Berkeley is a New Jersey native, but in the past decade, he's lived in Brooklyn, Atlanta, Berkeley and Corsica. Santa Fe is now home, where he lives with this wife and two young sons. Within months of arriving and still overwhelmed by the palette of reds and browns, the endless open sky, and the frightening lack of water in his new high desert surroundings, Berkeley wrote and recorded his most haunting and personal songs to date. Berkeley's doleful baritone and vulnerable falsetto, called "lustrous and melancholy" by the New York Times, is up front in the mix, showcasing his profoundly elegiac lyrics. Indeed, Berkeley cites Yeats and Melville among his greatest influences. For his unique way with words, the San Francisco Chronicle dubbed Berkeley "a musical poet."
Berkeley's gift as a songwriter and storyteller is that he sees both the tragedy and comedy in life, managing to both reveal the sorrow at the heart of the human condition and the blazing joy and beauty in the same. It's a duality that audiences experience at all of Berkeley's shows as he tells uproarious stories between heartbreaking songs. It's why his fans respond so deeply to his music and why so many look to him to express what they are often unable to articulate. It's also why his voice and lyrics have cross-genre appeal. Berkeley's songs are at once hard and hopeful.
Straw Man
David Berkeley Lyrics
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On a miracle's highway and traveling takes its toll
The highway's windy road
Didn't open up her soul the way I thought it would
And I don't think that's good
Guess I thought it would have been the best she'd seen
The straw man's off the clock
His foot falls on the stair
She greets him with a glare that says he'll have to fall
But with her back up against the wall
She suddenly recalls the straw man's just her dream
And it's never quite so clean
She makes the world around me seem
Lavender and wintergreen
When we're side by side
Now the straw man's been let loose
My dreams have been reduced by a quest for fame
Still the straw man feels no pain
She realized in shame and then the game is back
Then blue fades into black
Time takes back the slack she had when just seventeen
And it's never quite so clean
I make the world around her seem
Lavender and wintergreen
When we're side by side
Still a quiet lonely day
On a miracle's highway and I am almost home
Pick up the phone
Say that living life alone ain't how the story ends
Cause I am here to mend
But how much can she bend till on my side she'll lean
And it's never quite so clean
She makes the world around me seem
Lavender and wintergreen
When we're side by side
The song Straw Man by David Berkeley speaks of a lonely man travelling on a highway in search of a miracle. He had imagined that the journey would have allowed him to connect deeply with the lady he loves, but the windings of the road failed to open up her soul as he had hoped. The Straw Man's presence had always given the lady a sense of security, and now that the man is gone, the lady feels vulnerable and waits for his return. However, she soon realizes that the Straw Man is just a figment of her imagination, and without him, her world is not as rosy as she had thought it was. The man recognizes that he needs to be with her to make her life beautiful again.
The song is an excellent piece of storytelling that speaks of the loneliness and yearning of the human heart. It reflects on how we all have our Straw Men, things that we cling to, and that give us a sense of hope when everything seems uncertain. The lyrics also draw attention to how our perception of life can be distorted by our fantasies and how we need to understand that real beauty lies in the moments of companionship rather than in the illusion of perfection.
Line by Line Meaning
Quiet lonely day
The day is uneventful and the singer is alone.
On a miracle's highway and traveling takes its toll
The situation the singer is in provides opportunities, but it is also exhausting.
The highway's windy road
The path the singer is on is full of twists and turns.
Didn't open up her soul the way I thought it would
The singer didn't find the deeper meaning or inspiration she was looking for.
And I don't think that's good
The singer is disappointed by this realization.
Guess I thought it would have been the best she'd seen
The singer had high expectations for what she would experience on this journey.
The straw man's off the clock
The imaginary friend the singer created for herself is absent.
She's waiting for his knock in her underwear
The singer is partially undressed, possibly to impress her imaginary friend when she thinks he will arrive.
His foot falls on the stair
The singer hears a noise and thinks her imaginary friend has arrived.
She greets him with a glare that says he'll have to fall
The singer is angry with her imaginary friend for not showing up sooner or not being real at all.
But with her back up against the wall
The singer is feeling cornered and trapped in her imaginary world.
She suddenly recalls the straw man's just her dream
The singer realizes that her imaginary friend is not real and is just a figment of her imagination.
And it's never quite so clean
The real world is not as perfect or ideal as the singer's imagination.
She makes the world around me seem
The singer's perception of the world is influenced by her own imagination.
Lavender and wintergreen
The singer's imaginary world is fragrant and colorful.
When we're side by side
The singer's imaginary friend is a close companion when they are together.
Now the straw man's been let loose
The singer's thoughts and imagination have become more chaotic and disorganized.
My dreams have been reduced by a quest for fame
The singer has become more focused on achieving fame and has lost sight of her true dreams and aspirations.
Still the straw man feels no pain
The singer's imaginary friend is unaffected by the changes in her life.
She realized in shame and then the game is back
The singer feels remorse for losing sight of her true dreams and the imaginary world she created is once again taking over.
Then blue fades into black
The singer's mood becomes darker and more pessimistic.
Time takes back the slack she had when just seventeen
The singer misses the carefree and imaginative spirit she had in her youth.
Still a quiet lonely day
The singer is still alone and the day is still uneventful.
On a miracle's highway and I am almost home
The singer is returning from her journey and is almost back to where she started.
Pick up the phone
The singer is calling someone, possibly a friend or loved one.
Say that living life alone ain't how the story ends
The singer wants to express that life is not meant to be lived alone and that there is hope for companionship and happiness.
Cause I am here to mend
The singer is offering to help and support the person on the other end of the line.
But how much can she bend till on my side she'll lean
The singer wonders how much the other person can endure before they will accept help and support.
Contributed by Juliana A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.