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.
I Want To Be Alone
Jackson C. Frank Lyrics
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I need to touch each stone
Face the grave that I have grown
I want to be alone
Before all the days are gone
And darker walls are bent and torn
To pass the time of those who mourn
Rivers that run anywhere
Are in my hand and just up the stair
Past the eyes of those who care
Who can never be alone
Changes that were not meant to be
Tow the hours of my memory
Sing a song of love to me
To say you must never
Never be alone
The tears of a silent rain
Seek shelter on my broken pain
And run away
But I remain
To speak the words
That sing of alone
I want to be alone
I need to touch each stone
Face the grave that I have grown
I want to be alone
In Jackson C. Frank's song I Want to Be Alone, the lyrics speak of a deep desire to be alone. The first verse talks about the need to touch each stone, which can be interpreted as the desire to connect with one's surroundings in a profound way. The phrase "face the grave that I have grown" speaks to the realization that one's own actions and choices have created their current situation, and the need to come to terms with it on their own. The chorus of "I want to be alone" reinforces the idea that the desire for solitude is strong.
The second verse delves deeper into the idea of time passing and the need to confront one's own mortality. The line "darker walls are bent and torn" can be interpreted as the passage of time changing one's outlook on life. The desire to "pass the time of those who mourn" can be seen as wanting to come to terms with one's own mortality before it's too late. The bridge of the song talks about the different paths people take in life, with "rivers that run anywhere" symbolizing the wide variety of choices that people make.
The final verse speaks to the pain and sorrow that one faces in life. The line "tears of a silent rain" evokes feelings of sadness and loss, and the phrase "to speak the words that sing of alone" speaks to the need to embrace solitude and find peace in one's own company. The repetition of the chorus reinforces the message that the desire to be alone is strong and necessary for personal growth.
Line by Line Meaning
I want to be alone
I desire and long to be by myself, without any company or interference from others.
I need to touch each stone
I have a strong urge and necessity to connect with the physical world around me, especially through tactile experience.
Face the grave that I have grown
Confront the consequences of my own actions and the results of my own life choices, both good and bad.
I want to be alone
Reiterating the opening line, emphasizing the strong and unwavering desire for solitude and detachment.
Before all the days are gone
Acknowledging the temporary nature of existence and the urgency to experience and accomplish things before time runs out.
And darker walls are bent and torn
Referring to the passage of time and the gradual deterioration and decay of one's surroundings and circumstances, both external and internal.
To pass the time of those who mourn
To endure and overcome the difficult and painful moments of grief and loss that inevitably come with life.
I want to be alone
Once again emphasizing the repeated desire for solitude and isolation from others.
Rivers that run anywhere
Metaphorically describing the unpredictable and constantly changing nature of existence, emphasizing the lack of control and certainty in life.
Are in my hand and just up the stair
Asserting the power and influence one can have over their own life and experiences, suggesting that one can control and shape their own reality to some extent.
Past the eyes of those who care
Out of sight and beyond the concern of those who may be invested in or affected by one's life choices and actions.
Who can never be alone
Emphasizing the fact that some people are unable or unwilling to be alone, and rely on the presence and support of others to feel safe and secure in the world.
Changes that were not meant to be
Acknowledging the inevitability of change and the fact that things don't always go according to plan or intention.
Tow the hours of my memory
Referring to the way that past experiences and memories can shape and influence one's current perspective and emotional state, like a weight or burden.
Sing a song of love to me
Desiring and yearning for feelings of love and affection from others, even when one is rejecting their presence and companionship.
To say you must never
Contrasting the previous line, suggesting that one must resist the urge to rely on others for emotional validation or support.
Never be alone
Emphasizing the importance and necessity of self-sufficiency and self-reliance, even when it feels uncomfortable or difficult.
The tears of a silent rain
Metaphorically describing feelings of sadness, grief, and loss that are not explicitly expressed or acknowledged.
Seek shelter on my broken pain
Describing the way that personal emotional pain and trauma can consume and control one's psyche and emotional state.
And run away
Suggesting the way that emotions and feelings can be transient and difficult to fully grasp or process, like water running away from one's grasp.
But I remain
Asserting one's perseverance and determination to persist and endure through difficult times, despite the pain and sorrow of the past.
To speak the words
To express oneself honestly and authentically, even when it is difficult or uncomfortable to do so.
That sing of alone
Reiterating the main theme and message of the song, emphasizing the desire and need for solitude and disengagement from others.
Contributed by Maya O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.