Jandek is American musician Sterling Richard Smith (born 26 October 1945 in… Read Full Bio ↴Jandek is American musician Sterling Richard Smith (born 26 October 1945 in Houston, Texas). Since 1978, he has self-released more than 70 albums of unusual, often emotionally dissolute folk and blues songs.

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 Know You Well
Jandek Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Can't come around the way you do
Say that you're somebody new
I knew you from before
That's the way you are once more
Can't come 'round here
Say you're somebody new
'Cause I know you
I know you well

Well, well, well
I know you well
And it's been tough
You've been around
I know you well
Time won't tell
What you've been doing
Time won't tell
I know you well

Well
I know you well

Overall Meaning

In Jandek's song "I Know You Well", he sings about a person who comes around acting like somebody new, but the singer knows the truth about them. The lyrics suggest that the person in question has a past with the singer, as he knows them from before and recognizes that their behavior hasn't changed. Despite their attempts to act like somebody new, the singer sees through their façade and knows them well.

The repetition of the phrase "I know you well" throughout the song emphasizes the singer's certainty in their knowledge of this person. The line "And it's been tough, you've been around" suggests that this person has a history of causing problems in the singer's life. The repeated line "Time won't tell" implies that the person is not forthcoming about what they have been doing and that the singer has had to rely on their own intuition to figure out what's going on.

Overall, "I Know You Well" is a song about recognizing when someone isn't being honest and trusting your own instincts. The singer has seen through this person's mask and refuses to be fooled, even as the person tries to convince him that they are somebody new.

Line by Line Meaning

Can't come around the way you do
You cannot continue to act the way you are currently acting

Say that you're somebody new
You claim to be a different person now

I knew you from before
I am familiar with how you used to be

That's the way you are once more
You have reverted back to your past behaviors

Can't come 'round here
You cannot continue to be present in this place

Say you're somebody new
You claim to have undergone a transformation

'Cause I know you
I am familiar with your true self

I know you well
I have a deep understanding of who you truly are

Well, well, well
An expression of disbelief or surprise

And it's been tough
It has been difficult dealing with you

You've been around
You have been a presence in my life