Christopher Gold: Here’s a brand-new song I’ve never played for anybody in a key that I myself have never played it in. [audience laughing] It doesn’t have a chorus. And I’m not totally certain I remember the words. It’s about when you’re young, you think you’ll have fewer questions as you get older. And you’re right, but the few questions you have once you’re older are humongous and terrifying. But it’s all gonna be okay.

[“Welcome to the Jungle, pt. II” by Christopher Gold]

[gentle acoustic guitar music]

I wanna know what I’m doing

I wanna know what it means

I wanna know why I’m still hurting

I wanna know why I can’t sleep

Mmm mmm mmm

[gentle acoustic guitar music]

I wanna know how it all went

Away and so wrong

I wanna know why there were no questions

Only unsung songs

Maybe nothing is ever wrong

Maybe everything is already resolved

Mmm mmm mmm

[gentle acoustic guitar music]

I wanna know where I’m going

I wanna know if I can stay

I wanna know what I’m still holding

That I could’ve dropped along the away

Maybe nothing is ever gone

Maybe everything is just rolling along

Mmm mmm mmm

[gentle acoustic guitar music]

I wanna know why I’m still waiting

I wanna know if that bell still rings

I wanna forget every name of

Every useless thing

Maybe nothing is ever breaking

Or maybe all these pieces just scatter into place

Mmm mmm mmm

Mmm mmm mmm

Mmm mmm mmm

Mmm mmm mmm

[gentle acoustic guitar music]

[audience applauding and cheering]

Christopher Gold: Thank you.

[“The Riverbed” by Christopher Gold]

[gentle acoustic guitar music]

Longer blinks but I’m still not sleeping

I found a lot of holes but I dug no graves

It rusts in the water where it rests so sweetly

Laid down in the sand of the riverbed

I made a run with just a dollar to my name

Hoping someday I could turn it into 10

I found each place that I came across was just the same

Familiar faces chased me

They just had different names

[gentle acoustic guitar music]

I came back as if from the great beyond

On a roll of thunder and a mighty dawn

Half alive and still half moved on

What remains is bound for where what left has gone

I made a run with just a dollar to my name

Hoping someday I could turn it into 10

I found each place that I came across was just the same

Familiar faces chased me

They just had different names

[gentle acoustic guitar music]

Then fear became the name I gave my faith

And that faith gave me away

Their fear became the name I gave my faith

And that faith gave me away

I made a run with just a dollar to my name

Hoping someday I could turn it into 10

I found each place that I came across was just the same

Familiar faces chased me

They just had different names

[gentle acoustic guitar music]

Christopher Gold: Thank you.

[audience applauding and cheering]