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.
Telephone Song
David Poe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm calling home
I've got a telephone telescope
I hear the look behind your eyes
Is this a bad time?
I'm glad you are fine
It's good to hear you're busy,
Dreaming all the dreams we used to dream
I really don't know what I got myself into
But I'll know when a year's through
I'm never coming back for you
I don't fear the risk of being abandoned,
It already happened
I'm just afraid it'll be worse than before
Could there be more?
And I really don't know what I got myself into
But I'll know when a year's through
And then I'm never coming back for you
If I still don't know after one year
I'll fall on top of my knife, dear
'Cause I'm never coming back for you
When are you coming back?
The lyrics of David Poe's song "Telephone Song" describe a conversation over the telephone between two people, one of whom is away from home. The caller is checking in with the person at home and trying to gauge whether it's a good time to talk. They exchange pleasantries, with the person at home telling the caller that they're "fine" and "busy." However, there's an underlying tension and uncertainty in the lyrics, with the caller expressing doubts about what they've gotten themselves into and stating that they will never come back.
The lyrics hint at a fractured relationship between the two parties, with the caller expressing fear of abandonment, and a desire to distance themselves from the person at home. It's unclear what has caused this rift or what the caller has gotten themselves into. The final line, "When are you coming back?" suggests that the person at home is also away, complicating the dynamics of their relationship even further.
Overall, the lyrics of "Telephone Song" are open to interpretation and leave a sense of ambiguity that allows the listener to project their own experiences and emotions onto the narrative.
Line by Line Meaning
Hello
Beginning of a telephone conversation
I'm calling home
David Poe is reaching out to someone significant in his life
I've got a telephone telescope
David Poe is trying to see things from a different perspective
I hear the look behind your eyes
David Poe knows there's more to the story than what he's being told
Is this a bad time?
David Poe is politely asking if he's interrupting something
I'm glad you are fine
David Poe is happy to know that the person he's calling is doing well
It's good to hear you're busy,
David Poe is acknowledging that the other person is busy with their life
And not up in your tree
David Poe is glad that the other person is not stuck in their old ways
Dreaming all the dreams we used to dream
David Poe wishes the other person was still dreaming with him
I really don't know what I got myself into
David Poe has doubts about whether he made the right choice
But I'll know when a year's through
David Poe is giving himself a set amount of time to figure things out
I'm never coming back for you
David Poe has made the decision to move on
I don't fear the risk of being abandoned,
David Poe is not afraid of being left behind
It already happened
David Poe has been left before
I'm just afraid it'll be worse than before
David Poe is worried that the pain of being left will be worse this time
Could there be more?
David Poe is questioning whether there's something he's missing
If I still don't know after one year
David Poe is giving himself a deadline to make a decision
I'll fall on top of my knife, dear
David Poe is using dark humor to express how serious he is about moving on
'Cause I'm never coming back for you
David Poe is emphasizing that he is serious about leaving this person behind
When are you coming back?
End of the telephone conversation, other person did not get the message that David Poe is not coming back
Contributed by Eliana W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.