Devendra Obi Banhart (born May 30, 1981) is a Venezuelan American singer-so… Read Full Bio ↴Devendra Obi Banhart (born May 30, 1981) is a Venezuelan American singer-songwriter and visual artist. Banhart was born in Houston, Texas and was raised by his mother in Venezuela, until he moved to California as a teenager. His first few records were released on the Young God Records label from New York City. His most recent CD was released by Nonesuch. He is one of the most popular artists to come out of the "New Weird America" movement, which includes performers such as Faun Fables, Viking Moses, Jack Rose, Jana Hunter, Arborea, The MV & EE Medicine Show, Currituck Co., Six Organs of Admittance, and The Royal We, among others. He also often joins the band known as Vetiver.

Banhart is considered to have an eclectic style, with many of his songs seemingly following a stream-of-consciousness vein, being hard to decipher and non-literal. His music tends to consist of fairly simple guitar melodies with minimal other instrumentation, and his lyrical themes are often surreal and naturalistic. His involvement in the Los Angeles artist community is reflected in Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon, released in September 2007. He gained some underground notoriety in New York for performing several of his early shows with underwear on his head for the duration of the performance.

Banhart's most recent tour of the United States saw him perform with his full band, which is currently known as Power Mineral. Power Mineral included Andy Cabic (Vetiver), Greg Rogove (Priestbird), Noah Georgeson, Luckey Remington, Pete Newsom, Otto Hauser (Vetiver, Currituck Co., Espers, Nick Castro), Kevin Barker (Currituck Co.), and others. The band claims to rechristen itself when a name comes to them, and has previously been known as Fried Hummingbird, Vagina Burglars, Hairy Fairy Band, Las Putas Locas, Stoner Boner, Spiritual Boner, Bummer Hummer, Brain Taint, Love Fart, Bathhouse Of The Winds, and First Woman Millionaire among other names.

Banhart was discovered by Michael Gira of Swans, who released his Oh Me Oh My... The Way the Day Goes by the Sun Is Setting Dogs Are Dreaming… album on his own Young God Records label in 2002. In 2005, Banhart (along with Andy Cabic and Revolver USA) created the Gnomonsong record label. In 2006 he helped to curate an edition of the British All Tomorrow's Parties festival.

Banhart also was one of the younger musicians responsible for "rediscovering" the music of folksinger Vashti Bunyan. Bunyan is a guest vocalist on his album Rejoicing in the Hands.

Daniel
Devendra Banhart Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

We once had a time
Meet me at The Castro tonight
I held a rose
You held who knows, but that's fine

And we fell in love
We fell in love at the Jon Reed choir
And right there and then

I swore to no end
Swore to never let you go

But love's got a way
Of fading away
Oh-oh, I never saw you again
I never saw you again

Waiting in line
To see Suede play
And we had a time
I wish we could stay

And waiting in line
To see Suede play

Overall Meaning

The lyrics in Devendra Banhart's song Daniel tells a story of a lost love. The song starts with a nostalgic tone, hinting at a memory of a time that was beautiful and promising. The line "we once had a time" is filled with a sadness that is conveyed by the languid tone of the song. Banhart sings, "meet me at The Castro tonight, I held a rose, you held who knows, But that's fine." The Castro is a district in San Francisco that is known for being a hub for the LGBTQ+ community. The choice of location could be a reference to a place where the singer and the lost love met. The line "I held a rose, you held who knows" suggests that the identity of the person Banhart fell in love with is ambiguous and doesn't matter because they shared something beautiful.

The next verse of the song tells us more about the story. Banhart sings "And we fell in love, we fell in love, At the Jon Reed choir. And right there and then, I swore to no end, Swore to never let you go." The Jon Reed Choir is a reference to a real-life choir that performs spiritual hymns. The lyric "I swore to no end, Swore to never let you go" indicates the depth of love the two characters shared. However, the last verse of the song has a melancholic and heartbreaking tone where Banhart sings "But love's got a way of fading away, I never saw you again, I never saw you again." This last verse reveals that despite the singer's promises, love didn't last, and the person he loved could never be found again.

Line by Line Meaning

We once had a time
There was a time when we were together and happy.

Meet me at The Castro tonight
Let's meet up again like we used to at The Castro.

I held a rose, you held who knows
I had something special for you, but you were holding something unknown.

But that's fine
It doesn't matter, I still love you.

And we fell in love, we fell in love
We had a deep connection and strong feelings for each other.

At the Jon Reed choir
We fell in love while listening to the music of the Jon Reed choir.

And right there and then
In that moment when we fell in love, I made a promise.

I swore to no end
I promised to never stop loving you.

Swore to never let you go
I promised to always be there for you and to stay by your side.

But love's got a way of fading away
Despite my promise, our love ended up fading over time.

I never saw you again
We lost touch and I never saw you again.

Waiting in line to see Suede play
I remember waiting in line with you to see the band Suede play.

And we had a time, I wish we could stay
We had a great time together and I wish it could have lasted forever.

And waiting in line to see Suede play
Again, I remember waiting in line to see Suede play.

Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY, BMG Rights Management
Written by: Devendra Banhart

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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