Jandek plays a very strange and frequently atonal form of folk and blues music, often using an open and unconventional chord structure. Jandek's music is unique, but his lyrics closely mirror the country blues and folk traditions of Eastern Texas.
Barely a handful of people claim to have contacted Jandek, whose steadfastness in anonymity is legendary. Without any conventional attempts at promotion, he releases albums through his own record label Corwood Industries, which is addressed at a Houston post office box. Fans can write to Corwood for a typewritten catalogue and order Jandek’s albums, usually at inexpensive prices. Jandek’s work has been available on vinyl and on compact discs. Many of his albums feature pictures of the same young man (seen above) at various ages; in light of Jandek's live performances it is almost entirely certain that the person featured on the album covers is Jandek himself.
Jandek’s first album, Ready for the House (1978), was first accredited to a band called “The Units” but it was obviously a solo work. Jandek presumably plays acoustic guitar and has recorded much of his work apparently unaccompanied (assuming that the person singing is also the person playing guitar). However many other songs feature female vocals and/or different male vocalists. Others feature bass guitar, electric guitar and/or drums, presumably played by collaborators. No proper credits list has ever appeared on an album, but song titles have included "Nancy Sings" and "John Plays Drums".
Some of Jandek’s allure stems from his small but devoted fan base which has included Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore, Kurt Cobain, Indian Jewelry, and K Records founder Calvin Johnson.
The mystery of Jandek's identity was partially resolved in October 2004 when Jandek performed live in Scotland, at the Instal 04 music festival in Glasgow. This was Jandek's first known live appearance and performed with Richard Youngs (bass) and Alex Neilson (drums). The man on stage was obviously the same man who appears on the album covers. Corwood stipulated that the performance was not publicized in advance. Since then, "The Representative of Corwood Industries" (as Jandek sometimes insists on being called) has played a lot of concerts and recorded all of them for future releases. The last years have seen an even higher release frequency, even for Jandek.
For more information, you may go here:
www.tisue.net/jandek
www.jandekoncorwood.com
I Knew You Would Leave
Jandek Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Unto dust they die
Once hard stuff of mountains
Now soft powder among the sand
Who dares crush a rock
Oh rock, no rock
Reduced to the winds
Scatter your parts
To those shall you succumb
Beast of time, you hurl your heavens sporadic
Falling in the great parade
March unto your death
And into what arms will you go
Surely not your own
Oh God, oh God, be you my hope
And all else ruffles in the winds
Magic carpets fly to your planets
You have no place on earth
Who is it creates sand soliloquy
Is it everyone
Nay, you are a heathen
Erupting words of pretense
Oh Lord let my hand be guided
Sometimes I know it not
As the air, no air is still
And the weary sounds refrain
Now the hyena cackles
His clutch has found my heart bleeding
And now you are gone
Where you hear it all
Wide awake from a long sleep
Myself on my hands
Tomorrow in the gallows
Trees in skies
Empty alliterations replenished
By the hand of one who would fall down
And make a light to shine somewhere
What is this
The cavalcade of misery
What depths
How could we think of distances
Ah, it is the gift of man
To live, the days long
The nights longer
Journey to the stars
They worship the sun
Come down treasures
And I like to see a smile
On your lips as we meet
On a journey to the stars
Jandek's I Knew You Would Leave is a haunting, introspective piece that delves into the passage of time, the transience of existence, and the agony of isolation. The song is structured in a way that each verse delves into a different theme, yet all of these themes seem to coalesce and create a unified whole. The opening lines of the song speak of the inherent fragility of life, using the metaphor of rocks crumbling into dust to highlight the inevitability of decay and disintegration. The song's narrator then addresses time as a cruel master, reigning over all that is living and breathing, and forcing them to march towards their inevitable demise.
The singer then questions the nature of existence, wondering who has the power to create meaning and purpose in our lives. Jandek touches upon themes of existentialism, suggesting that life may be devoid of any inherent meaning, and that it's up to us to create our own meaning. The song's narrator then shifts focus, discussing his own feelings of emptiness and solitude, and his longing for a greater power to guide him.
I Knew You Would Leave touches upon themes of despair, frustration, and loss. The song's narrator sings with a sense of heavy-heartedness, almost as if he is aware that everything he cherishes will someday crumble to dust. Jandek's poetry is subtle, evocative, and timeless, and I Knew You Would Leave is a prime example of his unique lyrical style.
Line by Line Meaning
The rocks crumble
The rocks break apart into small pieces.
Unto dust they die
The rocks turn into fine powder.
Once hard stuff of mountains
The rocks were formerly part of a large mountain.
Now soft powder among the sand
The rocks have decomposed to mix with the sand.
Who dares crush a rock
Who would want to crush a rock in the first place?
Oh rock, no rock
The rock no longer exists in its original form.
Reduced to the winds
The rock has been blown away by the wind.
Scatter your parts
The rock has broken into smaller pieces and scattered about.
You are not one but many
The rock has broken into many pieces.
To those shall you succumb
The broken pieces will eventually be destroyed.
Beast of time, you hurl your heavens sporadic
Time destroys all, without care for their importance.
Falling in the great parade
All things will eventually end and lose their place in the world.
March unto your death
Continue on until your inevitable demise.
And into what arms will you go
What will happen to you after death?
Surely not your own
You won't go into your own arms or care.
Oh God, oh God, be you my hope
Asking a higher power for guidance and help.
And all else ruffles in the winds
Everything else is trivial in comparison to this request.
Magic carpets fly to your planets
Looking for escape from reality and into the fantastical.
You have no place on earth
The world has no place for you.
Who is it creates sand soliloquy
Who is responsible for the sound of sand?
Is it everyone
Everyone contributes to the sound, no matter how small.
Nay, you are a heathen
You are a nonbeliever in the sand's true beauty.
Erupting words of pretense
Speaking without true belief or understanding.
Oh Lord let my hand be guided
Asking for guidance in difficult times.
Sometimes I know it not
Not always aware of the way forward.
As the air, no air is still
Air is never completely still, always in motion.
And the weary sounds refrain
The sounds around us become tiring and ceaseless.
Now the hyena cackles
An unpleasant sound intrudes into the artist's life.
His clutch has found my heart bleeding
A painful experience that still lingers.
And now you are gone
You have left this world.
Where you hear it all
Listening to everything that happens around us.
Wide awake from a long sleep
Feeling alert after a time of rest.
Myself on my hands
Feeling vulnerable in the face of the world.
Tomorrow in the gallows
The future is looking grim.
Trees in skies
A beautiful image of nature.
Empty alliterations replenished
Creating meaning through repetition.
By the hand of one who would fall down
Coming from a place of struggle and difficulty.
And make a light to shine somewhere
Creating something positive despite hardship.
What is this
Confusion and wonderment at what is happening.
The cavalcade of misery
An endless parade of sadness and negativity.
What depths
How low can things get?
How could we think of distances
Why do we put space between ourselves and others?
Ah, it is the gift of man
Understanding how our emotions affect us is part of being human.
To live, the days long
The days seem to last forever, no matter how good or bad they are.
The nights longer
The nights are even more difficult.
Journey to the stars
Escaping to another world beyond our own.
They worship the sun
Seeking refuge in the brightest light source in our sky.
Come down treasures
Finding beauty and value in the world.
And I like to see a smile
Happiness in others is contagious and desirable.
On your lips as we meet
Meeting someone with joy and lightness.
On a journey to the stars
Traveling to a place beyond ourselves.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
BoulderBro999 why?
this is the blues equivalent of a magiceye. he's tuned his guitar between notes so he can play two songs at once. your brain separates them after you're done listening. freaky man.
Ryan Dodds
Love this.
C. Foster
isotopes of hope in these begriming times
James O
The meaning of life
1funeral2many
this is his stairway to heaven but way better. those lyrics are a mind fuck.