Henry was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, but grew up in the Detroit area where he met Melanie Ciccone, Madonna's sister, whom he married in 1987. In 1985 he moved to Brooklyn, New York, where he played at small clubs. His debut album Talk of Heaven came out in 1986. He signed to A&M Records and released two albums, Murder of Crows (1989) and Shuffletown (1990)
After Henry and his wife moved to Los Angeles in 1990, he left A&M in 1992 to join the independent label Mammoth, located in North Carolina. He released Short Man's Room and Kindness of the World, on which members of the Jayhawks provided instrumental backing.
In the mid-1990s Henry decided "to do something decidedly more eclectic" instead of continuing with country-rock. He turned to producer Patrick McCarthy, in making his next album Trampoline (1996). Trampoline also employed metal guitarist Page Hamilton, who demonstrated his own eagerness to stretch by collaborating on the album.
Asked to contribute a song to a benefit album for singer Vic Chesnutt in 1996, Henry also collaborated with his famous sister-in-law on a cover of Chesnutt's "Guilty by Association" (Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation, The Songs of Vic Chesnutt, 1996).
In 1999 Henry released the experimental album Fuse with trip hop shadings. His eighth album, Scar, followed in 2001. The band on the record consisted mainly of jazz musicians (Marc Ribot, Brian Blade and Brad Mehldau among others) and Jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman guesting on the track "Richard Pryor Addresses a Tearful Nation".
In 2001, Henry sang on the song "Alleluia" from Julia Fordham's album, Concrete Love. His self-produced album Tiny Voices appeared on Epitaph's Anti label in 2003.
Henry produced Teddy Thompson's 2000 album Teddy Thompson, a critically acclaimed album from the son of British folk legends, Linda Thompson and Richard Thompson. Henry also produced Solomon Burke's 2002 album Don't Give Up On Me, which won Best Contemporary Blues Album at the 2003 Grammy Awards. 2005 releases produced by Henry include Ani DiFranco's Knuckle Down, Aimee Mann's 1970s concept album The Forgotten Arm, and Bettye LaVette's I've Got My Own Hell to Raise.
He also produced the multi-artist album I Believe to My Soul, which featured Allen Toussaint, Mavis Staples, Ann Peebles, Irma Thomas and Billy Preston.
In 2006, Henry teamed with Toussaint, producing his collaborative album with Elvis Costello, The River in Reverse.
In September of 2006, Henry and his longtime hero Loudon Wainwright III began composing the music for the Judd Apatow movie Knocked Up. Snippets of instrumentals were used as background score for the film, but the full versions of the songs make up Wainwright's 2007 album Strange Weirdos. Henry produced Mary Gauthier's 2007 album Between Daylight and Dark.
Henry's 10th album, "Civilians," was released in 2007 on the Anti label. His 11th album, Blood From Stars, followed in 2009, and his 12th, Reverie, was released in 2011.
http://www.joehenrylovesyoumadly.com/
The Man I Keep Hid
Joe Henry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nobody knows the man that I keep hid
He's raised my face like a pirate's flag
Of any nations tattered rag
Nobody knows the man that I keep hid
Somebody used my mouth and laughed out loud
Somebody used my mouth and laughed out loud
Whispered things that even money won't do
Nobody knows the man that I keep hid
Something startled you late last night
Something startled you late last night
A ghost from my dream leaning paon
Moving you left a vapor trail
Nobody knows the man that I keep hid
You say you've changed but still you won't
I say I've changed and prove I don't
Somebody made my heart a silver spoon
Somebody made my heart a silver spoon
That eats away at love and pride
Like hunger down a mountainside
Nobody knows the man that I keep hid
Nobody knows the man that I keep hid
In Joe Henry's song "The Man I Keep Hid", the artist reveals a hidden part of himself. The chorus repeats the line "Nobody knows the man that I keep hid" while describing the man as someone with a tattered pirate flag face. This hidden persona speaks in strange ways and whispers things that even money could not buy. The lyrics suggest that this man is an alter ego or a personal demon that has influenced the artist's actions, words or thoughts at some point in his life.
The second verse of the song suggests that the mysterious persona can be manipulative, as if someone else had taken control of the singer's actions. The third verse describes how the persona can have an impact on others, shown when someone is startled by a "ghost from my dream leaning on." The song ends with the idea that the singer's heart is like a silver spoon that erodes love and pride like hunger on a mountain.
The lyrics of the song suggest that the man the artist keeps hidden is a dark side of his personality that he coexists with. It is a part of him that nobody knows, but it still affects him and his relationships with others. By singing about this alter ego, Joe Henry explores the idea that we all have certain hidden aspects of ourselves that we keep from others.
Line by Line Meaning
Nobody knows the man that I keep hid
There's a part of me that I keep hidden from the world and nobody knows about it.
He's raised my face like a pirate's flag
The hidden aspect of me is powerful and bold like a pirate's flag flying high.
Of any nations tattered rag
My hidden self is not tied to any particular group or identity; it's like a tattered rag that has been through many experiences.
Somebody used my mouth and laughed out loud
Sometimes, I feel like someone else is controlling my actions and making me do things that are out of character for me.
Spoken ways that were strange to you
The words that come out of my mouth may seem strange to others and don't align with their expectations of me.
Whispered things that even money won't do
There are things that I keep hidden even from myself that are so valuable, money can't buy them.
Something startled you late last night
You were surprised by something unexpected that happened to me late last night.
A ghost from my dream leaning paon
It feels like a ghost from a dream I had is still haunting me and causing me to act in strange ways.
Moving you left a vapor trail
Your presence in my life has left a lasting impact on me that's hard to shake off.
You say you've changed but still you won't
You claim that you've changed and become a better person, but I'm not sure if I can trust that.
I say I've changed and prove I don't
I tell others that I've changed for the better, but my actions prove otherwise.
Somebody made my heart a silver spoon
Someone has given me an advantage in life that's slowly eating away at my ability to love and be proud of myself.
That eats away at love and pride
This advantage is causing me to lose touch with my true self and is slowly destroying my relationships and self-esteem.
Nobody knows the man that I keep hid
I keep my true self hidden from the world and nobody truly knows who I am.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JOSEPH LEE HENRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Miss.yas730
I can blues dance to this song I love it! And I can see images in my head everytime I hear music like this
Classic Rock
Questo album è semplicemente stupendo!! ♥
Bluesanne
"Joe Henry's new record Blood From Stars begins with a poignant and haunting piano prelude before launching into "The Man I Keep Hid," a raw, bluesy track undercut with a ghostly voice of a man rambling on before Henry comes in with the first line "nobody knows the man that I keep hid." (Quelle:Joseph Lee Henry)
Jack hammer
i feel it in my soul
Stratos
Very NICE! :D Delivered with feeling.
Dome Nico
F-E-N-O-M-E-N-A-L-E!!!!!!!!!
amylh322
Well, i am in love with this man's music and just heard of him for the first time yesterday. Very sexy.
moreorangy
9 seconds in and I've already clicked on Like.
Ferdinando Boldi
buon pezzo e buon album anche se inferiore a Scar, Tiny Voices e Civilians ma ce ne fssero dischi così ogni anno...
MissesWaits
Screaming Jay Hawkins at the beginning.. Who knows the title of this song?