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.
Hot
David Wilcox Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
HOT, HOT PAPA
Well my friends all wished me a fare-thee-well
And papa shoot like a bat out of hell
Hot hot papa
Hot hot papa
Two thousand dollar written on my fist
Hot hot papa
Hot hot papa
And ah ooh wah ooh yaah mmmmmm
Hope you don't bend
I know how to get it
I can sip hot lead and spit out rivets
Hot hot papa
Hot hot papa
Moo no don't ask how much it cost
Your throat cutting like a cotton sting like a wasp
Hot hot papa
Hot hot papa
And ah ooh wah ooh
Come on come one come on come
And ah ooh wah ooh come on
Let's play
One foot two foot three foot five
It's a six foot to walking that talking that jive
Hot hot papa
Hot hot papa
Now Billy go back in the bumble bee nest
Ever since then he can't take his rest
Hot hot papa
Hot hot papa
And ah ooh wah ooh
Hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey
And ah ooh wah ooh
Hey hey hey hey hey
Ah let's play now
And ah ooh wah ooh
And ah ooh wah ooh
She looks like a monkey
She sounds like a bee
She knows she's in love she's in love she's in love with me
Hot hot papa
Hot hot papa
Do in the country they like it just fine
Do it on the city it's a twenty dollar fine
Hot hot papa
Hot hot papa
And ah ooh wah ooh
And ah ooh wah ooh
David Wilcox's "Hot Hot Papa" is a fast-paced and energetic song that features Wilcox's signature acoustic guitar playing and catchy lyrics. The song's main character is a confident and daring man who is fully aware of his charms and prowess, as demonstrated by his expensive wristwatch and a tattoo declaring his value at $2000. The lyrics also suggest that the singer is not someone to be messed with, as he can "sip hot lead and spit out rivets."
The chorus repeats the phrase "Hot hot papa" as a sort of mantra, emphasizing the singer's magnetism and the song's overall tone of rebellion and freedom. The song's bridge features a spoken-word section that uses rhythm and cadence to emphasize the singer's ability to handle any challenge that comes his way. The final verse plays with animal and insect imagery to describe the singer's attraction to his lover, emphasizing the physical attraction that fuels his confidence and swagger.
Overall, "Hot Hot Papa" is a song about living life on one's own terms and relishing in one's own sense of self-worth. Wilcox's fast-paced guitar playing and catchy lyrics perfectly capture the song's energetic and rebellious spirit.
Line by Line Meaning
Well my friends all wished me a fare-thee-well
My friends bid me goodbye
And papa shoot like a bat out of hell
Papa left in a hurry
Hot hot papa
Papa is on fire
I got a ten dollar wristwatch on my wrist
I have a cheap wristwatch
Two thousand dollar written on my fist
I have a valuable skill or talent
Hope you don't bend
I hope you don't break
I know how to get it
I know how to obtain what I want
I can sip hot lead and spit out rivets
I am tough and resilient
Moo no don't ask how much it cost
Don't ask how much it costs
Your throat cutting like a cotton sting like a wasp
Your words are hurtful
Come on come one come on come
Let's go, let's go
One foot two foot three foot five
Random numbers with no meaning
It's a six foot to walking that talking that jive
Walking and talking like a cool person
Now Billy go back in the bumble bee nest
Anecdote about getting stung by bees
Ever since then he can't take his rest
Billy can't sleep well
She looks like a monkey
Insulting description of a woman's appearance
She sounds like a bee
Insulting description of a woman's voice
She knows she's in love she's in love she's in love with me
Boasting about perceived romantic prowess
Do in the country they like it just fine
In rural areas, this is acceptable
Do it on the city it's a twenty dollar fine
In cities, this will incur a fine
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dad GoneWild
Always liked David Wilcox. But I started taking guitar really seriously 3 years ago- full time. Now he is one of my favorites. Unlike most people, I consider him one of the undeniable greats ...why? Tone. His tone is original. Plus, his rhythms are instantly catchy - which separates the greats from the virtuosos like Joe Satriani, etc. I live in the States now, so Wilcox is never heard anywhere-thanks for posting it.
Norm Appleton
True, he sounds like no one else. Odd that he posed with a strat yet was telacaster monster.
Jojo Black
There isn't 1 of your songs David Wilcox that I don't like! I love them all! You would never believe what I can get accomplished while listening to your music! :) xo
skip michaels
There is so much good music that has come out of Canada for many years. It's pretty amazing when you think about the fact that there is more people in New York State than there is in Canada. BTO, Rush, April Wine, Brian Adams, Triumph, Tea Party,and of course David Wilcox just to name a few of my favorites!
Liz just is
Check out the Headstones, Big Sugar, and Trooper (Trooper should have been more popular then they got, great talent that one).
TheVeganGiant
skip michaels The Dead Fucking South!!!!!!!!!!! Check them out actually named the dead south
MalcolmO
Skip, you left out Lighthouse, Chilliwack and TRAGICALLY HIP!
John Hilliard
Hot poppy by David Wilcox is some of the best boogie ever done
MWL4466
Haaa.... yup..the old Brunswick ! Great times. David played every dive from P.E.I to Vancouver. Party every night. Ever make it to the Key to Bala to see him ? You're right. It was special. A classic home-grown artist. You're a monster Dave !!
Rob Breedon
Yep seen him at the Key