singer-songwriter and actor. He has also performed and recorded with the English Folk-Rock act Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit.
Flynn released his debut album, A Larum, in 2008. This was followed by the Sweet William EP in 2009 and his second album Been Listening in 2010. 'Been Listening' includes the singles album Kentucky Pill, Barnacled Warship and The Water, which features a duet with Laura Marling.
The Wrote & The Writ
Johnny Flynn Lyrics
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I hope his cassock's clean
The burden of being our holy fellas
Your halo'd better gleam, better gleam
What of all those wayward priests?
The ones who like to drink
Do you suppose they'd swap their blood for wine
Like you swapped yours for ink, for ink
You wrote me oh so many letters
And all of them seemed true
Promises look good on paper
Especially from you, from you
The weight of all those willing words
I carried all alone
You wouldn't put your pen to bed
When we hadn't found our own, our own
Your sentences rose high at night
And circled round my head
The circle's since been broken
Like the priest before me is breaking bread
I'm being asked to drink the blood of Christ
And soon I'll eat his flesh
I'm alone again before the altar
Shedding all my old regrets
The last of which I'll tell you now
As it flies down the sink
I never knew a part of you
You didn't set in ink, in ink
The letters that you left behind
No longer shall I read
Your blood's between the pages
And I can't stand to see you bleed
And I'll soon forget what was never there
Your words are ash and dust
All that's left is the song I've sung
The breath I've taken and the one I must
If you're born with a love for the wrote and the writ
People of letters your warning stands clear
Pay heed to your heart and not to your wit
Don't say in a letter what you can't in my ear
The Wrote & The Writ is a song by English musician and actor Johnny Flynn. The song revolves around the theme of the burden of being a holy man - priests, their actions, and their responsibilities. The first verse sets the tone for the rest of the song, with a reference to priests being photographed and the need for them to keep their cassocks clean. The second verse poses a question about the hypocrisy of priests who indulge in drinking and questions whether they would trade their blood for wine, like how Flynn traded his for ink, alluding to the writing process of his music.
Flynn then moves on to talk about the letters he received from someone and how his heart felt true from what was written. He talks about the promises that look good on paper, but often the reality is different. He then highlights the weight of the words someone writes and how he carried them all-alone. He also talks about the impact of words, how they circle around your head like sentences from the letters, and how the circle has been broken.
The final lines talk about the communion and the final shedding of regrets before moving on to the last regret, ending the letter in the sink with the person's blood between the pages. The last verse goes on to encapsulate the message behind the song with a warning to people of letters to pay heed to their heart and not to their wit and not say in a letter what they cannot say in earshot.
Line by Line Meaning
They're taking pictures of the man from God
People are taking pictures of the religious leader
I hope his cassock's clean
I hope his religious garment is unsoiled
The burden of being our holy fellas
It is hard being a religious leader
Your halo'd better gleam, better gleam
Your reputation as a religious leader should be upheld
What of all those wayward priests?
What about the priests who are not following the rules?
The ones who like to drink
The ones who enjoy alcohol
Do you suppose they'd swap their blood for wine
Do you think they would trade their health for alcohol like you traded your time for writing?
Like you swapped yours for ink, for ink
Like you traded time for writing
You wrote me oh so many letters
You wrote me a lot of letters
And all of them seemed true
All of them appeared honest
Promises look good on paper
Making promises sounds good in writing
Especially from you, from you
Especially from the person who wrote to me
The weight of all those willing words
The heaviness of all those truthful words
I carried all alone
I kept them all to myself
You wouldn't put your pen to bed
You would not stop writing
When we hadn't found our own, our own
When we haven't found our destiny
Your sentences rose high at night
Your words were inspiring and powerful
And circled round my head
And stuck in my mind
The circle's since been broken
The continuity is gone
Like the priest before me is breaking bread
Like the religious leader before me is carrying out the traditions
I'm being asked to drink the blood of Christ
I'm being asked to take part in communion
And soon I'll eat his flesh
And soon I'll eat the bread symbolizing Jesus's body
I'm alone again before the altar
I'm by myself in front of the religious altar
Shedding all my old regrets
Releasing all my past mistakes
The last of which I'll tell you now
The last mistake I will reveal now
As it flies down the sink
As it disappears.
I never knew a part of you
I never knew some things about you
You didn't set in ink, in ink
You never wrote these things down
The letters that you left behind
The messages you left
No longer shall I read
I won't read them anymore
Your blood's between the pages
Your passion is preserved in your writing
And I can't stand to see you bleed
And it hurts me to witness your vulnerability
And I'll soon forget what was never there
I'll forget what never existed
Your words are ash and dust
Your writing is now meaningless
All that's left is the song I've sung
All that's left is the music I've created
The breath I've taken and the one I must
My past breaths and the ones I will continue to take
If you're born with a love for the wrote and the writ
If you're born with a passion for writing
People of letters your warning stands clear
Writers should be cautioned
Pay heed to your heart and not to your wit
Listen to your feelings and not only your cleverness
Don't say in a letter what you can't in my ear
Don't write something that you wouldn't say to someone in person
Lyrics © Reservoir Media Management, Inc., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHN PATRICK VIVIAN FLYNN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind