Story Behind The Song

The first glimpse of "Look at the Moon, Betty" came while I was running around Lake Harriet in Minneapolis, listening to a lecture by Ram Dass. He mentioned something about trying to show the stars to someone who instead focuses on your pointing hand. It made me think of my old canine pal Betty, who would just smile politely if I tried to explain to her why I had to leave her behind while I went out. How many things are similarly beyond the grasp of even the greatest human minds? My guess is that it's an endless list. I had the concept and the chorus rattling around in my head for a couple of months, then an idea for the first verse came along as I was driving on the crosstown freeway bringing takeout to (then girlfriend, now wife - yay!) Amber. I hastily wrote the verse in front of her house on a receipt from The Lowbrow before the fries could get cold. When I got back to my apartment that night, I turned off all the lights and turned on the recording device, ready to improvise. On the first attempt you can hear the piano intro (including the low C note that stayed in the song), followed by the sound of my scramble to find that receipt in the dark. With the serene view of a COVID-quiet Lake Harriet in front of me, the song arrived. I'm not sure when Dan Kowalke and I attempted to play it for the first time, but it's certainly in one of our early live streams from 2020. The immediate reaction from friends and family was strong. When the music venues reopened, the song became a staple of The Belfast Cowboys' live shows. We played it for a few months before I found out that both Vic Volare and David Haugen mistakenly thought it was a Van Morrison song. Ha! I knew then that we'd need to be very careful with the official recording and take all the time needed to do it right. The first attempt was made in August of 2022 at storied Creation Audio with two of the best in the business - Tom Herbers engineering, Noah Levy on drums - while I played the studio's immaculate

Song Description

The first glimpse of "Look at the Moon, Betty" came while I was running around Lake Harriet in Minneapolis, listening to a lecture by Ram Dass. He mentioned something about trying to show the stars to someone who instead focuses on your pointing hand. It made me think of my old canine pal Betty, who would just smile politely if I tried to explain to her why I had to leave her behind while I went out. How many things are similarly beyond the grasp of even the greatest human minds? My guess is that it's an endless list.

Lyrics

Sometimes I think I know it all
Like a red leaf unaware of the fall
Then the world will leave me slack-jawed
And I remember all humans are flawed

Look at the Moon, Betty
Look at the Moon, Betty
There's so much out there we will never understand
Look at the Moon, Betty
Look at the Moon, Betty
But I point at the sky, and you look at my hand

When that look of love is on your face
The moment transcends all time and space
Oh honey, please don't say that she can't smile
I've seen it more than once in awhile

Look at the Moon, Betty
Look at the Moon, Betty
Is it all random, or is it all planned?
Look at the Moon, Betty
Look at the Moon, Betty
But I point at the sky, and you look at my hand

What if death was not the end
If you just believed - would you try to pretend?
Or curse into the blackout
Well aware that your light would soon go out

Look at the Moon, Betty
Look at the Moon, Betty
Just hanging out there over each and every land
Look at the Moon, Betty
Look at the Moon, Betty
But I point at the sky, and you look at my hand
There's so much out there we will never understand
Look at the Moon, Betty
Look at the Moon, Betty
But I point at the sky, and you look at my hand