ask for whom Wichita Falls, Wichita Falls for thee!"



"Let things fall together...we'll see what we shall see!"
This is inspired by reading of Gallileo's gravity experiments atop the Tower of Pisa.

"And all the Hellhounds of the wasteland..."
I intended this phrase to describe all the politicians, salesmen, carpet-baggers; all those representatives of the 'American Dream' that feed on the public.

"...So you jump face-first off a West Texas tower, and gravity brings you home!"
When I was a kid, I heard on the radio a news story of a boy close to my age, commiting suicide by jumping off a water tower somewhere in West Texas; apparently his life was already a bit too bizarre for him to handle. Hearing this affected me greatly at the time and I never fogot it.

'Why Wichita Falls?'
Considering Wichita Falls, Texas a typical small town in America; if we let life and living conditions in a small town like Wichita Falls decline to point that a youth would want to end it all- what does that say about the condition we've let the whole country sink to.
It was the 'concept-subject-word' connection of 'Falls' and 'the fall of society' that made me put it together as it is.
If I had lived in the Northeast when I wrote this, it might read 'Niagra Falls'.

I've been through Wichita Falls a few times while traveling in the past, but no, I've never lived there.
I did have a city councilman from Wichita Falls get in touch with me to let me know if I ever wanted to come to his town, he'd make sure I had a gig.
I'm pleased that so many folks like this. Thanks.