In the early 1970s, Earl Slick gained his reputation on New York music scene as a talented, skillful rock guitarist while playing in a band called "Mack Truck" featuring both singer/songwriter Jimmy Mack and his brother drummer Jack Mack. His work with Scottish singer/songwriter Jim Diamond was as the duo 'Slick Diamond'. They did some tours and performances for a short time in the late 1970s.
Slick was initially hired by David Bowie to replace Mick Ronson as lead guitarist for the Diamond Dogs tour in 1974 (the live album David Live was culled from this tour). Slick also performed lead guitar on Bowie's Young Americans and Station To Station albums, released in 1975 and 1976 respectively. It was Slick's powerful playing that made the latter album's "Stay" an enduring favorite of fans of Bowie and of guitar heroics alike. After running afoul of Bowie's management, Slick was replaced as lead guitarist for the Station To Station tour (1976), his role being taken by Stacey Heydon. Slick then became a hired gun, working for Leo Sayer, Ian Hunter, John Lennon, and Yoko Ono. He also formed his own solo band.
Slick returned to Bowie for 1983's Serious Moonlight tour, to support the Let's Dance album. Ironically, Slick, who was ousted as lead guitarist from Bowie's 1976 tour, was the last-minute lead-guitarist replacement for Bowie's 1983 tour (substituting for Stevie Ray Vaughan).
Slick then formed Phantom, Rocker & Slick with Slim Jim Phantom and Lee Rocker. In 1990, Slick was in the collaboration "Dirty White Boy" which only saw one album, "Bad Reputation" (1990) and industry show cases in London and Los Angeles.
The early 2000s saw Slick return to Bowie's roster, appearing on the tours to support the Heathen (2002) and Reality (2003) albums. He also played briefly in Little Caesar in 1991-92. He is now dually a member of Slinky Vagabond and The Eons. Slinky Vagabond are Glen Matlock, Clem Burke, and Keanan Duffty. The Eons are a duo with singer, songwriter Saphin. Slinky Vagabond (the name comes from the lyrics to the David Bowie song Young Americans) played their debut concert at the Joey Ramone Birthday Bash in May 2007.
A Forest
Earl Slick Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come closer and see, come closer and see
Come closer and see, come closer and see
Come closer and see
Come closer and see, see into the trees
Find the girl while you can
Come closer and see, see into the dark
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Just follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
I hear her voice calling my name
The sound is deep in the dark
I hear her voice and start to run
Into the trees, into the trees
Into the trees, into the trees
Into the trees
I'm running towards nothing
Into the trees, into the trees
Suddenly I stop but I know it's too late
I'm lost in a forest, all alone
The girl was never there, it's always the same
I'm running towards nothing
Again and again and again
And again and again and again
And again and again and again
And again and again and again
And again and again and again
And again and again and again
And again and again and again
Again
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
I'm lost in a forest, all alone
I know it's too late
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Follow your eyes, suddenly I stop, stop
The song "A Forest" by Earl Slick appears to depict a journey in the forest by the singer. The repeated phrase "come closer and see" draws the listener into the story while the phrase "follow your eyes" is an encouragement to keep moving onwards. The forest represented in the song is symbolic of various things including desire, mystery, and danger. The forest is a metaphor of the unconscious mind, representing the journey towards deeper self-understanding.
In the song, the singer encounters a voice calling his name, and he follows it until he enters the forest. However, it appears that the journey into the forest was futile as he realizes he is lost and the girl he was looking for was never there. The ending "follow your eyes, suddenly I stop, stop" represents a sense of defeat that comes with the realization.
Overall, "A Forest" by Earl Slick is a hauntingly beautiful song that tells a story of a journey to self-discovery. It teaches us that sometimes our deepest desires may lead us astray, and our search for fulfillment and understanding may be futile in the face of an insurmountable forest.
Line by Line Meaning
Come closer and see, come closer and see
Pay attention and look closely
Come closer and see, see into the trees
Look deeply into the forest
Find the girl while you can
Find what you want before it's too late
Come closer and see, see into the dark
Explore the unknown
Just follow your eyes, just follow your eyes
Trust your instincts
I hear her voice calling my name
I am seeking something or someone
The sound is deep in the dark
The unknown is mysterious
I hear her voice and start to run
I pursue what I want
Into the trees, into the trees
Deeper into the forest
Suddenly I stop but I know it's too late
I realize I'm lost
I'm lost in a forest, all alone
I am completely lost and without direction
The girl was never there, it's always the same
What I seek is not there
Again and again and again
The cycle repeats
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Continue to trust your instincts
Suddenly I stop, stop
I come to the realization of being lost
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Robert James Smith, Laurence Andrew Tolhurst, Matthieu Aiden Hartley, Simon Johnathon Gallup
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Alfred Carpenter
Yes a fantastic version to this song
DJDanceClassic
The song was redone for the second time on the Join the Dots box set, this time remixed by Mark Plati and featuring Earl Slick on guitar. This version was described as "awful" and "instantly dated" by reviewer Chris Ott.
David W
An excellent remix available only on the box join the dots issued in 2004
Spencer Hermes Calderon Dorantes
The Best Remix of that Years...
ShadowPlay1919
Im here because I heard it was horrible lol. I like every version i have heard so I wanna hear this. And it is kinda crappy so far.
Spencer Hermes Calderon Dorantes
of course Talking bout this particular song