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.
Outside Door
David Wilcox Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All boarded up on a dead end street
In my darkest doubts I'm the only visitor
Sunk down inside those dusty seats
This world of mine in two dimensions
It shocks my brain with all I feel
That flickering lie will build the tension
I can't stop the scene from playing
Trying ain't worth dying for
It won't change, but I'm not staying
I just found the outside door
The old film that rolls, I know the story
For all my years it's been the same
I'll see my old moment of glory
Fall to my fear and find my shame
It leaves my heart empty and shallow
No happy end and no relief
In that endless dark my cave of shadows
I still suspend my disbelief
Standing in the morning wonder
Never seen the sun before
Broke the spell that I was under
I just found the outside door
There's no silver screen no satin curtain
My state of mind plays this whole show
The illusion seems to be so certain
That I'm trapped inside with nowhere to go
Inside my war with dark projection
I try to scream but have no voice
There is a door an outside exit
We can be free we have a choice
The song "Outside Door" by David Wilcox speaks to the concept of being trapped in one's own mind and the struggle to escape from the cycle of negative thoughts and emotions. Wilcox uses the metaphor of a movie theater, a place where one can lose oneself in the story, to represent the isolation and imprisonment of negative thinking. He describes his "movie house" as a "prison" and a "cave of shadows," highlighting the suffocating nature of his own thoughts. However, despite the fear of change, he recognizes that he must take action to break free from the cycle and find the "outside door" that will lead to new, unexplored possibilities.
Wilcox's use of imagery in the song is powerful and emotive, highlighting the gravitas of the subject matter. The lines "That flickering lie will build the tension / And I brace for pain like it was real," for example, capture the sense of dread and fear that can come with negative thoughts. Meanwhile, the line "Standing in the morning wonder / Never seen the sun before" symbolizes the sense of liberation and possibility that comes with breaking free and finding a new path.
Line by Line Meaning
My movie house it holds me prisoner
The singer feels trapped and confined by his own mind, which is like a metaphorical movie house that he cannot escape from.
All boarded up on a dead end street
His mind feels like a dead end street that is stagnant and closed off from new experiences.
In my darkest doubts I'm the only visitor
The singer feels alone in his negative thoughts and doubts, with no one to turn to or confide in.
Sunk down inside those dusty seats
The artist feels as though he is sinking deeper and deeper into his own negative thoughts and emotions, like being in a dusty old movie theater seat.
This world of mine in two dimensions
The artist's view of the world is narrow and limited, like a two-dimensional movie screen.
It shocks my brain with all I feel
Despite the limited view, the singer is still overwhelmed with intense emotions that affect his mental health.
That flickering lie will build the tension
Watching a movie or engaging in other forms of escapism may provide temporary relief, but it ultimately adds tension to the singer's life.
And I brace for pain like it was real
The artist is so accustomed to pain and negativity that he expects it to be a constant presence in his life.
I can't stop the scene from playing
The negative thoughts and emotions cycling through the artist's mind feel out of his control.
Trying ain't worth dying for
The artist recognizes that trying to fight the negative thoughts is not worth it if it means risking his life and mental health.
It won't change, but I'm not staying
Despite feeling stuck with these negative feelings, the singer is determined to find a way out rather than just accepting the status quo.
I just found the outside door
The artist has discovered a way out of his negative thoughts and emotions and is ready to leave them behind.
The old film that rolls, I know the story
The singer is familiar with his own negative thought patterns, and they repeat themselves like an old movie that he's seen before.
For all my years it's been the same
The singer has been struggling with these negative emotions for a long time without any change in sight.
I'll see my old moment of glory
The singer reminisces about a time in his life when he felt good about himself, but it is now overshadowed by his current negativity.
Fall to my fear and find my shame
The artist's current negativity has caused him to feel ashamed about himself and his past accomplishments.
It leaves my heart empty and shallow
Focusing on these negative thoughts and emotions has taken a toll on the artist's emotional well-being, causing him to feel empty and hollow inside.
No happy end and no relief
The singer has lost hope that his situation will improve and that he will ever find relief from his negative emotions.
In that endless dark my cave of shadows
The singer's mind feels like a dark and gloomy cave where he is trapped and unable to escape from the negativity.
I still suspend my disbelief
Despite knowing that his negative thoughts and emotions are not based in reality, the artist cannot help but believe them to some extent.
Standing in the morning wonder
The artist has stepped out of his negative mindset and is now able to see the world in a different, more hopeful light.
Never seen the sun before
The artist's negative mindset had prevented him from enjoying the beauty of the world around him, like never having seen the sun before.
Broke the spell that I was under
The singer has broken free from the negative thoughts that had previously enslaved him and is now able to see things differently.
I just found the outside door
The artist has discovered a way out of his negative thoughts and emotions and is ready to leave them behind.
There's no silver screen no satin curtain
The singer is acknowledging that his negative thoughts and emotions are not based in reality and that there is no escape through entertainment or other forms of escapism.
My state of mind plays this whole show
The negative thoughts and emotions that the singer experiences are a product of his own mind and his own state of being.
The illusion seems to be so certain
Despite knowing that his negative thoughts and emotions are an illusion, the singer cannot help but feel like they are real and inevitable.
That I'm trapped inside with nowhere to go
The artist feels trapped by his own negative emotions and fears that he is powerless to change his situation.
Inside my war with dark projection
The artist feels as though he is fighting a battle against his own negative thoughts and emotions, which he calls a 'dark projection.'
I try to scream but have no voice
The singer feels unable to express his emotions or ask for help, like he is screaming but nobody can hear him.
There is a door an outside exit
Despite feeling trapped by his negative thoughts and emotions, the singer recognizes that there is a way out and a path to freedom.
We can be free we have a choice
The artist believes that it is possible to escape from negative thoughts and emotions if one is willing to make the choice to do so.
Contributed by Jayce G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.