In 1984 Hornsby formed Bruce Hornsby & the Range, who were signed to RCA Records in 1985. Besides Hornsby, Range members were David Mansfield (guitar, mandolin, violin), George Marinelli (guitars and backing vocals), Joe Puerta (bass guitar and backing vocals), and John Molo (drums).
During the 1990s he toured with the Grateful Dead, and released four albums, including A Night on the Town (1990) after which he split from The Range. Harbor Lights (1993) was his first solo album and signaled Hornsby was moving in a new jazz-influenced direction, whilst retaining elements of rock and pop. Later releases include Hot House (1995) and Spirit Trail (1998).
His experimental album Big Swing Face (2002) attracted much criticism as it veered away from his piano-based style. Despite these criticisms, he returned with his next studio album, shrugging off RCA and signing to Sony Music Entertainment. Halcyon Days, released in 2004, saw a return to the piano as the key instrument; this album also became the premise for his world tour the same year.
Hornsby continues to tour with his live band "The Noisemakers", in addition to solo shows and his progressive bluegrass performances with Ricky Skaggs.
In 2007 he released Camp Meeting, his first total jazz album as The Bruce Hornsby Trio, which involved jazz giants, Jack DeJohnette and Christian McBride with whom he made live appearances with throughout 2007.
In March 2007 Hornsby teamed with bluegrass player Ricky Skaggs to produce a bluegrass album, Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby, and played several tour dates together. The seeds for the album had been sown in 2000 when the pair collaborated on "Darlin' Cory", a track on the Big Mon Bill Monroe bluegrass tribute album and then proposed recording an album together. Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby, featuring the duo backed by Skaggs's band Kentucky Thunder, combined bluegrass, traditional country, "a tinge of Hornsby's jazzy piano and a splash of humor" on a spectrum of songs from the traditional to new compositions such as the opening track "The Dreaded Spoon," "a humorous tale of a youthful ice cream heist. The pair also reinvented Hornsby's hit "Mandolin Rain" as a minor key acoustic ballad and "give his cautionary tale of backwoods violence", "A Night On the Town," a treatment highlighting the "Appalachian storytelling tradition that was always at the song's heart. The album ended with a surprise cover of Rick James's funk hit "Super Freak" in a bluegrass arrangement. Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby topped Billboard's bluegrass charts for several weeks. The album showed Hornsby carving out a place for piano within traditional bluegrass, disproving the notion that the piano is not compatible with "string-oriented" bluegrass.
Concurrently with the bluegrass project, Hornsby recorded a jazz album, Camp Meeting. with Christian McBride (bass) and Jack DeJohnette (drums). Alongside original compositions by Hornsby, the trio delivered "newly reharmonized versions" of tunes by John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell, a previously unrecorded Ornette Coleman work ("Questions and Answers") and an early Keith Jarrett composition ("Death and the Flower.") The trio made a series of appearances in the summer of 2007, including the Playboy Jazz Festival, the Newport Jazz Festival and at the Hollywood Bowl.
On January 4, 2007, former Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart reunited along with Hornsby, Mike Gordon (of Phish and the Rhythm Devils) and Warren Haynes to play two sets. including Dead classics, at a post-inauguration fundraising party for Nancy Pelosi, the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House in the United States Congress.
Hornsby wrote songs for a Broadway Musical, titled "SCKBSTD"; one song from this project, a playful biographical tune about real-estate tycoon Donald Trump titled "The Don of Dons," made several appearances in setlists during his early-2007 solo piano performances. He also composed the score for Spike Lee's ESPN documentary, Kobe Doin' Work, about NBA star Kobe Bryant and his MVP season.
Outside of music composition and performance, Hornsby has taken an ownership interest in Williamsburg area radio station "The Tide," WTYD 92.3 FM, and he has endowed the Bruce Hornsby Creative American Music Program at University of Miami's Frost School of Music, encouraging the study of songwriting broadly across traditional genres. Hornsby played himself in a cameo role in the Robin Williams movie World's Greatest Dad, in which Williams' character is a Bruce Hornsby fan.
He has also been honored by piano makers Steinway & Sons with their Limited Edition Signature Piano Series. Hornsby selected ten Model B Steinway Grands to be featured in this collection, each one personalized with his signature. Hornsby owns three 9-foot Model D Steinway Grands himself.
LOST SOUL
Bruce Hornsby Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Thought no one loved him that was not true
He said he was a lost soul didn't fit in anywhere
Didn't know where to turn or who to turn to
There's a lost soul coming down the road
Somewhere between two worlds
With an oar in his hands and a song on your lips
Row the boat of the loved lost soul
Ever since oh I can remember
We all tried to ease the pain
Took him in when he needed some shelter
Tried to make him feel he was one of us again
There was one day oh I can remember
He sat alone with a pencil in his hand
All day long he drew careful on the paper
In the end just a picture of a man
Of the lost soul coming down the road
Somewhere between two worlds
With an oar in his hands and a song on your lips
We'll row the boat to the far shore
Row the boat of love lost soul
Oh dear Mary do you remember
The day we went walking downtown
As I recall it was in early December
After school had just let out
When I see you on the street in the twilight
I may tip my hat and keep my head down
You show me love but maybe I don't deserve it
I've been called but not been found
There's a lost soul coming down the road
Somewhere between two worlds
With an oar in his hands and a song on your lips
We'll row the boat to the far shore
Row the boat of the loved lost soul
In Bruce Hornsby's Lost Soul, the lyrics describe an individual who is uncertain of his place in the world and struggles with feeling loved. While he thinks no one loves him, the singer assures him that is not true. The lost soul is searching for direction and turns to the singer and others for comfort and shelter. The song captures the essence of loneliness and how seemingly small gestures of love and attention can make all the difference in someone's life.
The song's chorus metaphorically describes the journey of a lost soul as a river that the singer and others will row together, with the lost soul holding the oars and singing along. The image of the boat and river can be interpreted as the journey of this person’s life, with the singer and others acting as guides to get him to a safe and secure destination.
Overall, the song Lost Soul tackles universal themes of loneliness, lack of direction, and searching for love and acceptance. The lyrics express hope for a brighter future while highlighting the importance of having people in our lives who can help us navigate difficult times.
Line by Line Meaning
There was a man of confused and sad nature
The story begins with a man who is confused and sad.
Thought no one loved him that was not true
The man believed that he was unlovable, but this was not the case.
He said he was a lost soul didn't fit in anywhere
The man felt like he didn't belong and was lost.
Didn't know where to turn or who to turn to
The man didn't know what to do or who to ask for help.
There's a lost soul coming down the road
The song describes a lost soul approaching.
Somewhere between two worlds
The lost soul seems to be stuck between two different places or ways of life.
With an oar in his hands and a song on your lips
The lost soul is carrying an oar and singing a song.
We'll row the boat to the far shore
The artist promises to help the lost soul find their way to a better place.
Row the boat of the loved lost soul
The boat is a metaphor for helping the lost soul find love and acceptance.
Ever since oh I can remember
The artist has known the lost soul for a very long time.
We all tried to ease the pain
The singer and others have attempted to help the lost soul feel better.
Took him in when he needed some shelter
They have offered the lost soul a place to stay when he had nowhere else to go.
Tried to make him feel he was one of us again
They have attempted to help the lost soul feel like he is a part of their community again.
There was one day oh I can remember
The singer remembers a specific day when the lost soul was working on something.
He sat alone with a pencil in his hand
The lost soul was working on a drawing by himself.
All day long he drew careful on the paper
The lost soul spent hours working on his drawing.
In the end just a picture of a man
Despite his efforts, the finished product was just a picture of a man.
Oh dear Mary do you remember
The singer is talking to someone named Mary and asking if she remembers a particular day.
The day we went walking downtown
On this day, they went for a walk in downtown.
As I recall it was in early December
The artist reminisces about the time of year this occurred.
After school had just let out
This walk must have taken place after school was dismissed for the day.
When I see you on the street in the twilight
The artist imagines seeing Mary on the street at dusk.
I may tip my hat and keep my head down
The singer might acknowledge Mary with a gesture and then continue on his way.
You show me love but maybe I don't deserve it
The artist feels like Mary loves him, but questions if he is worthy of that love.
I've been called but not been found
The singer feels like he has been searching for something, but has not found it yet.
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: BRUCE HORNSBY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@CatherineSTodd
There was a man of confused and sad nature
Thought no one loved him, that was not true
He said he was a lost soul, didn't fit in anywhere
Didn't know where to turn or who to turn to
There's a lost soul coming down the road
Somewhere between two worlds
With an oar in his hands and a song on your lips
We'll row the boat to the far shore
Row the boat of love, lost soul
Ever since, oh, I can remember
We all tried to ease the pain
Took him in when he needed some shelter
Tried to make him feel he was one of us again
There was one day, oh, I can remember
He sat alone with a pencil in his hand
All day long he drew careful on the paper
In the end, just a picture of a man
There's the lost soul coming down the road
Somewhere between two worlds
With an oar in his hands and a song on your lips
We'll row the boat to the far shore
Row the boat of love, lost soul
Oh, dear Mary, do you remember
The day we went walking downtown
As I recall, it was in early December
After school had just let out
When I see you on the street in the twilight
I may tip my hat and keep my head down
You show me love, but maybe I don't deserve it
I've been called but not been found
There's a lost soul coming down the road
Somewhere between two worlds
With an oar in his hands and a song on your lips
We'll row the boat to the far shore
Row the boat of love, lost soul
Writer(s): B. Hornsby
Comment on youtube below:
Corey Pack
6 years ago
I remember hearing this song as I walked the harbor one night in downtown Los Angeles and heard this playing from someone's window and found myself in perfect peace as I gazed at the city's beauty smoking a cigarette.
@lauryliepolito52
"Lost Soul"
There was a man of confused and sad nature
Thought no one loved him, that was not true
He said he was a lost soul, didn't fit in anywhere
Didn't know where to turn or who to turn to
There's a lost soul coming down the road
Somewhere between two worlds
With an oar in his hands and a song on your lips
We'll row the boat to the far shore
Row the boat of love, lost soul
Ever since, oh, I can remember
We all tried to ease the pain
Took him in when he needed some shelter
Tried to make him feel he was one of us again
There was one day, oh, I can remember
He sat alone with a pencil in his hand
All day long he drew careful on the paper
In the end, just a picture of a man
There's the lost soul coming down the road
Somewhere between two worlds
With an oar in his hands and a song on your lips
We'll row the boat to the far shore
Row the boat of love, lost soul
Oh, dear Mary, do you remember
The day we went walking downtown
As I recall, it was in early December
After school had just let out
When I see you on the street in the twilight
I may tip my hat and keep my head down
You show me love, but maybe I don't deserve it
I've been called but not been found
There's a lost soul coming down the road
Somewhere between two worlds
With an oar in his hands and a song on your lips
We'll row the boat to the far shore
Row the boat of love, lost soul
@logangage4
this song.... many, many years ago.... thoughts of suicide.... alleviated by this melody, lyrics, compassion, I love this... I love my life... I'm so glad I heard this, the people who cared, and how it helped me evolve into the spectacular person I've become...
@hughgard4707
Welcome home brother.
@85rockhound
I'm glad you made it. I hope your blessings continue.
@dbeyers75
So glad you're still with us! Isn't the power of music wonderful 😊
@jws1272
I've thought for so long that this was me too......thanks for still being with us.
@paulgrafton3871
Hornsby is a genius. So many classic songs. Legend.
@sonjastanley1067
Indeed
@troyschneck4934
I never realized until today that Shawn Colvin sang on this, too--great team!
@garymahony2844
Bruce Hornsby really is a legend isn’t he .. never heard this one before .. brilliant tune and keyboard & piano tone .. thank you for the music Sir .. 👍🫶
@tonydonoghue3303
Thanks Bruce for all the wonderful music memorys....... never ever felt you ever got the recognition for your brilliant music......but I'm still rolling with you in 2021 and beyond