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.
Good Man
David Wilcox Lyrics
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For the way my friend behaves
He'll pick a fight and take a holy stance
He's so proud that he's so saved
I hope you don't judge Jesus
By the things my friend will say
He holds a Bible like a dagger
He just loves conversation
Like a cat loves a bird
I guess he's always been a good man
In the worst sense of the word
The good knights went out to save the day
In the age of the crusades
A sharp sword on a tortured soul
They were sure the point was made
Any tool can be a weapon
If it's used with that intent
The devil's great at quoting scripture
And confusing what it meant
He just loves conversation
Like a cat loves a bird
I guess he's always been a good man
In the worst sense of the word
They 'jacked a plane to make a sneak attack
They were trained to die in flames
Their last words were to God above
Just to praise His holy name
For all the terror and destruction
They felt no sense of shame
You gotta wonder why religion
Can make people so insane
He just loves conversation
Like a cat loves a bird
I guess he's always been a good man
In the worst sense of the word
The song "Good Man" by David Wilcox speaks of an individual who is overly zealous about their religious beliefs to the point where they use it as a weapon to judge and condemn others. The opening lines of the song speak of the singer's friend, who apologizes in advance for their behavior, indicating that they know the kind of conversation their friend is about to start. The friend takes a "holy stance" and "twists" the Bible like a "dagger," making it seem as though he enjoys making other people feel small and unworthy in comparison.
The second verse speaks about historical events, such as the crusades and terrorist attacks, where religion has justified violent behavior. The singer questions how religion can make people "so insane." The song seems to be making a commentary about how some individuals use religion as a way to feel morally superior, even if that means it involves violence and judgment towards others.
Overall, the song "Good Man" criticizes the negative side of religious fervor and how it can have dangerous consequences if taken too far.
Line by Line Meaning
Let me apologize in advance
I would like to apologize beforehand
For the way my friend behaves
Because of the behavior of my friend
He'll pick a fight and take a holy stance
He will resort to arguing and act pious
He's so proud that he's so saved
He's overly proud of being religious
I hope you don't judge Jesus
I hope you won't judge Jesus by association
By the things my friend will say
By the things my friend might say
He holds a Bible like a dagger
He uses the Bible aggressively
And he twists it just that way
And he'll manipulate the meaning to suit him
He just loves conversation
He enjoys discussions and debates
Like a cat loves a bird
Like a predator loves its prey
I guess he's always been a good man
I suppose he has always been a decent person
In the worst sense of the word
Although his behavior can be problematic
The good knights went out to save the day
The noble knights went out to be heroic
In the age of the crusades
During the time of the holy wars
A sharp sword on a tortured soul
A sharp weapon on a tormented mind
They were sure the point was made
They believed they had made their point clear
Any tool can be a weapon
Anything can be used as a weapon
If it's used with that intent
If it's used purposefully
The devil's great at quoting scripture
The devil can use scripture effectively
And confusing what it meant
And can twist the meaning to confuse
They 'jacked a plane to make a sneak attack
They hijacked a plane to launch a surprise attack
They were trained to die in flames
They were prepared to die in a fiery disaster
Their last words were to God above
They spoke their final words to God in heaven
Just to praise His holy name
To eulogize His name as a form of respect
For all the terror and destruction
Despite all the havoc and devastation
They felt no sense of shame
They did not experience any guilt or remorse
You gotta wonder why religion
One should question how religion
Can make people so insane
Can drive people to behave irrationally
Lyrics © SOROKA MUSIC LTD.
Written by: DAVID WILCOX
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind