Poe was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan and raised in Dayton, Ohio, where he performed and recorded with local bands. He graduated from Miami University (Oxford) and relocated to New York City in 1992, serving as a live mix engineer for the performance art venue CB's 313 Gallery until he was signed to Sony Music in 1996.
Poe's self-titled debut was produced by T-Bone Burnett. Poe followed his debut with The Late Album (2002) and Love Is Red (2004 in Europe, 2005 in the US by 720/The Lab/Universal Music Group.) In 2006, an EP of performances from his American tour of the same year was released by The Artists Den on iTunes as David Poe: Live and Solo. Recently Poe's website announced his intention to release another solo record in 2007, tentatively entitled "Joy".
As a songwriter, he is known for clever wordplay ("You're The Bomb," "Moon," "Reunion," "Wilderness," "Love Is Red") and adventurous arrangements ("The Late Song (Je Ne Suis Pas Mort), Star, Not Enough Night.) Poe's music has been favorably compared to songwriters Nick Drake, Leonard Cohen, Ray Davies, Joni Mitchell and The Beatles. His songs have been featured in numerous films and television shows, including Transamerica, The O.C. and Dawson's Creek.
In 2004, Poe helped produce Concerts For Change in New York, Minneapolis and London in an effort to change American leadership. The effort registered thousands of new American voters. In 2005, he served for as artist-in-residence of the media collective Artists Den, a music discovery project.
Poe has lent his songwriting and producing talents to recordings by Melissa Sheehan, Jenifer Jackson, Regina Spektor and Golden Smog guitarist Kraig Jarret Johnson. On occasion Poe has played guitar and sung in Johnson's band The Program. An ongoing collaboration with songwriters Duncan Sheik, Matt Johnson, Morgan Taylor and Fil Krohnengold is likely to yield a new record in 2007; the band's name is "The I Love You."
Poe has toured, recorded, performed and/or collaborated with John Abbey, Ed Ackerson, Peter Anderson, Jeff Allen, Tori Amos, Joan Baez, Jim Boggia, Jim Boquist, Butterfly Boucher, Michael Brauer, Jon Brion, T-Bone Burnett, Sim Cain, Darren Callahan, Vanessa Carlton, Lloyd Cole, Milo Decruz, Bob Dylan, Jason Falkner, Juan Garcia, Andy Gardiner, Golden Smog, Ed Harcourt, Chris Harford, Jesse Harris, Don Heffington, Jim Hoke, Brian Huck, The Jayhawks, Jenifer Jackson, Kraig Jarret Johnson, Matt Johnson, Brad Jones, Howard Jones, Gary Jules, Suzie Katayama, Fil Krohnengold, Reni Laine, Jacob Lawson, Daryl Leonard, Lifehouse, Lisa Loeb, Tom Lord-Alge, Gary Louris, Tony Mason, Jamie Myerson, Norrin Radd, Beth Orton, David Pattillo, Gene Paul, Ben Peeler, Marc Perlman, Marc Ribot, Susan Rogers, Steve Rosenthal, Ron Sexsmith, Jane Siberry, Melissa Sheehan, Duncan Sheik, Regina Spektor, Morgan Taylor, They Might Be Giants, Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze, The Tiny, Trip Shakespeare, Chris Whitley, Daniel Wise and Doug Yowell.
Now working on his next solo effort, Poe is also collaborating with Duncan Sheik on a project called The I Love You, recording with an electronic group called The Rabbit, scoring a new movie starring Danny Masterson (That 70s Show), working with Oscar-nominated Filmmaker Amy Berg (Deliver Us From Evil) on an issue campaign for this year's election cycle and creating a commissioned piece with dancer/choreographer Jill Johnson for Manhattan dance company Cedar Lake which premieres in 2008.
Moon
David Poe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Later she made me into the moon.
It sounded fine to me.
Who wouldn't want to be illuminating lovers,
Or controlling the sea?
Who wouldn't want to be the moon?
The sun in my eyes, her beauty could blind.
When the revolutions came, I shivered, thin
She eclipsed me by the cycle of her whim.
When she said all this,
I wasn't so hot on the moon, I was
Not so hot on the moon.
Every day I watch the world go by,
Every night I see the planet die.
Every morning is like yesterday,
She is always half a world away.
And I'm just diamonds on the evergreen.
I cause the wild dog to serenade.
But I can always hear her in this atmosphere,
Her jealous star is tapping at the end of every night.
Do you want to be the moon? I was...
Do you want to be the moon?
The song "Moon" by David Poe presents a metaphorical tale of the relationship between the singer and their lover. The opening lines suggest that the lover initially saw herself as the sun, with the singer being the moon. This is a flattering comparison, as the moon reflects the light of the sun and has an important role in controlling the tides. However, as the song progresses, it becomes clear that the singer's role as the moon is not always desirable. The lover "sent [the singer] to the shadows," implying that the singer is not given the attention or recognition they crave. The lover's fickleness is emphasized with the line "she eclipsed me by the cycle of her whim," suggesting that the lover's moods and desires control the singer's fate.
The chorus repeats the question "Do you want to be the moon?" which can be interpreted as a reflection on the complexities of relationships. The moon has a dual nature - it is beautiful and important, but it is also subject to forces beyond its control. Similarly, being in a relationship with someone can bring joy and fulfillment but can also lead to feelings of being overshadowed or controlled. The final lines of the song suggest that the singer is resigned to their role as the moon, accepting that they are "just diamonds on the evergreen" while their lover is half a world away.
Line by Line Meaning
She liked to see herself as the sun,
She imagined herself as the center and focus of everything.
Later she made me into the moon.
Eventually she made me into something that orbited around her.
It sounded fine to me.
At first, I was okay with this arrangement.
Who wouldn't want to be illuminating lovers,
Who wouldn't want to be a source of light and joy for those they love?
Or controlling the sea?
Who wouldn't want to have power over vast forces and elements of nature?
Who wouldn't want to be the moon?
Who wouldn't want to be in such a privileged and important position?
The sun in my eyes, her beauty could blind.
Her dazzling and overwhelming presence could block out all other light.
She sent me to the shadows every night.
She pushed me away and kept me in darkness.
When the revolutions came, I shivered, thin
When things changed too quickly, I felt weak and unstable.
She eclipsed me by the cycle of her whim.
She overshadowed and controlled me according to her own ever-changing desires.
When she said all this,
When she revealed the reality of the situation,
I wasn't so hot on the moon, I was
I was no longer attracted to the idea of being
Not so hot on the moon.
Not so eager or enthusiastic about this role.
Every day I watch the world go by,
Every day, I observe the passing of time and events.
Every night I see the planet die.
Every night, I witness the death and decay of things.
Every morning is like yesterday,
Every morning, things seem the same as before.
She is always half a world away.
She is always distant and unreachable.
And I'm just diamonds on the evergreen.
I'm just a shiny, temporary decoration on the unchanging landscape.
I cause the wild dog to serenade.
I inspire natural beauty and creativity in unexpected ways.
But I can always hear her in this atmosphere,
But I'm always aware of her presence and influence, even from a distance.
Her jealous star is tapping at the end of every night.
Her intense and possessive nature still reaches me, even at the end of each cycle.
Do you want to be the moon? I was...
Do you really want to be in this kind of limited, dependent position? I thought I did...
Do you want to be the moon?
Are you willing to sacrifice your own identity and independence just to revolve around someone else?
Contributed by Christopher C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Chongphil Kim
what a good song!
Nick Davis
Good song !!
Chongphil Kim
what a good song!
Chongphil Kim
what a good song!
Chongphil Kim
what a good song!