Dave Mason of Tra… Read Full Bio ↴There are two artists sharing the name Dave Mason:
Dave Mason of Traffic fame.
Dave Mason (born David Thomas Mason, May 10, 1944) is a musician, singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Worcester, England, who first found fame with the rock band Traffic. In his long career, Mason has played and recorded with many of the era's most notable musicians, including Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Russ McLellan and Mama Cass Elliot. Mason's best known song is "Feelin' Alright", recorded by Traffic in 1968 and covered by dozens of artists, including Joe Cocker, who had a major hit with the song in 1969. For Traffic, he also wrote "Hole in my Shoe", a kind of psychedelic satire that became a classic in its own right. "We Just Disagree", Mason's own 1977 solo hit, has become a staple of Oldies and Adult Contemporary radio playlists.
Dave Mason of The Reels fame.
Dave Mason (born David Mason) is a musician, singer and songwriter from Australia, who first found fame with the rock/indie pop group The Reels, which formed in Dubbo, New South Wales in 1976 and initially disbanded in 1991, they eventually reformed in 2007. Their 1981 song, "Quasimodo's Dream", was voted one of the Top 10 Australian songs of all time by a 100-member panel from Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) in 2001.
The Reels had top 10 Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart success with covers of Herb Albert's "This Guy's in Love With You" (No. 7, 1982) and Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Bad Moon Rising" (No. 11, 1986).
Rock music historian, Ian McFarlane described them as "one of the most original and invigorating pop bands to emerge from the Australian new wave movement of the late 1970s".
In May 2007, Dave Mason released his first album in more than 15 years, Reelsville, an acoustic celebration of The Reels hits re-recorded by the original artist. In August 2007 Reel To Reel was also released, a compilation of The Reels classic tracks with new liner notes as written by Mason.
Dave performed one gig to launch the album at 'the Basement' in Sydney on May 16 2007. A further gig is booked for 'the Factory Enmore Theatre' in Sydney on May 24 2008. This show became a local cause celebre when police with sniffer dogs arrested two 60 year old punters for smoking illegals.
"On his first album in more than 15 years, Dave Mason reinterprets the Reels’ catalogue with the maverick musical flair that characterised that band’s every step from ‘78 to ‘91. Reelsville is an album of extraordinary left turns down an intriguing track in Australian pop history.
The stately grand piano of Quasimodo’s Dream presages something very special. After covers by Kate Ceberano and Jimmy Little, Dave’s signature song stands in its definitive light, an aching piano/cello treatment that justifies its position among APRA’s Top 10 Australian Songs of All Time.
It’s a mark of Dave’s dogged pursuit of innovation that the old Credence standard is again reborn. From his eccentric chamber orchestral take of World’s End to the playful dub undertow of After the News to the impossibly spare shuffle of Go Away, the strength of his tunes and the ache in his voice have never been more striking."
For more info on Dave Mason and/or to buy Reelsville, click here.
Headkeeper
Dave Mason Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He lives and he dies
He saw it before we were dreaming
He'll hustle you down
A tin can or a crown
But he'll never play with your feelings
Headkeeper's the name
And he's keeping ahead of the meaning
He's weak and he's brave
He'll make you a slave
Or free you to fly in the heaven
With thoughts that are pure
He'll reflect all you saw
And all that is just an illusion
Don't you know the feeling
Don't you know the truth
Don't you know your dreaming
Don't you know, it's you
Don't you know, it's you
Headkeeper's the name
He's been here since he came
And he's keeping ahead of the meaning
The lyrics to Dave Mason's song Headkeeper are enigmatic and thought-provoking, creating a sense of mystique and intrigue. The lyrics suggest a character called Headkeeper, who appears to be a man of many contradictions: seeking and hiding, living and dying, weak and brave, and making you a slave or freeing you to fly. Perhaps the Headkeeper is meant to represent the duality of our own nature, with its many contradictions and paradoxes. He's also described as someone with an acute sense of perception, who sees things before we even dream of them, and who will never play with our emotions.
The repetition of the line "Headkeeper's the name, he's been here since he came, and he's keeping ahead of the meaning" gives a sense of continuity, as if Headkeeper is a constant presence throughout time, keeping ahead of the curve and never quite revealing his true intentions. The lyrics seem to suggest that our own lives are akin to a dream, and that the Headkeeper is the one who holds the key to unlock the illusions that surround us.
Overall, the lyrics to Headkeeper are open to interpretation and allow the listener to delve into their own consciousness and ponder the meaning of life's many contradictions and mysteries.
Line by Line Meaning
He seeks and he hides
He is both searching and evading in his actions.
He lives and he dies
He experiences both life and death in his existence.
He saw it before we were dreaming
He witnessed what we imagined before we even imagined it.
He'll hustle you down
He will push you to your limits with his schemes and tactics.
A tin can or a crown
He will play for power or for scraps, with no discrimination.
But he'll never play with your feelings
Despite his tactics, he won't intentionally hurt your emotions.
Headkeeper's the name
This enigmatic person is called the Headkeeper.
He's been here since he came
He has existed in this world since his birth.
And he's keeping ahead of the meaning
He always stays one step ahead of the situation, anticipating what will happen next.
He's weak and he's brave
He exhibits both cowardice and courage in his actions.
He'll make you a slave
He has the power to dominate and control you.
Or free you to fly in the heaven
But he also has the power to liberate you and let you soar.
With thoughts that are pure
He possesses ideals that are untainted by corruption or manipulation.
He'll reflect all you saw
He will mirror and show you everything you have experienced.
And all that is just an illusion
And he will expose that everything is not as it seems.
Don't you know the feeling
Do you not recognize the sensation?
Don't you know the truth
Do you not comprehend the reality?
Don't you know your dreaming
Do you not realize that you are dreaming?
Don't you know, it's you
Do you not understand that it is all about you?
Headkeeper's the name
Again, the elusive Headkeeper is being referred to.
He's been here since he came
Reiterating that his presence has been there from the very start.
And he's keeping ahead of the meaning
And once again pointing out that he always stays one step ahead.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DAVE MASON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind