Jason Webley is a Seattle-born singer-songwriter known for playing a mix of… Read Full Bio ↴Jason Webley is a Seattle-born singer-songwriter known for playing a mix of gypsy, folk, and punk. He has released five albums on his own label, Eleven Records. These feature Webley on the piano, guitar, accordion, and a number of other instruments, though when touring he only brings his guitar, accordion, and a vodka bottle containing coins from around the world, which he uses for percussion. In addition, he has released five collaborative albums, one with Seattle poet Jay Thompson, another with Michigan singer-songwriter Andru Bemis, the third with Reverend Peyton of The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band, and the fourth with Sxip Shirey. He is also half of the band Evelyn Evelyn, with Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls fame, and has released an album in the same fashion as his other collaborations.

Webley tours all over the world. He usually performs solo, but occasionally plays with his long-time band mates - Michael McQuilken, Jherek Bischoff and Alex Guy.

Webley used to stage a theatrical death every Halloween, only to resurrect on May Day of the following year, but in 2005 he discontinued the tradition, claiming he did not wish to die annually again. He owns a Toyota Corrolla, which he's altered and named "The Tomato" and he organized and ran Camp Tomato in April of 2005, with friends and fans known as Tomato Scouts ( in retaliation to the comment that he was a sadistic cult leader. ) Camp Tomato has since been a more or less annual event.

Old Man Time Ain't No Friend of Mine
Jason Webley Lyrics

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Wake up in a room where steel guitars,
Turn to steel bars,.
You know I've lived here to long.
Try to write these songs about being bored,
Why am I so surprised when they all prove boring songs?

The second hand holds still while the hour hand slips by.
I don't know just how long I've been here.

I'll just stare out the window and contemplate the sky,
While I grow older than my years.

Plucking strings at the site of my bed,
By a stack of books most of which I've never read.
I want to capture in sound the way things are,
But I'd regret it in the morning if I smashed my guitar.

Well they're never going to tell us just what's coming around the bend,
But there's one thing I can count on,
That's that old man time is not my fucking friend.

For the reaper lurks in stillness, but motion too is death.
Me, I float between them, moving in and out to the rhythm of my breath.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Jason Webley's song "Old Man Time Ain't No Friend of Mine" depict a sense of confinement and stagnation. The singer wakes up in a room where steel guitars turn to steel bars, juxtaposing the idea of music as a means of escape and creativity with the reality of imprisonment. The repetition of uninspired songwriting further emphasizes the feeling of being trapped, as if the mind is unable to think beyond the boundaries of confinement. Time itself is portrayed as an ever-present force, with the second hand seemingly holding still while the hour hand slips by. The idea of growing "older than my years" implies a feeling of hopelessness, as if time is not only unyielding but also actively working against the singer's desires and goals.

The singer's attempt at finding solace in music is also explored in the lyrics, with the image of the guitar serving as a means of capturing the way things are. However, the fear of regret the morning after betrays a sense of anxiety and insecurity, as if the act of creation itself may lead to disappointment or failure. The final verse paints a bleak picture of the future, with the uncertainty of what's coming paired with the certainty that time itself is not a friend. The reaper lurking in stillness and motion alike underscores the inevitability of death, but the singer remains suspended in a liminal space, moving in and out to the rhythm of his breath.

Line by Line Meaning

Wake up in a room where steel guitars, Turn to steel bars,.
I wake up in a place where music has been replaced by the constant reminder of confinement.

You know I've lived here to long.
I am too familiar with this place and its confinement, and it has suffocated me.

Try to write these songs about being bored, Why am I so surprised when they all prove boring songs?
I try to write about my boredom, but I am not able to capture the essence of it in my music, and it ends up becoming more boring.

The second hand holds still while the hour hand slips by.
Minutes stand still and hours go by, and I am left wondering how much time has passed.

I don't know just how long I've been here.
I am unsure about the duration of my stay here.

I'll just stare out the window and contemplate the sky, While I grow older than my years.
I find myself staring out the window, thinking about time and aging, and feeling older than what my age suggests.

Plucking strings at the site of my bed, By a stack of books most of which I've never read.
I play guitar in my bed, surrounded by books that I have yet to read.

I want to capture in sound the way things are, But I'd regret it in the morning if I smashed my guitar.
I aspire to create music that reflects the way things are, but fear that I might overcome with a sense of impulsivity and break my musical instrument.

Well they're never going to tell us just what's coming around the bend, But there's one thing I can count on, That's that old man time is not my fucking friend.
We cannot predict the future, but one thing we can be sure of is that time is not always on our side.

For the reaper lurks in stillness, but motion too is death.
Death can come suddenly or as the result of the slow passage of time.

Me, I float between them, moving in and out to the rhythm of my breath.
I am caught between the stillness and motion of time, living my life in the space between.

Lyrics © TUNECORE INC
Written by: JASON WEBLEY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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