When Jackson Frank was eleven years old, a furnace exploded at his school, sending a ball of flames down corridors until it ended up in Frank's music classroom in the Cleveland Hill Elementary School in Cheektowaga, New York. The fire killed fifteen of his fellow students and burned Frank over more than half his body.[1] It was during his time in the hospital that he was first introduced to playing music, when a teacher, Charlie Castelli, brought in an acoustic guitar to keep Frank occupied during his recovery. When he was 21, he was awarded an insurance cheque of $110,500 for his injuries, giving him enough to "catch a boat to England."
His eponymous 1965 album, Jackson C. Frank, was produced by Paul Simon while the two of them were also playing folk clubs in England. Frank was so shy during the recording that he asked to be shielded by screens so that Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel, and Al Stewart (who also attended the recording) could not see him, claiming "I can't play. You're looking at me." The most famous track, "Blues Run the Game", was covered by Simon and Garfunkel, and later by Wizz Jones, Counting Crows, Colin Meloy, Bert Jansch, Laura Marling, and Robin Pecknold (White Antelope), while Nick Drake also recorded it privately. Another song, "Milk and Honey", appeared in Vincent Gallo's film The Brown Bunny, and was also covered by Fairport Convention, Nick Drake, and Sandy Denny, whom he dated for a while. During their relationship, Jackson convinced Sandy to give up nursing (then her profession) and concentrate on music full-time.
Although Frank was well received in England for a while, in 1966 things took a turn for the worse as his mental health began to unravel. At the same time he began to experience writer's block. His insurance payment was running out so he decided to go back to the United States for two years. When he returned to England in 1968 he was deemed a different person. His depression, stemming from the childhood trauma of the classroom fire, had increased and he had no self-confidence. Al Stewart recalled that: "He [Frank] proceeded to fall apart before our very eyes. His style that everyone loved was melancholy, very tuneful things. He started doing things that were completely impenetrable. They were basically about psychological angst, played at full volume with lots of thrashing. I don't remember a single word of them, it just did not work. There was one review that said he belonged on a psychologist's couch. Then shortly after that, he hightailed it back to Woodstock again, because he wasn't getting any work."
While in Woodstock, he married Elaine Sedgwick, an English former fashion model. They had a son and later a daughter, Angeline. After his son died of Cystic Fibrosis, Frank went into a period of great depression and was ultimately committed to an institution. By the early 1970s Frank began to beg aid from friends. Karl Dallas wrote an enthusiastic piece in 1975 in Melody Maker, and in 1978, his 1965 album was re-released as Jackson Frank Again, with a new cover sleeve, although this did not encourage fresh awareness of Frank.
In 1984, Frank took a trip to New York City in a desperate bid to locate Paul Simon, but he ended up sleeping on the sidewalk. His mother, who had been in hospital for open heart surgery, found him gone with no forwarding address when she arrived home. He was living on the street and was frequently admitted and discharged from various institutions. He was treated for paranoid schizophrenia, a diagnosis that was refuted by Frank himself as he had always claimed that he actually had depression caused by the trauma he had experienced as a child.
Just as Frank’s prospects seemed to be at their worst, a fan from the area around Woodstock, Jim Abbott, discovered him in the early 1990s. Abbott had been discussing music with Mark Anderson, a teacher at the local college he was attending. The conversation had turned to folk music, which they both enjoyed, when Abbott asked the teacher if he had heard of Frank. He recollected: "I hadn’t even thought about it for a couple of years, and he goes, ‘Well yes, as a matter of fact, I just got a letter from him. Do you feel like helping a down-on-his-luck folk singer?"
Frank, who had known Anderson from their days at Gettysburg College, had decided to write him to ask if there was anywhere in Woodstock he could stay after he had made up his mind to leave New York City. Abbott phoned Frank, and then organized a temporary placement for him at a senior citizens’ home in Woodstock. Abbott was stunned by what he saw when he travelled to New York to visit Frank.
"When I went down I hadn’t seen a picture of him, except for his album cover. Then, he was thin and young. When I went to see him, there was this heavy guy hobbling down the street, and I thought, ‘That can’t possibly be him’...I just stopped and said ‘Jackson?’ and it was him. My impression was, ‘Oh my God’, it was almost like the elephant man or something. He was so unkempt, dishevelled.” A further side effect of the fire was a thyroid malfunction causing him to put on weight. “He had nothing. It was really sad. We went and had lunch and went back to his room. It almost made me cry, because here was a fifty-year-old man, and all he had to his name was a beat-up old suitcase and a broken pair of glasses. I guess his caseworker had given him a $10 guitar, but it wouldn’t stay in tune. It was one of those hot summer days. He tried to play Blues Run The Game for me, but his voice was pretty much shot."
Soon after this, Frank was sitting on a bench in Queens, New York while awaiting a move to Woodstock, when someone shot him in his left eye and consequently blinded him. At first no details were known, but it was later determined that children from the neighborhood were firing a pellet gun indiscriminately at people and Frank happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Abbott then promptly helped him move to Woodstock. During this time, Frank began recording some demos of new songs. Frank’s resurfacing led to the first CD release of his self-titled album. In some pressings, Frank's later songs were included as a bonus disc with the album.
Frank died of pneumonia and cardiac arrest in Great Barrington, Massachusetts on March 3, 1999, at the age of 56.
Though he never achieved fame during his lifetime, his songs have been covered by many well-known artists, including Simon and Garfunkel, Counting Crows, Nick Drake, Sandy Denny, Bert Jansch, Laura Marling, and Robin Pecknold (as White Antelope) of Fleet Foxes. Frank's song "I Want To Be Alone", also known as "Dialogue," appeared on the soundtrack for the film Daft Punk's Electroma. Soulsavers covered "Blues Run the Game" on their single "Revival" (7" vinyl, 30 April 2007). Marianne Faithfull covered Frank's arrangement of a traditional song, "Kimbie" on her 2008 album Easy Come, Easy Go and included the song in the repertoire of her 2009 tour. Erland & The Carnival also covered "My Name Is Carnival," apparently Frank's favourite song. Bert Jansch also covered this song as a gesture to Frank.
Sandy Denny's song, "Next Time Around," contains coded references to Frank, her ex-boyfriend. "Marcy's Song" is played by Patrick, John Hawkes' character, in the 2011 film Martha Marcy May Marlene and "Marlene" plays in the closing credits. Laura Barton's BBC Radio 4 programme "Blues Run the Game", first broadcast 20th November 2012, included interviews with Al Stewart, John Renbourn, Jim Abbott and John Kay as well as archive material of Jackson C. Frank talking and singing.
Child Fixin' to Die
Jackson C. Frank Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But it aint no big ride
The horses are helpless
Young child fixin' to die
It's cold and it's lonesome
Aint no second-in-command
Go where you will now
Fate's on the land
You who rule people
Are princes and kings
See my body is open
See my father lay waste
Fly swift as an eagle
Take comfort from that
And child fixin' to die now
My little boy's time has come
You who rule people
Eternally free
Of robbing your prisoners
Take a lesson from me
It's cold and it's lonesome
But it aint no big ride
The horses are helpless
Young child fixin' to die
The horses are helpless
Young child fixin' to die
The song "Child Fixin' to Die" by Jackson C. Frank is a poignant commentary on the juxtaposition of power and helplessness. The opening lines "It's cold and it's lonesome, but it ain't no big ride" set the somber tone for the rest of the song. The singer of the song, a young child, is on the brink of death and the horses are helpless to save him. The lyrics reflect the reality that, despite being in a position of power, there are situations where helplessness cannot be avoided.
The second verse of the song is a direct address to those in positions of authority. The phrase "You who rule people, princes and kings" refers to those with the power to effect change. The singer pleads with them to see the devastation caused by their actions. The lines "See my body is open, see my father lay waste" convey the physical and emotional trauma inflicted on the singer and those around him. Despite this, the young child takes solace in the fact that he will soon be at peace, and encourages those in power to learn from his suffering.
The final verse of the song reinforces the theme of helplessness. The phrase "The horses are helpless, young child fixin' to die" returns, emphasizing that even those with the means to help cannot change the inevitable. The song is a tragic reminder of the fragility of life and the importance of empathy and compassion in positions of power.
Line by Line Meaning
It's cold and it's lonesome
The surroundings are unpleasant
But it aint no big ride
Despite the discomfort, the journey is not long
The horses are helpless
The animals are not capable of helping
Young child fixin' to die
A young child is going to die soon
Aint no second-in-command
There is no one who can take control
Go where you will now
Do what you want to do now
Fate's on the land
The destiny is predetermined
You who rule people
Addressing those in power
Are princes and kings
They hold royal positions
See my body is open
The singer is vulnerable
See my father lay waste
The singer's family has been destroyed
Fly swift as an eagle
Move quickly like an eagle
Take comfort from that
Be consoled by the thought
And child fixin' to die now
A young child is about to die
My little boy's time has come
The singer's son is going to die
Eternally free
Forever without restrictions
Of robbing your prisoners
Without stealing from captives
Take a lesson from me
Learn from my example
Contributed by Ian J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
BarrettBlues
It's cold and it's lonesome
But it aint no big ride
The horses are helpless
Young child fixin' to die
It's cold and it's lonesome
Aint no second-in-command
Go where you will now
Fate's on the land
You who rule people
Are princes and kings
See my body is open
See my father lay waste
Fly swift as an eagle
Take comfort from that
And child fixin' to die now
My little boy's time has come
You who rule people
Eternally free
Of robbing your prisoners
Take a lesson from me
It's cold and it's lonesome
But it aint no big ride
The horses are helpless
Young child fixin' to die
The horses are helpless
Young child fixin' to die
Guillermo Oro Gutierrez
It´s cold and it´s lonesome
But it ain´t no big ride
horses are helpless
Young child fixin´to die.
It´s cold and it´s lonesome
Ain´t no second in command
Go where he will now
Fate´s on the land.
You who rule people
are princes and kings
see my body is open
see my father lay waste
Fly swift as an eagle
take comfort from that
Young child fixin´ to die now
my little boy´s time has come.
You who rule people
eternally free
of robbing your prisoners
take a lesson from me.
it´s cold and it´s lonesome
but it ain´t no big ride.
The horses are helpless
Young child fixin´ to die
The horses are helpless
Young child fixin´ to die.
BarrettBlues
It's cold and it's lonesome
But it aint no big ride
The horses are helpless
Young child fixin' to die
It's cold and it's lonesome
Aint no second-in-command
Go where you will now
Fate's on the land
You who rule people
Are princes and kings
See my body is open
See my father lay waste
Fly swift as an eagle
Take comfort from that
And child fixin' to die now
My little boy's time has come
You who rule people
Eternally free
Of robbing your prisoners
Take a lesson from me
It's cold and it's lonesome
But it aint no big ride
The horses are helpless
Young child fixin' to die
The horses are helpless
Young child fixin' to die
Induwara Ekanayake
This particular song by Jackson reminds me of Townes Van Zandt!
Axel Kreddig
That exhale at the beginning conveys more resignation and despair than most musicians can manage in an entire album
Vladimir Motchoulski
This is it. The saddest song I have heard in 27 years on this planet. His recorded spectre watches over us; a hopeful beacon to those who understand.
Guillermo Oro Gutierrez
It´s cold and it´s lonesome
But it ain´t no big ride
horses are helpless
Young child fixin´to die.
It´s cold and it´s lonesome
Ain´t no second in command
Go where he will now
Fate´s on the land.
You who rule people
are princes and kings
see my body is open
see my father lay waste
Fly swift as an eagle
take comfort from that
Young child fixin´ to die now
my little boy´s time has come.
You who rule people
eternally free
of robbing your prisoners
take a lesson from me.
it´s cold and it´s lonesome
but it ain´t no big ride.
The horses are helpless
Young child fixin´ to die
The horses are helpless
Young child fixin´ to die.
robert harding
Poor man, he went through such trauma, when he saw most of his class mates die, he seems to have felt guilty that he survived, these survivors are not survivors but just guilt ridden folks who never really accept their survival.
12D3
This is a perfect example of art fueled by a life of pain and hardships. Astonishing.
Sky PROF90
Indeed, his life was painfull torture which fueled his blues
carlose0318
reminds me of nick drake in some ways....although this man is still way more underappreciated. there's such a gut-wrenching pain that i can almost feel in this song. thanks for the post. nice to see someone else that has an appreciation for true genius....and only 1688 fucking views....
Sharyn
carlose0318 But on the upside, not one thumbs down!