Forsyth brought his skills as a stellar live performer to help found and make infamous nationwide the theatrical acoustic group The Asylum Street Spankers. He gave Wammo his first washboard and Christina Marrs her first guitar and ukelele. His time with the Spankers touring and recording 5 albums added to a wealth of earlier unique experiences in his life – working as a stuntman in renaissance shows, busking on the streets of New Orleans and playing on a mountain top in Nepal – which provided him musical fodder to be refined in the songs of Forsyth’s numerous solo albums. The release of his latest, Calico Girl, which features new songs as well as re-recordings of some of Guy’s most popular songs from 1999's Can You Live Without, marks the fourth album for the record label he started in 2002, Small and Nimble Records.
Guy is known today as a musician with gripping, powerful vocals as well as a master of numerous instruments. He started his musical development first with singing, and began playing harmonica at 16. Shortly thereafter he heard a very distinct and overwhelming sound on Kansas City radio that changed his life; it was Robert Johnson. After that, he borrowed a guitar, fell in love and learned to tune it with his feet from a friend who had lost both his arms in an accident. In college, he lasted a single semester at the University of Kansas, and then he found the music he had been seeking – gritty, organic folk and blues, “from a practical hands-on, gears, joints and joists level.” And he struck out to learn it.
Since then, he’s been awarded an Austin Music Award for Best Male Vocalist in 2005, as well as numerous other AMA’s over the years in categories such as Blues and Best Miscellaneous Instrument Player (singing saw), among others. Last year’s 2-disc live record, Unrepentant Schizophrenic Americana, was received very well by critics and fans alike.
In the past year, Forsyth has stepped up his touring significantly to reach fans in the Southwest, Southeast, East Coast, and Midwest United States, as well as continuing to play in Europe several times each year. Guy has been featured in a number of large festivals recently, including the Austin City Limits Music Fest in 2005 and 2007 (Austin), High Sierra Music Festival (Northern California), Los Alamos Festival (New Mexico), BBQ & Blues Festival (New York), Tonder Festival (Denmark), and Rhythm ‘n’ Blues Festival (Belgium). He will continue broadening his tour base throughout 2008, taking his live show to new cities and festivals. His confirmed appearances upcoming this year include Chicago’s American Music Festival, the Ottowa Blues Fest, Kerrville Folk Festival and Rochester’s Bricktown Festival. Forsyth has opened for and shared the stage with musicians such as BB King, Ray Charles, Lucinda Williams, Jimmy Vaughn, Dr. John, Robert Cray, among many others.
Heart Shaped Hole
Guy Forsyth Lyrics
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I know you know my name
I've heard the word around old town
And I'm sure you've heard the same
The first clown who stares me down
Gets a blanket made of cold
It's like my momma told me twice
I was born with a heart-shaped hole
On the day that I was born
They all passed me around
Saying how did this come to be
That I should be drowned
The doc he said as he shook his head
Washed his hands in a bowl
Nothing to be done about him
Leave him in the heart-shaped hole
Heart-shaped hole
Heart-shaped hole
You can't cover it with silver
You can't fill it up with gold
Heart-shaped hole
Heart-shaped hole
O-oo-oh mama
Nothing fills a heart-shaped hole
Well pretty is as pretty does
What's that mean to you?
A woman tried to seal my side
I guess she heard that too
I threw myself against her like
A dog left in the cold
But nothing burns for long around here
Buried in a heart-shaped hole
Heart-shaped hole
Heart-shaped hole
You can't cover it with silver
You can't fill it up with gold
Heart-shaped hole
Heart-shaped hole
O-oo-oh momma
Nothing fills a heart-shaped hole
Well I read the Bible
And I read the Dawt e che
And I tracked momma down
To see if she would say
Momma who can teach
What my whole lesson is about
Nobody save you she says
Fill it from the inside out
Heart-shaped hole
Heart-shaped hole
You can't cover it with silver
You can't fill it up with gold
Heart-shaped hole
Heart-shaped hole
O-oo-oh mama
Nothing fills a heart-shaped hole
In "Heart Shaped Hole", Guy Forsyth sings about being born with a void in one's soul which can never be filled. The opening lines signify that the singer is familiar with the listener and has been hearing rumors about himself. He warns that the first person who tries to confront him is going to feel the cold because he has learnt to stay aloof. The stanza ends with the singer acknowledging that he was born with a heart-shaped hole, likens it to being born with an emptiness at his core. The second stanza reveals that on the day that he was born, everyone around him had already passed their unfavorable judgment because of the void in him. The singer believes that it was a fact that much like the birthmark that he sports on his left shoulder, he was born with emptiness in his heart too.
The final stanza states that the singer has tried to fill this void with material things, human relationships, and even religion, but nothing worked. He read the Bible and the "Dawt e Che," which probably means "The Book of Wisdom" in Cherokee language but still couldn't find anything that would help him fill the void. When he asks his mother who can help him, she tells him to fill it from the inside out, signifying that a person can only fix themselves from within. Overall, the song is a testament to the fact that often, people are born with innate emptiness and that it's essential to look at oneself to fill the void rather than seeking external help.
Line by Line Meaning
Get yourself a good look
Take a good look at me
I know you know my name
You are aware of my name
I've heard the word around old town
I have listened to the rumors in town
And I'm sure you've heard the same
I am certain that you have heard the same rumors
The first clown who stares me down
The first person who stares at me rudely
Gets a blanket made of cold
Will receive a cold response from me
It's like my momma told me twice
My mother mentioned this to me repeatedly
I was born with a heart-shaped hole
I have an inherent emptiness inside
On the day that I was born
At the exact moment of my birth
They all passed me around
People held me and passed me from one to another
Saying how did this come to be
Asking how I came to exist this way
That I should be drowned
Suggesting that I should not have been born
The doc he said as he shook his head
The doctor commented with a shake of his head
Washed his hands in a bowl
He washed his hands in a bowl of water
Nothing to be done about him
There's nothing to do about my situation
Leave him in the heart-shaped hole
Leave him to live with his emptiness
You can't cover it with silver
Money cannot solve or fix this emptiness
You can't fill it up with gold
Material possessions cannot fill this void
Well pretty is as pretty does
Appearance can be deceiving
What's that mean to you?
What's your interpretation of this saying?
A woman tried to seal my side
Someone attempted to get close to me
I guess she heard that too
Perhaps she's also heard the rumors about me
I threw myself against her like
I pushed her away aggressively
A dog left in the cold
Like a neglected dog in the cold
But nothing burns for long around here
But any passion or interest in me fades quickly
Buried in a heart-shaped hole
Lost in my inner emptiness
Well I read the Bible
I have read the Bible
And I read the Dawt e che
I have read Dawt e che
And I tracked momma down
I found my mother
To see if she would say
To hear her perspective
Momma who can teach
Mother, who can instruct
What my whole lesson is about
What is the meaning of my life?
Nobody save you she says
No one except for you can help you understand
Fill it from the inside out
Satisfy your inner self first
O-oo-oh mama
Oh mother!
Heart-shaped hole
This inner emptiness
Writer(s): Guy Forsyth
Contributed by Tyler T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.