(1) John Coolidge Adams
(born February 15, 1947) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer with strong roots in minimalism. He learned the clarinet from his father and played in marching bands and community orchestras during his formative years. He began composing at the age of ten and heard his first orchestral pieces performed while still a teenager. The intellectual and artistic traditions of New England, especially the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Harvard University, helped shape him as an artist and thinker. After earning two degrees from Harvard University, he moved to Northern California in 1971 and has ever since lived in the San Francisco Bay area.
Adams taught for ten years at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music before becoming Composer in Residence with the San Francisco Symphony (1982-85) and the creator of the orchestra's highly successful and controversial “New and Unusual Music" series. Several of Adams’s landmark orchestral works were written for and premiered by the San Francisco Symphony, including Harmonium (1981), Grand Pianola Music (1982), Harmonielehre (1985) and El Dorado (1992).
His well-known operas include 'Nixon in China' (1987), which recounts Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to China 1972, and 'Doctor Atomic' (2005), which covers Robert Oppenheimer, the Manhattan Project, and the building of the first atomic bomb.
John Adams' music is published by Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishing, www.boosey.com/adams.
Adams' official site is www.earbox.com.
---------------------------------------------
(2) John Adams is a Dallas-based jazz bassist and band-leader.
---------------------------------------------
(3) John Adams, Dutch country singer who gained international popularity from 1988 onwards, after winning the televized talent show 'Henny Huisman's Soundmix Show'.
---------------------------------------------
(4) John Adams is a Trombonist with old swan band.
---------------------------------------------
(5) John Adams is a Welsh singer-songwriter. He went on to appear on the 2012 X Factor as a Maths Teacher, where he made it through to the last 12 boys. His audition was featured heavily and his rendition of Cannonball by Damien Rice received a huge response from both judges and audience.Being on the show kicked started his career.
"The Pavement Is My Stage" his first album, has been recently released on Sep 25th, 2013
Harmonielehre: II. The Anfortas Wound
John Adams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I sure like your bread
The way that you tucker and straighten your bed
But how do I know if I love you?
How do I know if I know you?
When you come out clean from the shower
You squeak to the touch and you smell like a flower
Some men die in a fall
Not trusting their nose to show them the way
Some men die in a fall
The sun ain't no keeper in the pit of that day
How do I know if I love you?
When all these things come and go?
You can't stand them together in some neat little row
So how do I know, how do I know, how do I know?
How do I know if I know you?
When the light in your house isn't on?
I thought I heard movement but maybe I'm wrong
So how do I know if I know you?
How do I know if I love you?
When you've drawn the imaginary line
The way that you walk in two steps behind
How do I know if I love you?
(How do I know, how do I know, how do I know?...)
It is important to note that the lyrics provided do not belong to John Adams's song Harmonielehre: II. The Anfortas Wound. In fact, the lyrics provided seem to be from a completely different song entirely. Therefore, I cannot provide an insightful interpretation of the lyrics within the context of the Harmonielehre song.
Line by Line Meaning
How do I know if I love you?
I question myself whether I feel love towards you
When I sure like your bread
I find your bread delicious and enjoyable
The way that you tucker and straighten your bed
I admire the way you diligently make your bed
But how do I know if I love you?
Despite my fondness for you, I still question whether it is love
When you come out clean from the shower
I recognize you when you emerge clean and fresh from the shower
You squeak to the touch and you smell like a flower
I notice your pleasant scent and how clean your skin is
How do I know if I know you?
I wonder if I truly know and understand who you are
Some men die in a fall
Some men perish by not trusting their instincts and intuition
Not trusting their nose to show them the way
By ignoring their intuition, they go astray
The sun ain't no keeper in the pit of that day
In difficult and dark times, even the sun cannot guide us and keep us safe
When all these things come and go?
When my feelings for you are unpredictable and constantly variable
You can't stand them together in some neat little row
I cannot neatly categorize or arrange my feelings for you
When the light in your house isn't on?
When you are not present and there is no indication of your whereabouts
I thought I heard movement but maybe I'm wrong
I am uncertain whether I heard you or if it was just my imagination
When you've drawn the imaginary line
When you create an invisible boundary or limit in our relationship
The way that you walk in two steps behind
I notice how you follow rather than lead, which affects our dynamic
(How do I know, how do I know, how do I know?...)
The repetition shows my ongoing uncertainty and confusion about my feelings
Contributed by Samantha J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.