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.
Hometown
David Wilcox Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She wanted to try something new
She wanted to live in San Francisco
In a place with a view
She wanted the sound
She wanted the life all around
She wanted the fun and the action of a livelier town
'Cause he loved the stillness of morning
And the wind in the trees
He needed the stars
He needed to say, "This is ours"
And look at a field and a pasture
And a road with no cars
He wanted a farm
He wanted a horse in a barn
He wanted a life in the country, far from the town
So they, they chose to stay
They found a place where they hoped
They might both have their way
Surprise!
But that compromise was a life in the suburbs
That they both could despise
With nothing of either, too much of each
The things that they hoped for were both out of reach
No land for the garden, too far from the stores
No new folk to talk to, loud neighbors next door
Though traffic was endless, no one stepped outside
An outpost of loners who've come there to hide
Why they stayed, all those years
The answer can't be found
But there they were, there they fought
And there they stood their ground in my hometown
In my own hometown
Wonder what I've made that far
In my own hometown
In my own hometown
The song 'Hometown' by David Wilcox is about two individuals in a relationship who are torn between two different lifestyles. The woman wants to move to San Francisco and immerse herself in the liveliness of the city, while the man wants to escape to the quiet countryside where they can have a farm with a horse in a barn. The compromise they make is to live in the suburbs, but it turns out to be a place where they both feel unhappy and unfulfilled. The lyrics describe the sense of disappointment and unease that stems from this lack of fulfillment, and asks the question of why they stayed there for so long.
The lyrics paint a picture of the tension that arises between two people who have different visions for their future. They are both committed to each other, but they cannot reconcile their individual dreams. The woman longs for adventure and novelty, while the man wants stability and simplicity. The compromise they make seems like the easy way out, but it ends up being a place where they cannot find peace or satisfaction. The song's poignancy lies in the way it captures the dilemma of trying to find a balance between what two people want, but also acknowledging that sometimes there isn't a perfect solution.
Line by Line Meaning
She wanted to move
She desired a new home
She wanted to try something new
She craved change in her life
She wanted to live in San Francisco
She sought to reside in the city of San Francisco
In a place with a view
She yearned for a scenic location
She wanted the sound
She longed for the ambiance
She wanted the life all around
She desired the vibrant lifestyle
She wanted the fun and the action of a livelier town
She craved the excitement and activities of a bustling town
But he, he would still disagree
But her partner objected
'Cause he loved the stillness of morning
Because he enjoyed the peaceful early hours of the day
And the wind in the trees
And the gentle rustling of the leaves
He needed the stars
He required the starry sky
He needed to say, "This is ours"
He needed to claim something as their own
And look at a field and a pasture
And admire the open green spaces
And a road with no cars
And a quiet, carless street
He wanted a farm
He desired a rural land
He wanted a horse in a barn
He desired to have horses in a stable
He wanted a life in the country, far from the town
He desired an agriculturally-oriented lifestyle away from the urban areas
So they, they chose to stay
So they decided to remain
They found a place where they hoped
They discovered a location where they envisioned
They might both have their way
They might satisfy their preferences
Surprise!
Unexpectedly
But that compromise was a life in the suburbs
However, their agreement led to a suburban lifestyle
That they both could despise
That infuriated them both
With nothing of either, too much of each
Without fulfilling either of their wishes, too much of the opposing preference
The things that they hoped for were both out of reach
Their desires were unattainable
No land for the garden, too far from the stores
There was insufficient space for a garden, far from local stores
No new folk to talk to, loud neighbors next door
There were no new people to converse with, and the neighbors were noisy
Though traffic was endless, no one stepped outside
Despite the continuous traffic, no one ventured outside
An outpost of loners who've come there to hide
A dwelling of hermits who relocated there to prevent interaction
Why they stayed, all those years
The reason they remained there, through thick and thin
The answer can't be found
The reason can't be determined
But there they were, there they fought
But they were there together, battling their predicament
And there they stood their ground
And they persevered
In my hometown
In the place where I grew up
In my own hometown
In the place where I prospered
Wonder what I've made that far
I've been contemplating my evolution and accomplishments
In my own hometown
In the place where I established myself
Lyrics © SOROKA MUSIC LTD.
Written by: DAVID WILCOX, NANCE PETTIT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind