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

Poor Boy
Jandek Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well it's a poor boy, a poor boy
It's a poor boy who lost his mama
It's a poor boy who lost his father
It's a poor boy who lost all his friends
And it's a poor boy who lost his woman
It's a poor boy
It's a poor boy who lost everything he ever had

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Jandek's song "Poor Boy" detail the story of a boy who has lost everything he ever had. The repeated line "it's a poor boy" emphasizes the extent of the singer's misfortune, as he has lost not just one aspect of his life but everything that he once held dear. The song begins with the devastating loss of the boy's mother and father, followed by the loss of all his friends. The loss of his woman comes last, perhaps to emphasize that despite everything else being gone, the one person he thought he could rely on is no longer there.

The repeated use of "poor boy" may also suggest that this boy comes from a low socio-economic background and therefore his losses are even more difficult to bear. In contrast to more upbeat songs about losing possessions or loved ones, "Poor Boy" explores the depth of grief and despair felt by someone who has lost everything. The song provides no answers or solutions, only the haunting refrain of "it's a poor boy" as a bleak reminder of the extent of this individual's pain and suffering.

Line by Line Meaning

Well it's a poor boy, a poor boy
The singer of the song is a boy who is destitute and unfortunate

It's a poor boy who lost his mama
The boy's mother has passed away

It's a poor boy who lost his father
The boy's father has passed away

It's a poor boy who lost all his friends
Due to his circumstances, the boy has lost all his friends

And it's a poor boy who lost his woman
The boy has lost his romantic partner

It's a poor boy
The boy's life is characterized by poverty

It's a poor boy who lost everything he ever had
The boy has lost every possession and relationship he has ever held dear

Contributed by William L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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