Graham first heard the guitar at the age of 12, when a family friend played him a song on his instrument. As legend would have it, the friend went out for a while, and Graham, who had never picked up a guitar in his life, stayed at home "to play on the guitar". To the amazement of the friend, when he returned Graham could play the song he had performed earlier exactly. Buying his first guitar at age 16, Graham exhibited unnatural talent in playing the instrument and in picking up tunes - a skill he attributes to his being blind in one eye. Graham was to perfect an eclectic style over the next few years, travelling abroad to pick up new styles and ways of playing. After a trip to Morocco, hearing the Oud, Graham introduced and popularised the DADGAD tuning of the Oud, now common amongst Celtic musicians especially, to western guitarists. He released his first LP, The Guitar Player, (after two EPs) in 1963. From this time until the early 1970s, Graham would release a range of albums, ranging in style and content album-to-album and even within albums. Towards the end of the 1970s, Graham stopped recording and faded into obscurity. However, Graham became active again in the mid nineties.
Davy Graham died on December 15th 2008 of lung cancer.
Homeward Bound
Davy Graham Lyrics
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Got a ticket to my destination.
On a tour of one-night stands my suitcase and guitar in hand.
And ev'ry stop is neatly planned for a poet and a one-man band.
Homeward bound,
I wish I was,
Homeward bound,
Home where my thought's escaping,
Home where my love lies waiting
Silently for me.
Ev'ry day's an endless stream
Of cigarettes and magazines.
And each town looks the same to me, the movies and the factories
And ev'ry stranger's face I see reminds me that I long to be,
Homeward bound,
I wish I was,
Homeward bound,
Home where my thought's escaping,
Home where my music's playing,
Home where my love lies waiting
Silently for me.
Tonight I'll sing my songs again,
I'll play the game and pretend.
But all my words come back to me in shades of mediocrity
Like emptiness in harmony I need someone to comfort me.
Homeward bound,
I wish I was,
Homeward bound,
Home where my thought's escaping,
Home where my music's playing,
Home where my love lies waiting
Silently for me.
Silently for me.
The lyrics of Davy Graham's "Homeward Bound" tell the story of a touring musician who has been on the road for a while and is longing to return home. The singer is tired of the endless stream of one-night stands and the sameness of each town he visits. He longs for the comfort of home where his music is playing and his love is waiting silently for him. He sings of the emptiness and mediocrity he feels as he performs each night, looking for someone to comfort him. The desire to return home is palpable in each wistful line of the song.
The song's title "Homeward Bound" echoes the sentiment of the lyrics. The phrase "homeward bound" is a nautical term meaning that a ship is returning to its home port after a long journey. In this case, the singer is like a ship, returning to his home after a long tour. The song is also filled with symbolic imagery - the train represents the journey, the night stands represent the fleeting nature of his experiences, and the guitar and suitcase represent his life as a musician. Overall, the lyrics of "Homeward Bound" are a poignant expression of the universal desire for home and comfort.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm sitting in the railway station.
The singer is currently at a train station.
Got a ticket to my destination.
The singer has acquired a ticket to where he is going.
On a tour of one-night stands my suitcase and guitar in hand.
The singer is on a tour where he plays at a different location each night carrying only a suitcase and a guitar.
And ev'ry stop is neatly planned for a poet and a one-man band.
The stops on his tour are planned and geared towards the lifestyle of a poet and solo performer.
Homeward bound,
The singer wants to go home.
I wish I was,
The singer deeply desires to return to his home.
Home where my thought's escaping,
The singer wants to be home where he can think clearly.
Home where my music's playing,
The singer wants to be home where he can play music freely.
Home where my love lies waiting Silently for me.
The singer wants to be home where his love is waiting for him.
Ev'ry day's an endless stream
Every day feels like an endless cycle.
Of cigarettes and magazines.
The singer's days mainly consist of smoking and reading magazines.
And each town looks the same to me, the movies and the factories
Every town he visits appears similar due to the presence of factories and cinemas.
And ev'ry stranger's face I see reminds me that I long to be,
The face of every stranger he encounters reminds him of his yearning to be home.
Tonight I'll sing my songs again,
Tonight the singer will perform his music once more.
I'll play the game and pretend.
He will pretend that he is okay even if he's not.
But all my words come back to me in shades of mediocrity
The singer feels like everything he writes is mediocre.
Like emptiness in harmony I need someone to comfort me.
The singer is in need of someone to comfort him when he feels empty despite creating harmonious music.
Silently for me.
His love is waiting for him silently and patiently.
Homeward bound,
The singer wants to return to his home.
I wish I was,
The singer truly desires to be home.
Homeward bound,
The singer wants to go back to his place of belonging.
Home where my thought's escaping,
He wants to go home where he can escape his worries.
Home where my music's playing,
The singer wants to be where he can freely play music.
Home where my love lies waiting
The singer is eager to be where his significant other is patiently waiting for him.
Silently for me.
His love is waiting quietly and patiently for him to come home.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JERRY LANDIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind