LORE — The Stories Behind the Songs

About the album

LORE is a collection of personal memories and family stories—the kind that get told and retold until they become part of who a family is. Each song comes from a piece of Junker lore that shaped us in some way: childhood adventures, ridiculous traditions, accidents, loss, conflict, survival, growing older, and the people who became part of our story along the way. Some of these memories are funny, some are painful, and some carry both at the same time.

The album moves through many different musical genres because those genres are part of my story too. Rather than force these memories into a single sound, I wanted each story to find the music that felt right for it, drawing from the different styles I've loved throughout my life. LORE isn't about preserving every detail exactly as it happened; it's about preserving what those moments came to mean. Families are shaped by the good and the bad, and over time memories become stories, stories become lore, and lore becomes part of what one generation hands to the next. These songs are my way of putting those stories somewhere they can keep being told.

The songs

Legacy of a Hero

Legacy of a Hero is where the idea for LORE began. Long before I thought about making an album, my dad, Randy Junker, wrote this poem about my brother Nathan. I had the idea to take Dad’s words and turn them into a song. That first song eventually led me to begin turning more of our family stories into music, and LORE grew from there. Because these are his words and his story, the best introduction to the song is the introduction he originally wrote for the poem in The Pastor’s Poems:

THE LEGACY OF A HERO

This book of poems is dedicated to our son, Nathan, who drowned rescuing a boy in his youth group when an unusual strong wind arose on Lake Pokegama south of Grand Rapids, Minnesota. He was 30 years old with a wife and four children. Another man who worked with Nathan also drown in the rescue. Several months later my wife, Debbie, and I went to a new ministry started by friends of ours. The ministry was called Smile Again and was for parents of children who had died. Besides being an out of the way location it provided counsel and help through the grief and pain of loss. After Debbie had gone to bed I sat down and started writing. The words seemed to come without effort. The result was this tribute to my son.

—Randy Junker

Nathan wearing the red cowboy hat that inspired imagery in LORE — Nathan in the red cowboy hat—an image that became part of the visual language behind *LORE* and “Legacy of a Hero.”

Lyrics

What happens when Superman is gone;
When Spiderman launches his final web?
Is the world left to the prey of evil?
Does life lose all its flow and ebb?
Are we only to retell an adventure tale?
Does truth fade to a fiction story?
Or, is there a transformation down deep
In their souls, rousing companions to glory?

The sea arose. The wind did blow.
Be Still! Live in the Legacy of a Hero.

When does the boy bare the mantle?
Are there hints to discover along the way?
What made this child steward of a treasure
Obscure to parents gazing at his play?
Firstborn with hopes of greatness grand,
Who knows what he will become?
But society will conform such thinking,
“He’s better than many, less than some.”

The Gift from. The Gift unto.
Yours, Lord! Live in the Legacy of a Hero.

Right and wrong were understood,
It was clear when he crossed the line.
A very good boy he tried to be.
The Truth a passion. Grace a sign.
When sin erupted (For all have sinned)
Discipline could spark a fit.
This behavior could not be ignored,
A splash in the face to his benefit.

The Rule applied. The morals grow.
Do Good! Live in the Legacy of a Hero.

Books consumed, even dictionaries read,
And the mind a sharpened tool.
Knowledge, discernment, integrity,
Godly wisdom you don’t get in school.
Teachers love to have such students
So eager to learn and learn more.
This one sought principles far beyond
Ascending up to heaven’s door.

The Spirit speaks. The soul will know.
Fill Me, Lord! Live in the Legacy of a Hero.

It’s hard to recognize a true hero,
Their name is common, they just fit in.
They may be nerdy or dress quite cool,
Have a normal job, even normal kin.
But don’t be fooled, you can spot them
Even if in clever disguise.
They are extra-ordinary, special;
You can see it in their eyes.

Red Cowboy Hat. The weird hairdo.
Who Are You? Live in the Legacy of a Hero.

The real hero has a lover to whom
He’s pledged his life forever.
Though very different persons are,
Their vows kept daily, broken never.
This is not easy, rather much work.
They are dedicated to the task,
To strive for oneness is a common goal;
It’s a habit – “Forgive me” – to ask.

The two one. The deep sorrow.
My Love! Live in the Legacy of a Hero.

“Daddy My Hero” to his children.
He does not let them down.
This father always show his kids his love,
It’s seen by everyone in town.
The right and wrong by them is known
Because from daddy it was taught.
He instructed from the Word of God
But mostly by example caught.

The baton passed. The seed sown.
Daddy Loves You! Live in the Legacy of a Hero.

The Hero also taught the people,
Whoever he could get to listen.
He told them of the love of God
And the glory they’d be missin’
If they ignored God’s saving message
About the Christ who came.
Who gave His life that they might live,
“I received Him as my Savior”
You can do the same.

The Gospel spread. The Christ follow.
Be Saved! Live in the Legacy of a Hero.

A fun outing on a summer Sunday,
“Get in the boat, the place is not far.”
“You can play here by the island shore
Or wade out on this long sand bar.”
The wind stirred up a mighty gust.
A boy’s life he went to save.
The mission complete.
Then the Hero gone – in a wave.

A body missing. Beyond the rainbow.
Well Done! Live in the Legacy of a Hero.

It’s said, “The measure of success is
That the successful leave successors.”
The Hero leaves a legacy,
His life inspires confessors.
His story changes those ordinary,
Those appearing lowly and meek.
They face the evil, injustice, and wrong
For God’s holy honor seek.

The sea arose. The winds still blow.
“Continue!” 

Live in the Legacy of a Hero.
Live in the Legacy of a Hero.
Live in the Legacy of a Hero.

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Where’s Waldo

“Where’s Waldo” comes from a family camping trip to Waldo Lake in Oregon that became one of those stories that gets better—and a little more unbelievable—with every retelling. What began as a child getting lost became a frantic search involving worried parents, a ranger and eventually a boat rescue. The title plays on the familiar Where’s Waldo? seek-and-find books, turning something playful into a question that, for a while, wasn’t funny at all.

That’s what makes it family lore. Time has a way of softening the frightening edges of a memory until the fear and the humor can exist together. What was terrifying to the parents became an adventure to the child, and eventually both versions could be remembered and retold with a smile.

Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Childhood road trip, headed west with the family,
Oregon was waiting, Uncle Dan's hospitality.
Pitched our tents by Waldo Lake beneath the pines so tall,
"Waldo Lake! Where's Waldo?" laughter echoed through us all.

Skimmed rocks across the water, glacier cold against our feet,
Built adventures on the shoreline where the mountains kissed the beach.
Then I figured I'd head back, "I know exactly where to go."
Turns out confidence and children make a dangerous combo.

[Pre-Chorus]
Every campsite looked the same.
Every tree knew not my name.
Crazy how the joke came true...
Nobody knew where I blew.

[Chorus]
Where's Waldo? Nobody knows.
Lost between the pines that grow.
One more step, one more mile,
Hope can hide for quite a while.
Round and round, the story goes,
Funny how nobody knows.
Sometimes you're the one who looks...
Sometimes you're the one who's lost.

[Verse 2]
While I wandered 'round Lake Waldo,
Back at camp another story grew.
They were counting heads instead of memories,
Two kids missing—what were they to do?

Little sister found alone and crying,
Safe at last—but not with me.
That's when every hopeful answer
Turned into uncertainty.
The ranger tried to sound reassuring,
But his words cut like a knife:
"If he wandered through those woods..."
Parents wish he would've  lied

[Chorus]
Where's Waldo? Nobody knows.
Lost between the pines that grow.
One more step, one more mile,
Hope can hide for quite a while.
Round and round, the story goes,
Funny how nobody knows.
Sometimes you're the one who looks...
Sometimes you're the one who's lost.

[Verse 3]
Road became another road, but none of them looked wrong.
Every turn felt so familiar, so I just kept moving on.
Found the shoreline, smiled and thought, "Now I've got this figured out."
Come to find a bit of confidence can drown a little doubt.
On and on my footsteps carried,
Every mile proved I was right.
"If I just keep hugging this old shoreline,
I'll be home before tonight."
Streams were soaking through my sneakers,
Roots and rocks beneath my feet.
Every bend should've been the beach by now...
Instead another stretch to meet.
Then I did the math like only
A little kid believes is true:
"I'm halfway 'round... I'd better keep going.
Turning back won't ever do."
The sun was sinking lower now,
The shadows stretched across the shore.
Then somewhere through the wilderness...
A dog barked once... then once more.

[Bridge]
Maybe people. Maybe hope.
Maybe I was getting close.
'mazing how one little sound
Can turn the whole world back around.
A little tent.
A little fire.
Dog leads me, his abode
I gave the canvas a soft tap.
A grunt, a startled groan.
Awkward silence and blanks stares... 

"I'm Tim," I said—
Like that explained it all.
He  asked me where I'd come from.
When I told him where my family was,
His eyes grew wide in disbelief.
"Kid... that's the other side of the lake."...
A little boat.
A little motor.
One last race against the night.
Hope was fading back at camp....
As the daylight surrendered to the fight,
Heads hung low, tears ran dry, and suddenly
through the dusk, a boat's silhouette emerged...

Waldo was finally home.

[Final Chorus]
Where's Waldo? Nobody knows.
Lost between the pines that grow.
One more step, one more mile,
Hope can hide for quite a while.
Round and round, the story goes,
Funny how nobody knows.
Sometimes you're the one who looks...
Sometimes you're the one who's lost.

[Outro]
Sometimes you're the one who's lost...
Sometimes you find...you're way...back home

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Pencil Lines

I wrote “Pencil Lines” the night after moving my daughter Avery into her college dorm. That milestone had me looking back at the measuring board we had hung years earlier to record the kids as they grew—a pencil mark, a name and a date, then another mark, higher and higher and higher. We kept adding lines without thinking much about it, until one of those lines became the last one.

Parenthood is filled with “last times” that almost never announce themselves: the last time you carry a child to bed, cheer at a soccer game or gymnastics meet, or make another mark on the board. By the time you realize it was the last time, it’s already a memory. Yet every little version of those kids is still there in those lines. They’re older now, standing right in front of me—but when I look at that board, all the little versions are standing there too.

Lyrics

[Verse 1]
We put up this measuring board when you were little.
A piece of wood on the wall,
your names down the side.

Shoes off.
Back against the board.
Heels down.

A pencil across your head.

Your name.
The date.
Another line.

We did it so many times.

Except there’s a last mark
above every name.

We just didn’t know it
when we drew it.

[Chorus]
We thought there’d be another one.

But somewhere along the way
we made the last mark on the wall.

Your names.
Your dates.
Those pencil marks
climbing up the wall.

Higher.
Higher.
Higher.

Every line still has
a little you
standing underneath it.

Now you’re standing right in front of me.

So are they.

[Verse 2]
There was a last soccer game.

A last folding chair
along the field.

A last time we yelled your name
from the sideline.

There was a last gymnastics meet.

A last time you walked onto that floor
and looked for us in the stands.

We cheered.

Of course we cheered.

Just another Saturday.
Just another meet.
Just another thing we’d done a hundred times.

Except we’d never do it again.

[Chorus]
We thought there’d be another one.

But somewhere along the way
we made the last mark on the wall.

Your names.
Your dates.
Those pencil marks
climbing up the wall.

Higher.
Higher.
Higher.

Every line still has
a little you
standing underneath it.

Now you’re standing right in front of me.

So are they.

[Verse 3]
There was a last time
I carried each of you to bed.

That’s the one that gets me.

A last time you fell asleep somewhere
and I picked you up.

A last time I felt your weight
settle against me.

A last trip up the stairs.

A last pull of the covers.

And I didn’t know.

If I’d known—

I would’ve…

I don’t know.

I would’ve held you a little longer.

I’d remember that night.

[Chorus]
We thought there’d be another one.

But somewhere along the way
we made the last mark on the wall.

Your names.
Your dates.
Those pencil marks
climbing up the wall.

Higher.
Higher.
Higher.

Every line still has
a little you
standing underneath it.

Now you’re standing right in front of me.

So are they.

[Bridge]
The last bedtime story.

The last hand reaching for yours.

The last first day
you walk them in.

The last night
every bedroom is full.

You don’t know.

Then there are keys on the counter.

Pictures on the wall.

Boxes on the floor.

I used to think
we were measuring you.

We were measuring time.

[Final Chorus]
We thought there’d be another one.

But somewhere along the way
we made the last mark on the wall.

Your names.
Your dates.
Those pencil marks
climbing up the wall.

Higher.
Higher.
Higher.

Every line still has
a little you
standing underneath it.

Now you’re standing right in front of me.

So are they.

[Outro]
The board is still hanging there.

Names.
Dates.
Pencil lines.

There’s a last one
above every name.

If I’d known—

No.

I don’t think I would’ve done anything differently.

I just would’ve looked at you
a little longer
before you stepped away from the wall.

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Cape & Camo

After my brother died, his wife and four children were left with an absence no one could fill. When Brandon entered their lives, got engaged to my sister-in-law and eventually married her, I struggled with what accepting him meant. Part of me felt that welcoming another man into that family was somehow betraying my brother—as though moving forward meant leaving him behind. The cape and the camo represent two different men and two different places in the same family story. The “shoes no man could fill” were never Brandon’s to fill. He brought his own.

That meaning is hidden in an acrostic throughout the entire song. The first letters of Verse 1 spell BRANDON, Verse 2 spells MICHAEL, and Verse 3 spells LADOUX—together secretly writing BRANDON MICHAEL LADOUX, his full name, into the song. Each chorus spells CONTINUE, while the outro spells LEGACY. Brandon’s name is woven into a song about learning to accept the life that continued after my brother’s death, while CONTINUE and LEGACY hold the two ideas together: moving forward doesn’t require leaving someone behind. Accepting Brandon was never about replacing or forgetting my brother. It was realizing that a family can continue, grow and love again while still carrying his legacy.

Lyrics

Hidden acrostic: Verse 1 = BRANDON · Verse 2 = MICHAEL · Verse 3 = LADOUX · Each chorus = CONTINUE · Outro = LEGACY

Verse 1

Broken by the waves, the dust had barely settled.

Rattled little hearts still looked toward the door.

A world that lost its Superman forgot how to keep spinning.

No one noticed the world still turning.

Darkness filled the rooms where his laughter used to echo.

Only silence answered bedtime prayers.

No soul knows what's left after heroes disappear.

Chorus

Can the world keep turning when Superman is gone?

Outcast hearts see how empty skies can be.

No one could ever wear that cape and red hat.

Those are shoes no man could fill.

I still searched for him through corridors of fading memories.

Nothing seemed enough to make things right.

Until a camouflaged hero could be clearly seen.

Every cape is stitched a different way.

Verse 2

Maybe I was angry at the wrong man standing there.

I couldn't bear to watch somebody take his place.

Cause every smile felt like betrayal in the wreckage.

How could another man stand where I still saw his face?

And yet he knew the ache of joining someone else's story.

Even he had watched a family learn to start anew.

Love had already taught him what broken hearts can do.

Chorus

Can the world keep turning when Superman is gone?

Outcast hearts see how empty skies can be.

No one could ever wear that cape and red hat.

Those are shoes no man could fill.

I still searched for him through corridors of fading memories.

Nothing seemed enough to make things right.

Until a camouflaged hero could be clearly seen.

Every cape is stitched a different way.

Verse 3

Looking back, I think I hated him for breathing.

All because our hero no longer could.

Deep inside I feared acceptance meant forgetting.

Only grief could make love seem misunderstood.

Under brighter skies, the family tree kept reaching toward the sunlight.

X marks the place where two new branches joined the rest.

Final Chorus

Can the world keep turning when Superman is gone?

Outcast hearts see how empty skies can be.

No one could ever wear that cape and red hat.

Those are shoes no man could fill.

I finally stopped searching for my brother in another man.

Now I see why grace arrived disguised.

Under camouflage and autumn leaves, he hardly looked the part.

Even Superman would smile to see how well they're loved tonight.

Outro

Legends never vanish when they're gone.

Every life they touch carries the light.

Grace arrives in ways we may not see.

And no one wears the same colors twice.

Camouflage can't hide a hero's heart.

Yet we're all still living in the legacy of a hero.

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After the Flames

“After the Flames” comes from the fire that damaged our family home and, with it, pieces of the childhood we had left behind. Melted G.I. Joes, smoke-soaked clothes and boxes of belongings became reminders that ordinary things can quietly hold years of memories. The fire made tangible something that usually happens slowly: childhood disappears, and sometimes you don’t realize what those little pieces of it meant until they’re gone.

But the song is also about what the fire couldn’t take. Possessions, rooms and pieces of our past could be damaged or destroyed, yet the family and the memories attached to those things remained. The smoke eventually cleared, the house could be restored, and life continued. What survived mattered more than what the flames could reach.

Lyrics

[Verse 1]
No sign of what was waiting there,
Just a groan beneath the floor.
Then one long thunder from below
That rattled walls, windows, and doors.
Dad went down to chase the sound,
As Mom called out his name.
At the bottom of the basement stairs,
The furnace room was breathing flames.
He froze there at the bottom step.
He knew there'd be no fight.
Some things aren't meant for saving
When that might cost a life.

[Chorus]
The flames rewrote the space.
Time would soften every trace.
The home would wear new colors,
But keep the same embrace.

[Verse 2:]
Morning found the house still standing,
Blackened windows, silent frame.
Smoke had settled into everything
Long after the flames were tamed.
G.I. Joes were melted soldiers,
Fused together chest to chest.
Family photos curled to shadows,
Not all were laid to rest.
Clothes all carried campfire smoke,
Jackets, blankets, winter coats.
We made lists of what was missing,
One more line on every note.

[Chorus]
The flames rewrote the space.
Time would soften every trace.
The home would wear new colors,
But keep the same embrace.

[Bridge]
Lost pictures somehow made it back,
Courtesy of Enstrom's hands.
Others lived in borrowed copies,
Still enough to understand.
Our memories are stronger
Than the paper where they live.
Time can't always save the moment,
But it sometimes learns to give.

[Verse 3]
For a while home was a hotel room
Down by Wendigo's fairways.
Mom and Dad and little sister
Waited out those smoky days.
Then hammers sang a different future.
Walls were opened up with care.
The basement grew into a kingdom,
Built for games and laughter there.
The orange kitchen disappeared.
A better layout took its place.
Somehow loss became a doorway
To a warmer living space.

[Chorus]
The flames rewrote the space.
Time would soften every trace.
The home would wear new colors,
But keep the same embrace.

[Outro]
New walls held the old laughter.
Old memories found new frames.
Home was waiting...
After the flames...
After the flames.

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Trust Me

Some family stories become legends precisely because they weren’t funny when they happened. A sledding trip at Glacier ended with broken ribs, chipped and broken teeth, and two observations that captured the chaos perfectly: “I can’t breathe” and “You’re missing teeth.” Years later, the injuries aren’t what give the story its power—the retelling does. Pain becomes a story, the story gets repeated, and eventually something awful becomes something everyone laughs about.

The song itself is intentionally short and ends abruptly, mirroring the sledding trip it remembers. What was supposed to be an afternoon of sledding was over almost as soon as it began, brought to a sudden stop by one spectacularly bad run. The song ends the same way the day did: before anyone was ready for it to.

Lyrics

Yeah (boo-boop boop boop boop boo boo)
Yeah.
Uh huh (shhhhh)
Yeah (whoosh)
Bidditiidiibiidb

Glacier country, snow all around,
Dad with the middle kids, boots on the ground.
Cold in the air, sleds under their arms,
Nothing but mountains and wintertime charm.

Then he spotted a trail disappearing through trees,
His sister looked over and quietly, “Please…”
That hill looked wrong, even from where they stood,
Which only made it look even more good.

He had that look kids get when they’re feeling immortal,
Standing at the edge like danger was normal.
“I’m good… trust me…” confidence talking,
Dad gave a shrug while they all kept watching.

Sat on the sled with a grin ear to ear,
Not feeling the weight of a reason for fear.
One little push and away he flew,
Getting faster and smaller from their point of view.

Whoosh…

Faster.

Faster.

Faster.

Too fast.

BANG!

BAM!

THUD!

OUCH!

BOULDER!

SMASH!

CRACK!

Bounce!

Bounce!

ROLL!

BOULDER!

THUMP!

Snow.

Silence.

…

“I can’t breathe.”

…

“You’re missing teeth.”

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Tiny Fingers & Twisted Steel

“Tiny Fingers and Twisted Steel” comes from an August when two completely opposite family stories collided. My son Brody was being born while my sister Nadine was surviving a horrific crash caused by a drunk driver—her car sheared in two only inches behind her seat. I was experiencing the beginning of my son’s life at the same time my family was confronting how close my sister’s life had come to ending.

That’s why the title deliberately puts those images together. Birth and survival became inseparable in our memory of that day. “A grandson came, a daughter stayed, beneath the August moon.” Brody came into our family; Nadine stayed in it. Her scars remain as a reminder that the story could have been written very differently.

Lyrics

[Verse 1]

Balloons and flowers filled the room,
Visitors came one by one.
Tiny fingers wrapped around our hands,
As we welcomed the first grandson.

A ringing phone cut through the room,
And quickly changed the mood.
While celebrating Brody’s birth,
Dino’s car was sheared in two.

[Chorus]

Tiny fingers and twisted steel,
First breaths and shattered glass.
An angel stood where steel gave way,
And would not let death pass.

[Verse 2]

They said the steel had split apart
Just inches from her seat.
A different angle, different speed,
And we’d be incomplete.

Scars upon her arms remain,
Like signatures of grace.
The only proof she ever came
So near another fate.

[Chorus]

Tiny fingers and twisted steel,
First breaths and shattered glass.
An angel stood where steel gave way,
And would not let death pass.

[Bridge]

Happy tears and fearful tears,
Falling from the very same eyes.
Joy and sorrow sharing space
Beneath fluorescent skies.

Newborn pictures to X-rays,
Lullabies to flashing sirens.
Congratulations to pleading prayers,
As smiles gave way to fearful cries.

Baby footprints freshly printed,
Fresh skid marks burned into the road.
The same day a cord was cut,
A car was torn in two.

[Outro]

The family tree kept all its branches,
While another branch took bloom.
A grandson came, a daughter stayed,
Beneath the August moon.

Tiny fingers and twisted steel,
First breaths and shattered glass.
An angel stood where steel gave way,
And would not let death pass.

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Scottie

Scottie was our childhood dog—a white half-poodle, half-shih tzu with butterscotch ears and enough personality to become part of the family mythology. The song playfully contrasts our very ordinary Scottie with famous “Scotties” from history and pop culture, before returning to the little things that made ours unforgettable. He was trained to stay off the carpet, but sometimes had no choice but to cross it—so he would walk across on three legs with one back leg lifted, as if that somehow meant he wasn’t really touching it.

That’s really why Scottie belongs on LORE. He didn’t need to be a famous Scottie to become legendary to us. Childhood isn’t remembered only through milestones and tragedies; sometimes the memories that survive are completely ordinary and wonderfully ridiculous.

Lyrics

[Intro]
Yeah…
Everybody knows a Scottie.
Yeah…
Everybody knows a Scottie.
Yeah…
Everybody knows a Scottie.

[Verse 1]
Scottie Pippen had six rings, hanging from the sky,
Locked down every superstar standing eye to eye.
Banners in the rafters, highlights on replay,
Millions know his legacy still living on today.
My Scottie never needed championships or fame,
Just a house to patrol and somebody to know his name.
All white little mutt with butterscotch-colored ears,
A self-appointed bodyguard for all his younger years.
Tiny little king who thought he ran the yard,
Twelve pounds of confidence pretending he was hard.

[Chorus ]
You can keep your heroes, keep your famous names,
The wrestlers and astronauts and Hall of Fame games.
Legends all live in y’all memories…
And mine was a little white pup named Scottie.
Scottie…
Scottie…
Scottie…
Scottie…

[Verse 2]
Scotty kept the engines running somewhere out in space,
Saving every mission when the crew got out of place.
“Beam me up” became a line the whole world came to know,
A legend built among the stars wherever Trekkies go.
My Scottie never left our little neighborhood.
Thought the vacuum was an alien and never understood.
Three-legged strut every time he hit the rug,
Like the carpet owed him money or was hiding bugs.
Vet never solved it, neither did we,
Guess every legend’s got a mystery.

[Chorus ]
You can keep your heroes, keep your famous names,
The wrestlers and astronauts and Hall of Fame games.
Legends all live in y’all memories…
And mine was a little white pup named Scottie.
Scottie…
Scottie…
Scottie…
Scottie…

[Verse 3]
Scotty 2 Hotty had arenas on their feet,
Hit the Worm and had the whole crowd moving with the beat.
Lights, pyro, entrance themes, everybody knew his name,
Another Scottie living forever in the Hall of Fame.
My Scottie had his own kind of celebrity.
Every stranger got barked at like he worked security.
Acted ten feet tall while barely to your knees,
Picking fights with dogs that were three times his size with ease.
Little dude would’ve probably fought a bear in the yard,
Tiny little body with the heart of a guard.

[Chorus]
You can keep your heroes, keep your famous names,
The wrestlers and astronauts and Hall of Fame games.
Legends all live in y’all memories…
And mine was a little white pup named Scottie.
Scottie…
Scottie…
Scottie…
Scottie…

[Verse 4]
Scott Stapp had his arms wide open, singing to the skies,
Sold-out shows and lighters shining like a thousand fireflies.
Had a voice that filled arenas, everybody sang along,
Another Scottie living forever in generational songs.
My Scottie never had a stage or platinum records on the wall,
Just followed us from room to room and watched over us all.
Never sang a single note, never took a bow,
But somehow after all these years, I still remember now—
The way he’d wait beside the door,
Like protecting us was something he was put here for.

[Bridge]
Scott Lang became a hero.
Scott Calvin became Santa Claus.
Scott Bakula kept leaping through time.
And my Scottie?
He became one of those stories
Everybody in the family still tells.
The butterscotch ears.
The little pause before he’d start it—
Lifting up that back leg
Whenever he stepped onto the carpet.
Scottie…
Scottie…
Scottie…
Scottie…

[Chorus]
You can keep your heroes, keep your famous names,
The wrestlers and astronauts and Hall of Fame games.
Legends all live in y’all memories…
And mine was a little white pup named Scottie.
Scottie…
Scottie…
Scottie…
Scottie…

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Yunker

Our last name is spelled Junker and pronounced Yunker, which means carrying it comes with a lifetime of correcting people. The song takes that minor but never-ending annoyance and imagines an increasingly absurd solution: what if, instead of correcting everyone else, we just changed the way the entire world pronounces the letter J?

“If ‘Just Do It’ still sells shoes…” becomes “Yust Do It,” and from there the idea spirals. It’s not meant to uncover some profound truth about our family name. It’s simply a silly answer to a problem every Junker has dealt with: if everyone keeps saying our name wrong, maybe everyone else is the problem.

Lyrics

They'd call out "Junker" in the classroom once again
I'd raise my hand and make the same correction then
After years of clarifications, one thought came to mind
What if all the J's had simply changed to Y's

Don't yudge me by my last name
We've been saying it this way for years
In a world of Yohns and Yanes
We yust smile and shift the gears

If "Yust do it" still sells shoes
If "Yedi" still can use the Force
If "Yackpot!" still means we've hit it big
Then nothing really changed, of course

What if Yonny Cash still sang the blues
What if Yulius conquered Rome
What if Yack and Yill climbed up the hill
Would people even have known

If Yanuary still starts the year
And yets still race across the sky—
We'd all still carry on our way
And never know the sound had died

Don't yudge me by my last name
We've been saying it this way for years
In a world of Yohns and Yanes
We yust smile and shift the gears

If "Yust do it" still sells shoes
If "Yedi" still can use the Force
If "Yackpot!" still means we've hit it big
Then nothing really changed, of course

Yulius Caesar, Michael Yordan
Yack Nicholson, Yane Austen
Yustin Timberlake, Yim Morrison
Yoan of Arc and Yimmy Buffett

Yapan, Yohannesburg, New Yersey nights
Yerusalem glowing beneath city lights
Yuneau, Yacksonville, Yamaica’s swaying trees
A whole world renamed from sea to sea

Yackets and yewels, yukebox songs
Yellyfish and yungles all along
Yigsaw puzzles, yellybean yars
Yump ropes, yaguars and yazz guitars

Don't yudge me by my last name
We've been saying it this way for years
In a world of Yohns and Yanes
We yust smile and shift the gears

If "Yust do it" still sells shoes
If "Yedi" still can use the Force
If "Yackpot!" still means we've hit it big
Then nothing really changed, of course

What if all the J's had simply changed to Y's
What if nobody ever noticed

…Yalapeño

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Fool’s Feast

Every April 1st, normal dinner rules disappeared. Dessert came first, prayer came last, pots and lampshades became hats, cookie sheets became plates, and spatulas or giant ladles became silverware—all on April Fool’s Day, which also happened to be Oma’s birthday. It was ridiculous by design.

“Fool’s Feast” is a silly song about a silly family tradition, and that’s really all it needs to be. But there’s something important about traditions like this too. The ridiculous things a family does over and over are often the things everyone remembers—and sometimes it’s those silly traditions that help keep a family tied together.

Lyrics

[Intro]

Every April first we’d gather,
The backwards feast would soon begin.
No one knows just how it started,
Only that it’s always been.

The hats got stranger every year,
The table wildly absurd.
And every April first would get
A little more disturbed.

[Verse 1]

Can I wear this baseball cap?

Absolutely not.

Can I wear this lampshade here?

Now you’re getting hot.

Can I wear this flower pot?

A splendid choice indeed.

Can I wear this purple wig?

Now you’re dressed just right, I see.

Can I wear this bonnet too?

You finally understand.

Can I wear my normal clothes?

You’ll need something much more grand.

[Chorus]

This is weird.

Of course it is… but not today.

On April first—we do things wrong,
And that’s the proper way.

Dessert comes first, the meal comes next,
The normal order gets perplexed.
And when the final bite has passed,
That’s when we bless the food at last.

[Verse 2]

Can I set the table straight?

That simply will not do.

Can I turn the chairs around?

Now you’re thinking through.

Can I use this silver spoon?

Much too practical.

Can I use this giant ladle?

Now we’re being sensible.

Can I eat on this cookie sheet?

An excellent place to dine.

Can I drink from this flower vase?

A perfect choice this time.

[Chorus]

This is weird.

Of course it is… but not today.

On April first—we do things wrong,
And that’s the proper way.

Dessert comes first, the meal comes next,
The normal order gets perplexed.
And when the final bite has passed,
That’s when we bless the food at last.

[Verse 3]

Can I eat these cookies first?

Yep! That’s where we start.

Can I save dessert for later?

That would tear the rules apart.

Can I have this hot dog bun?

Only if it holds a burger.

Can I shape the burgers long?

Yes, now everything’s in order.

Isn’t this just meant for kids?

Of course not, grown-ups do it too.

Can I say the blessing now?

No, not until we’re through.

[Final Chorus]

This is weird.

Of course it is… but not today.

On April first—we do things wrong,
And that’s the proper way.

Dessert comes first, the meal comes next,
The normal order gets perplexed.
And when the final bite has passed,
That’s when we bless the food at last.

[Outro]

Who first made these silly rules?

Nobody can say.

We only know that every year
We do things wrong this way.

Why do we do any of this?

That secret’s locked away.

We’ll probably ask again next year…
And still do it anyway.

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What’s in a Name

“What’s in a Name” looks at the meanings behind my name and the names of my three siblings. We were given our names long before anyone knew who we would become, yet looking back, there are curious ways their meanings seem to echo through the people and lives behind them.

The song isn’t claiming that a name determines a life. It’s more about looking backward and noticing connections that couldn’t have been known when those names were chosen. Sometimes a name is simply a name. And sometimes, years later, you can’t help but wonder if it knew something first.

Lyrics

[Intro]

Before the cradle softly swayed,

Before the stars had learned their course,

Two parents spoke their children’s names,

Unknowing of their hidden force.

For names are more than borrowed words

Or letters penned by human hands.

Some seem to carry whispers old,

As though first written in God’s plans.

[Nathan]
Nathan means “He gave to us,”
Words from tongues now turned to dust.
A gift of God the scriptures say,
A prophet’s name from David’s day.
It’s as if all those ancient lines
Were written deep inside his life.
For love was always what he gave,
Until he gave what none could save.

[Timothy]
Timothy means “honoring God,”
A name the ancient Greeks passed on.
A faithful friend that Paul once knew,
Whose life was spent in seeking truth.
It’s as if all those ancient lines
Were written deep inside his life.
For sorrow taught what faith can be:
Still praising through uncertainty.

[Chorus]
What’s in a name?
A light we carry on.
A gift, a faith, a glimpse of grace,
A hope when days are long.
What’s in a name?
Heaven leaves a little clue.
Tiny whispers at our birth
Of who we’d one day grow into.

[Tiffany]
Tiffany means “God appears,”
A sacred name through countless years.
An ancient word for heaven’s light,
Breaking softly through the night.
It’s as if all those ancient lines
Were written deep inside her life.
For quiet souls can still reveal
The kind of love that heaven feels.

[Nadine]
Nadine means “hope,” the old words say,
A name that traveled far to stay
Through distant lands and passing years,
Still carrying hope through joy and tears.
It’s as if all those ancient lines
Were written deep inside It’s as if all those ancient lines
Were written deep inside her life.
For hope can wear a teasing grin,
And still keep all it loves within.

[Bridge]
Four little names on a family tree,
Just ink and paper, it would seem.
Yet time kept turning page by page,
Till we all grew into our names.
One gave love, one carried faith,
One brought light in quiet ways.
One kept hope through passing years—
Heaven knew us long ago.

[Final Chorus]
What’s in a name?
A light we carry on.
A gift, a faith, a glimpse of grace,
A hope when days are long.
What’s in a name?
Heaven leaves a little clue.
Tiny whispers at our birth
Of who we’d one day grow into…

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New Names

“New Names” tells the story of my parents, Randy and Debbie, beginning with two young people whose lives came together at Crown College and carried them through Minnesota, Illinois, Nebraska, Montana and eventually back to Minnesota. Along the way, Randy and Debbie became Mom and Dad, then Opa and Oma, and now Great Opa and Great Oma, as their children grew up and grandchildren—and eventually a great-grandchild—expanded the family.

That’s the meaning behind “New names… Same hearts.” A lifetime changes what people call us because our relationships to one another keep changing. The names accumulate, but underneath all of them are still the same two people who started the story together.

Lyrics

[Verse 1]

A cheerleader with Canadian roots,
And a farm boy from northern farmland.
She cheered beside the hardwood floors,
While he hit jumpers for the fans.
Neither one could yet imagine
All the names life had planned.

Their names…
Randy and Debbie.

[Verse 2]

God kept calling down new roads,
Through little towns and distant lands.
Wedding rings and cardboard boxes,
New beginnings, careful plans.
Every stop along the journey
Placed new callings in their hands.

New names…
Husband and Wife.

[Verse 3]

Little voices filled the hallways,
Toys and laughter filled the rooms.
Every season brought new memories,
Years went by all too soon.
Life was giving them new reasons
For the names they’d assume.

New names…
Dad and Mom.

[Chorus]

Randy, Debbie, Husband and Wife,
Dad and Mom through the seasons of life.
Different names through the years gone by,
Yet the same two hearts still shine inside.

[Verse 4]

Christmas mornings grew much louder,
Little feet ran through the rooms.
Family photos kept on changing,
Time kept moving all too soon.
Branches stretched in all directions,
As the family tree still grew.

New names…
Opa and Oma.

[Bridge]

Randy and Debbie still remain,
Beneath each title that they wear.
Life kept turning through the seasons,
Bringing new names through the years.

New names…
Great Opa and Great Oma.

[Final Chorus]

Randy, Debbie, Husband and Wife,
Dad and Mom through the seasons of life.
Opa and Oma, as the family grew,
Great Opa and Great Oma, blessings anew.
Different names through the years gone by,
Yet the same two hearts still shine inside.

[Outro]

Randy…
Debbie…

Husband…
Wife…

Dad…
Mom…

Opa…
Oma…

Great Opa…
Great Oma…

New names…
New names…
New names…

Same hearts.

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The Fight

“The Fight” is about how a few terrible minutes can threaten to define years of love between people. A fight between two brothers became a “moment of insanity”—a brief period when anger was louder than everything that had come before it. The darkness in the song represents that part of ourselves capable of becoming someone we barely recognize.

But the song isn’t really about the fight; it’s about refusing to let the worst moment become the final word. “Maybe darkness won that battle, but peace outlived the lie.” The lie is that our darkest moment tells the whole truth about who we are. It doesn’t. The fight became part of our history, but reconciliation became the longer story.

Lyrics

[Verse 1]
The house stood watch that afternoon
With no one else around.
Four young souls to guard the walls
Until the sun went down.
Two lil' queens still building worlds,
Too innocent to know
That fortresses can crumble
From seeds they never sow.
No one recalls the first spark
That kissed the waiting flame.
Just that two brothers one day
Forgot each other's names.

[Pre-Chorus]
Mercy missed the doorway.
Grace remained outside.
Hell rehearsed its victory
And whispered to their pride.

[Chorus 1]
The devil danced above them,
Pulling every string.
Turned a spark into a wildfire
Till truth meant nothing.
The angel never answered
Through the choking smoke.
So thunder filled the empty seat
Where gentler voices spoke.
Two guardian bells rang out
Until the rafters cried.
Heaven's voice was barely heard
In tears they could not hide.

[Verse 2]
Castles lost their cornerstones.
The walls forgot their peace.
Every flying shadow fed
The fury's swift increase.
One brother reached with open hands
Before he raised a fist.
But fury drew the battle lines
With hands too blind to miss.
Cain stood in the hallway.
The serpent crossed the floor.
They weren't two brothers now...
Just soldiers keeping score.

[Bridge]
Memory dissolves
Where all the echoes start.
No one recalls the final blow,
Only terror in two hearts.
The walls still keep their pleading
Like hymns that never fade.
Maybe that's the only truth
The devil couldn't change.

[Chorus 2]
The devil stole an afternoon;
He couldn't steal the years.
He built his throne from borrowed rage
And ruled it with their fears.
Fortresses rebuilt their walls.
The castle learned to stand.
Peace is always stronger
Than the sword held in a hand.
The guardian bells grew quiet.
Their prayers were finally heard.
Love spoke long after anger
Ran out of borrowed words.

[Outro]
Darkness won that battle.
Virtue stayed away
But peace kept walking toward them
Even when they lost their way.
The house holds the echoes.
Its walls still testify.
The devil won that afternoon...

But peace outlived the lie

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Tears of Sorrow, Tears of Joy

LORE ends with another poem written by my dad, Randy Junker. Tears of Sorrow, Tears of Joy was originally part of our family’s 2009 Christmas letter, written during the first Christmas after Nathan died. Ending the album with Dad’s words felt fitting. LORE began because I wanted to turn one of his poems into a song, and it closes with another—bookending the album with the words that helped inspire it in the first place.

Dad’s original introduction to the poem was simple:

TEARS OF SORROW TEARS OF JOY

From the 2009 family Christmas letter.

—Randy Junker

Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Some things happen
But they should never.
They rob your heart
And change life forever.
The Sunday came like any other.
Greater love shown to another.
But now a grieving Dad and Mother.

[Chorus]
Tears of sorrow, Tears of joy.
OOOhhh oo oooooo
Tears of sorrow, Tears of joy.
OOOhhh oo oooooo

[Verse 2]
Nathan was a model son,
Husband, dad.
A life lived right,
His death seems so sad.
An unexpected wind blew.
A Hero to a child flew.
The danger no one had a clue.

[Chorus]
Tears of sorrow, Tears of joy.
OOOhhh oo oooooo
Tears of sorrow, Tears of joy.
OOOhhh oo oooooo

[Verse 3]
To a community gathered
For painful memorial.
Nathan’s walk & talk,
A God honoring testimonial.
Red Cowboy Hat friends
Songs of hopeful faith mends
God’s grace in fullness sends.

[Chorus]
Tears of sorrow, Tears of joy.
OOOhhh oo oooooo
Tears of sorrow, Tears of joy.
OOOhhh oo oooooo

[Verse 4]
We laid his body
In the Harris Cemetery plot.
When the love is great
It hurts a lot.
T-shirts – “Daddy my hero”
Hugs and hope overflow
We must “CONTINUE” you know.

[Chorus]
Tears of sorrow, Tears of joy.
OOOhhh oo oooooo
Tears of sorrow, Tears of joy.
OOOhhh oo oooooo

[Verse 5]
Nathan Randall Junker,
We always remember.
Follow his example
New Years ’til December.
Memorial trees
Swing set “wees”
Everywhere pennies.

[Chorus]
Tears of sorrow, Tears of joy.
OOOhhh oo oooooo
Tears of sorrow, Tears of joy.
OOOhhh oo oooooo

[Bridge]
God so loved the world
That he gave his Son.
To see Him die for our sin
Must have hurt a ton.
Doubts destroy
Heaven’s joy
“Miss you, Boy.”

[Final Chorus]
Tears of sorrow, Tears of joy.
OOOhhh oo oooooo
Tears of sorrow, Tears of joy.
OOOhhh oo oooooo
OOOhhh oo oooooo

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