FAWM: "Ticonderoga #2"

Ticonderoga #2

2 weeks ago by @philhenry

Liner Notes

Written with my buddy, former student, punk rocker, and unofficial mayor of Rutland, VT, NICK GRANDCHAMP.

Lyrics

Ticonderoga #2 (Nick Grandchamp and Phil Henry) February 2026

Well they sit you down at the public school Put a pencil in your hand cause a crayon wouldn’t do Ticonderoga #2

And you traced every letter, gotta keep it on the line And you cross every T. but you never let em change your mind Ticonderoga #2

Cause you know There’s so much more, there’s so much more They’re not telling you And you know There’s so much more, there’s so muchmore

When you go out in the world, wanna make your mark Get right on to the point, keep your pencil sharp Ticonderoga #2

But they’ll wear you dull with their middle class dreams And getting what you want is never what it seems, no Ticonderoga #2

Cause you know There’s so much more, there’s so much more That you wanna do And you know There’s so much more, there’s so much more

Well they sit you down, put a Bic in your hand Use blue or black ink, like a grown-ass man No Ticonderoga #2

Gonna sign your life away, don’t make a mistake Better think it all through, you don’t get to erase it Like Ticonderoga #2

Cause you know There’s so much more, there’s so much more They’re not telling you And you know There’s so much more, there’s so much more

Comments

@nancycunning 5d

What a great starting place, and you make the most out of it...I like the way the listener gets to imagine what that so much more could be. My son is deciding what first job to take this week, and I'm imagining you're singing to him. Those first images with the pencil and the crayon and the handwriting paint such a clear picture of a very small child.

@mikegtz 1w

Well done, Phil, cool song. Hope to be hearing this in performance sometime soon. The harmonies are especially killer here.

@shingleton 1w

Really love this one - just fantastic songwriting. There's something so incredibly specific yet universal to the American consciousness in the words Ticonderoga #2. A lot of intuitive emotion there, not to mention just fun to say. The vocal harmonies are juicy too. Seeing the world through the eyes of writing utensils.

@zervas1 2w

Love the phrasing on the "Ticonderoga #2" part. Brilliant to use the word "Ticonderoga" in a song. It just rolls off the tongue. Also love how you just jump into the song. "When you go out in the world, wanna make your mark Get right on to the point, keep your pencil sharp."

@philnorman 2w

The muted staccato guitar pokes through like pencil points in your pocket. Love the counterpoint harmony. Catchy, nostalgic, evocative, joyful. This is a delight. Good to hear you again, other-Phil 😄

Complete nitpick / suggestion, and it's for March in any case, but my mind kept getting stuck on not wanting the first "so" in the much mores. As in, I'm wondering if it would flow with "you know there's more, there's so much more"

@derekburkins 2w

First of all, I love this song because there is nothing better than a freshly sharpened Ticonderoga #2 to sit down and start writing with on a yellow legal pad. My whole teaching career I used those to make my notes and plan my lessons every week for decades! As always, great catchy tune with awesome production (I am not sure how you get things so complete in such a comparatively short time). And the progression of life and responsibilities reflected in the ever changing "things you have to write/sign" is clever and deep enough to require repeat reading/listening to really get the impact. The bop keeps it light, the words dig so much deeper.

@froggymagee 2w

Really well done! The mix is awesome, those backing vocals feel like they are perfectly wrapped around your lead vocal! Love that chorus too, very catchy!

@beacon 2w

This is crazy good. The layering of meaning and variety of interpretations are so well written, and the complexity of the arrangement are just amazing. And it's a bop. Upon just seeing the title I was wondering if you were referencing a previous song. Brilliance here.

@eas3637 2w

Love love love this! I feel like your Phil Henry superpowers are on display in this song: deceptively simple premise, big big ideas, SUPER catchy refrain and beat, and some deliciously tasty word morsels like "Well they sit you down, put a Bic in your hand/Use blue or black ink, like a grown-ass man." More please.

@aaronnathans 2w

Great use of prosody, and the feel of this is terrific. I feel the theme and message, for sure. Is the pencil factory a local business across the lake?

@philhenry 2w

No, and that's where this song started: Nick thought they were manufactured in Ticonderoga, but they are not. Originally, lead was found in Ticonderoga to be used in the pencils, so that's where the name came from. So the town got jettisoned from the song ...

@bethdesombre 2w

Yes! Love the feel of this -- and how much fun it is to sing Ticonderoga #2. (and to bop to the whole thing -- such amazing production.) And lyrically this goes to such interesting places with the metaphor as what you're writing changes over time.. Plus the shift from "that you want to do" to "they're not telling you" and back. One of my very favorite things about FAMW is new @philhenry songs!