I. David Wilcox i… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least two artists named David Wilcox.
I. David Wilcox is a Canadian rock and blues musician.
II. David Wilcox is an American folk musician and singer-songwriter guitarist.
I. More than three decades into his career, singer/songwriter David Wilcox continues to push himself, just as he always has. Wilcox, by so many measures, is a quintessential folk singer, telling stories full of heart, humor, and hope, substance, searching, and style. His innate sense of adventure and authenticity is why critics and colleagues, alike, have always praised not just his artistry, but his humanity, as well.
That's not by accident; it's very much by design. It's the result of a man giving himself over in gratitude and service to something bigger than himself. “I'm grateful to music,” he says. “I have a life that feels deeply good, but when I started playing music, nothing in my life felt that good. I started to write songs because I wanted to find a way to make my life feel as good as I felt when I heard a great song. I don't think I'd be alive now if it had not been for music.”
An early '80s move to Warren Wilson College in North Carolina set his wheels in motion, as he started playing guitar and writing songs, processing his own inner workings and accessing his own inner wisdom. In 1987, within a couple of years of graduating, Wilcox had released his first independent album, The Nightshift Watchman. A year later, he won the prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Award and, in 1989, he signed with A&M Records, selling more than 100,000 copies of his A&M debut, How Did You Find Me Here.
In the 30 years and more than 20 records since — whether with a major label, an indie company, or his own imprint — Wilcox has continued to hone his craft, pairing thoughtful insights with his warm baritone, open tunings, and deft technique. He's also kept up a brisk and thorough tour itinerary, performing 80 to 100 shows a year throughout the U.S., and regularly deploying his talents by improvising a “Musical Medicine” song for an audience member in need. In recent years he’s taken that process a step further, carefully writing and recording dozens of his “Custom Songs” for long-time fans who seek his help in commemorating and explaining the key milestones in their lives.
Lest anyone think that he's lost his touch, Wilcox pulled no punches on his most recent release, 2018's The View From the Edge. Not only does the song cycle find him delving into mental health, family legacies, spiritual contemplations, and topical concerns, the song “We Make the Way By Walking" also won him the Grand Prize in the 2018 USA Songwriting Contest.
"I think the coolest thing about this kind of music is that, if you listen to a night's worth of music, you should know that person,” he explains. “If you're hearing a performer sing all these songs, you should know not only where he gets his joy and what he loves, but you should know what pisses him off and what frightens him and what runs him off the rails, what takes him apart and what puts him back together.”
To attain that level of revelatory honesty, Wilcox follows a song to its deepest truth, even when it haunts him, a practice which demands the strength of vulnerability that he has sought since his teen years. That honesty is why Rolling Stone has written that his “ongoing musical journey is compelling and richly deserving of a listen.” It's also why Blue Ridge Public Radio has noted that, “The connection people feel with David’s music is also the connection they feel with each other.”
But Wilcox's unique brand of storytelling doesn't come easily. And it doesn't come quickly. “I could always think of a lot of possible ways the song could go, but the trick was recognizing truth amidst all the cleverness,” he confesses. “The more time I took, the more my deep heart could speak to me through the process of songwriting. I could gradually craft a song that felt like it was coming from the place I was going. If you decide to trust heart over cleverness, you not only get a song that moves you, you get a song that moves you toward being who you want to be. The time you spend immersed in the emotion of a song changes you. The song shows you the world through a particular point of view. Once you have seen the world that way, you can't un-see it.”
Website: David Wilcox
II. The American David Wilcox was born in Cleveland, Ohio. His work features lyrical insight, asmooth baritone voice, virtuosic guitar chops, and creative open tunings. He released an independent album in 1987, won the Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk award in 1988, and by 1989 he had signed with A&M Records. His first release on the label, ‘How Did You Find Me Here’, sold over 100,000 copies its first year. 17 albums later his songs have been covered by artists such as k.d. lang and many others.
Chet Baker's Unsung Swan Song
David Wilcox Lyrics
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Changed the wiring in my brain
So that when it turns the switches
Then I am not the same
So like the flowers toward the Sun
I will follow
Stretch myself out thin
That sends me out into this window
My old addiction
Is a flood upon the land
This tiny lifeboat
Can keep me dry
But my weight is all
That it can stand
So when I try to lean just a little
For just a splash to cool my face
Ahh that trickle
Turns out fickle
Fills my boat up
Five miles deep
My old addiction
Makes me crave only what is best
Like these just this morning song birds
Craving upward from the nest
These tiny birds outside my window
Take my hand to be their mom
These open mouths
Would trust and swallow
Anything that came along
Like my old addiction
Now the other side of Day
As the springtime
Of my life's time
Turn's the other way
If a swan can have a song
I think I know that tune
But the page is only scrawled
And I am gone this afternoon
But the page is only scrawled
And I am gone this afternoon
The lyrics to David Wilcox's song "Chet Baker's Unsung Swan Song" showcase his struggles with addiction, particularly how it has altered the wiring in his brain. He compares his addiction to a flood on a tiny lifeboat, knowing that even the slightest lean can cause his boat to tip. The references to flowers turning towards the Sun indicate a desire to overcome his addiction and follow something pure, like nature's beauty. He is aware of the dangers his addiction presents and reflects on the inevitability of turning to other things as he passes from the springtime to the other side of day.
The last verse is particularly poignant as he questions his own song and legacy, contrasting it with the swan's song, which is known for its beauty and grace. The page being scrawled could be interpreted as Wilcox's unfinished work or the unfulfilled promise of his career. His reflection on addiction highlights the ongoing battle for those who struggle with it, never truly overcoming it but instead learning to navigate around it to stay afloat.
Line by Line Meaning
My old addiction
Referring to a past addiction that still has an impact
Changed the wiring in my brain
The addiction had a lasting neurological effect
So that when it turns the switches
The addiction still has triggers that cause craving
Then I am not the same
The addiction changed the person fundamentally
So like the flowers toward the Sun
The artist is drawn to something irresistible
I will follow
They have little control over their actions
Stretch myself out thin
They will go to great lengths to pursue it
Like there's a part of me that's already buried
Their addiction feels like a part of themselves that they cannot let go of
That sends me out into this window
The addiction drives them to seek fulfillment beyond themselves
Is a flood upon the land
The addiction can overwhelm and consume them
This tiny lifeboat
The singer's coping mechanisms provide limited protection
Can keep me dry
Their coping mechanisms are only partially effective
But my weight is all
Their addiction puts them at risk of sinking
That it can stand
Their coping mechanisms have a limited capacity
So when I try to lean just a little
The singer is often tempted to relapse
For just a splash to cool my face
The artist occasionally seeks relief from their addiction
Ahh that trickle
However small their relapse, the impact can be disastrous
Turns out fickle
Their addiction can be unpredictable in its severity
Fills my boat up
The relapse overwhelms their coping mechanisms
Five miles deep
Their addiction can feel inescapable
Makes me crave only what is best
Their addiction distorts their judgment
Like these just this morning song birds
The artist is drawn to something pure and beautiful
Craving upward from the nest
The singer understands the instinctive urge to seek something greater
These tiny birds outside my window
The artist identifies with these creatures
Take my hand to be their mom
The singer wants to nurture and protect the birds
These open mouths
The birds represent something vulnerable and innocent
Would trust and swallow
The birds are fully reliant on the singer's care
Anything that came along
The birds are defenseless and would accept anything given to them
Now the other side of Day
Referring to the artist's later years
As the springtime
The singer's youth and vitality
Of my life's time
Their prime
Turn's the other way
The artist's life is changing
If a swan can have a song
Referring to the beauty and potential of a swan's song
I think I know that tune
The artist can recognize the beauty of something beyond their addiction
But the page is only scrawled
The singer's experience is only partially understood
And I am gone this afternoon
The artist's life is fleeting
But the page is only scrawled
Their life remains a work in progress
And I am gone this afternoon
Their time is running out
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVID PATRICK WILCOX
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind