Johnston spent extended periods in psychiatric institutions and has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. He gathered a local following in the 1980s by passing out tapes of his music while working at a McDonald's in Austin, Texas. His cult status was propelled when Nirvana's Kurt Cobain was seen wearing a T-shirt that featured artwork from Johnston's 1983 album Hi, How Are You. In 2005, Johnston was the subject of the documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston.
His songs were typically painfully direct, and often display a disturbing blend of childlike naïvete with darker, "spooky" themes. Johnston's singing voice is rather high-pitched, and his performances often seem faltering or uncertain; pitchfork writes that Johnston's recordings range from "spotty to brilliant". He also draws and paints; he is a cult comic book artist and his illustrations have been featured with most of his albums.
Johnston was born in Sacramento, California and grew up in West Virginia, United States, but then moved to Waller, Texas. Johnston suffers from manic depression, and has had varying luck with different treatments. He has been institutionalized for periods.
In the late 1970s, Johnston began recording his songs on a $59 Sony Boombox, singing and playing either guitar, piano or harmonica. He gave tapes of his music to anyone who would take them. Johnston created the comic book inspired art that usually accompanied his own recordings. His debut recording Songs of Pain was released in 1981.
His early songs established a number of themes that would persist through Johnston's career: Unrequited love, Casper the Friendly Ghost, and comic book superheroes, especially Captain America and Jack Kirby's other works. "Joe"—a partly autobiographical character—has been featured in a number of songs. Johnston has cited The Beatles as a prime influence.
A sizable proportion of Johnston's songs throughout the years have dealt with his unrequited love for "Laurie," a girl he became friends with in college, who was the first to encourage him to record his music. The Laurie character quickly assumed the role of the idealized female muse. The real life Laurie Allen married an undertaker, prompting Johnston to write lyrics in which the Laurie figure becomes strongly associated with the imagery of death in addition to her original role as a muse. For example, the song Funeral Home in which Johnston sings that he's "going to a funeral home" represents both the foreknowledge of death and Johnston's desire to be reunited with Laurie, who at the time worked at a funeral home. Laurie Allen has since divorced and filmmaker Jeff Feuerzeig arranged a meeting between Allen and Johnston.
Johnston gained a cult following in Austin, Texas. Some regarded Johnston as little more than a quaint curiosity, but others recognized a genuine talent: Johnston has a knack for creating great, catchy melodies, while his lyrics are evocative and often use clever wordplay. His songs have been covered by a number of admirers.
A 1985 MTV special on Austin brought Johnston wider attention, and a number of record stores outside Texas began selling his cassettes.
His music has been acclaimed by David Bowie, Sonic Youth, and Simpsons creator Matt Groening. Kurt Cobain of Nirvana fame praised Johnston's work, and often wore a t-shirt with a Johnston illustration and a caption reading, "Hi How Are You?"
1994 saw the release of Fun on Atlantic Records. The record was produced by Paul Leary of Butthole Surfers, a group who had long supported Johnston, even inviting him to open a number of concerts for them.
In 1993, Johnston painted a mural of the "Hi, How Are You?" frog, also known as Jeremiah after the Three Dog Night song, on the side of the Austin Sound Exchange music store. The site was converted into a Baja Fresh franchise in 2004. Although initial plans called for the mural to be torn down, public outcry caused restaurant owner John Oudt to let the mural stay, at a price of $50,000 in additional costs and lost revenue.
Fun was Johnston's only major-label release, but he has continued writing and recording songs, as well as drawing pictures.
In September 2004, a 2-disc release compilation entitled The Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered Covered. Disc one featured covers of Johnston's songs by such prominent artists as Eels, Beck, Death Cab for Cutie, Tom Waits, The Flaming Lips, Bright Eyes, and TV on the Radio, among others. Disc 2 featured Johnston's original tracks.
The Devil and Daniel Johnston (2005) is a documentary by Jeff Feuerzeig about Johnston's life and music, and won the Director's Award at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.
In August 2005, it was reported that Johnston had been experiencing mood swings requiring medical attention. This led to cancellation of his touring schedule. On November 25th, 2005, Johnston was hospitalized for what appeared to be Lithium poisioning (Johnston takes lithium to control his manic depression). His father had found him in an incoherent state and unable to walk. Johnston is recovering and is thought to be out of any immediate danger.
On December 8th, 2005, it was reported that his condition remained "very serious", but on December 23rd, Johnston was released from the hospital. Johnston's family had been told that "Daniel would require long-term medical care and permanent dialysis for kidney failure," however his health dramatically and unexpectedly improved. Johnston died on September 10, 2019.
Davinare
Daniel Johnston Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Art show with Ron English
Says I'm a worthless bum
You know they call me a worthless bum
You know I had my share of chums
But I'm a worthless bum, says I
You might be thinkin' of Davinare
You might be thinkin' of things that scare
To be stripped bare
Worthless bum says I
I never deny a precious gift
You know I probably stole all my riffs
But I'm a worthless bum, says I
Oh, can't you see
You belong to me
How my poor heart aches
Every move you make
You know if things get outta hand
You know I'm the one who understands
Without or with you I'm just doin', doin' fine
You know I probably stole all my poetry
Even they took the most of it from me
But I will go on through the infinite
Believin' the lie
Worthless bum says I
You know who that I hear is pretty good
Understand, I'm a worthless bum
Worthless bum says I
You know I never tried to rip you off
Never tried to take your life
Worthless bum says I
If you were me
And I was you
Then everything's alright
We're outta sight
Worthless bum
Worthless bum
Worthless bum, says I
The song "Davinare" by Daniel Johnston is a melancholic expression of the artist's self-doubt and insecurity. The lyrics speak of his worthlessness and the negative labels that he has been given by others. He sings, "Says I'm a worthless bum, you know they call me a worthless bum," expressing a feeling of being discarded and deemed irrelevant. Despite having had friends in the past, he identifies as a "worthless bum" and seems to have lost hope in himself. The chorus line, "Worthless bum says I," reiterates this negative self-perception.
The next verse speaks of the artist's creative endeavors, acknowledging that he may have borrowed inspiration from others or possibly stolen riffs and poetry. However, the self-identifying label of "worthless bum" remains. The final verse seems to be addressing someone specific, possibly a lover, and expresses a desire for companionship, but even with or without them, the artist will go on believing in the lie that he is a "worthless bum."
Overall, the song portrays a sense of hopelessness and an inability to escape one's negative self-perception. It speaks to the struggles of mental health and the battle to find self-worth and self-love in a world that can be cruel and unforgiving.
Line by Line Meaning
March, Friday or Saturday
The date doesn't matter, but something happened on one of those days
Art show with Ron English
Daniel was at an art show with Ron English
Says I'm a worthless bum
Someone called Daniel a worthless bum
You know they call me a worthless bum
This is a common insult that Daniel receives
You know I had my share of chums
Daniel used to have friends, but not anymore
But I'm a worthless bum, says I
Daniel accepts this label and owns it
You might be thinkin' of Davinare
If you're looking for someone to be afraid of, it might be Davinare
You might be thinkin' of things that scare
You could be imagining scary things
Whatever you're thinking, I don't care
Daniel doesn't care what you think
To be stripped bare
To be completely exposed
Worthless bum says I
Daniel repeats the insult given to him, reaffirming his acceptance of the label
I never deny a precious gift
Daniel acknowledges the good things in his life
You know I probably stole all my riffs
Daniel may have borrowed heavily from other musicians
But I'm a worthless bum, says I
Daniel is consistent in his view of himself
Oh, can't you see
Daniel is asking for empathy from someone else
You belong to me
Daniel feels a sense of ownership over this person
How my poor heart aches
Daniel is expressing his emotional pain
Every move you make
Daniel is watching this person's every move
You know if things get outta hand
Daniel is saying that he can handle difficult situations
You know I'm the one who understands
Daniel believes that he is the only one who can truly understand this person
Without or with you I'm just doin', doin' fine
Daniel is content being alone, but also with this person
You know I probably stole all my poetry
Daniel has likely borrowed from other poets
Even they took the most of it from me
Daniel has had his work plagiarized
But I will go on through the infinite
Daniel will keep creating, even after he is gone
Believin' the lie
Daniel may not have an accurate view of himself
Worthless bum says I
Daniel repeats the insult given to him, reaffirming his acceptance of the label
You know who that I hear is pretty good
Daniel may know of someone who is a good musician
Understand, I'm a worthless bum
Despite acknowledging someone else's talent, Daniel still considers himself a worthless bum
Worthless bum says I
Daniel repeats the insult given to him, reaffirming his acceptance of the label
You know I never tried to rip you off
Daniel never intended to cheat this person
Never tried to take your life
Daniel has never attempted to harm this person
Worthless bum says I
Daniel repeats the insult given to him, reaffirming his acceptance of the label
If you were me
Daniel is asking the listener to imagine being in his situation
And I was you
Imagining a role reversal
Then everything's alright
Daniel believes that everything would be okay if this person were in his shoes
We're outta sight
Together, they would be great
Worthless bum
Daniel identifies with this label
Worthless bum
Repetition of the label
Worthless bum, says I
Daniel accepts and repeats the insult given to him
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DANIEL DALE JOHNSTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind