During the 1990's, he would join a country-rock group, the Sky Kings, working on their debut album for release in 1997. The project was dropped by the label and did not see (private) release until 2000. While Cowan could often be found touring with other acts, most notably Sam Bush, he would later form his own group, The John Cowan Band, and would continue to tour extensively, attracting a small, but very devoted, following.
The John Cowan Band repertoire often featured covers of New Grass Revival material and other pop, rock, and country acts, but the majority of the set-lists were comprised of original songs composed by Cowan and the members of the band as well as covers of songs by many composers not familiar to most listeners. The style of music performed by the group has been described as or termed "new grass," "Americana," or simply "eclectic," but none of these terms quite cover the entirety of Cowan's or the band's repertoire. Indeed, the repertoire might often include tunes that were well outside the bluegrass and Americana canons: Jackson Brown's "These Days" and Yes' "Long Distance Runaround" were, for a short time, both on the set-lists. Similarly, many of Nashville's and modern country music's finest young players have found at least a temporary home and laboratory with Cowan's band and each has influenced the chemistry of the unit while they were a member. The John Cowan Band lineup has included in turn a trap-kit player, a hand-drummer, a MIDI banjo-ist, traditional banjo-ists, fiddlers, a jazz guitarist, flat-pickers, mandolinists, and other acoustic instruments often found in bluegrass line-ups. If there was any one constant element in the band, it was the phenomenal harmony vocals that each member contributed.
Additionally, Cowan occasionally fronts a traditional R&B group, Grooveyard, comprised of Nashville session players, including keyboardist Reese Wynans and guitarist Pat Buchanan among others.
As a stage-bassist, Cowan is accurate, capable of playing in the multi-meters found in bluegrass and Irish music, and has the uncanny ablility to sing syncopated vocal parts and play the downbeat on the bass without error. His style is powerful and drives the band, despite the instrumentation. As a vocalist, his range is strongly in the tenor but stretches well above. His voice is powerful and strongly reminiscent of his idol, Mavis Staples. Cowan's ability to sing most any song with conviction and emotion separates him from other capable singers (one terrific example is his version of "The Battle Cry of Freedom" found here on last.fm). His ability to sing harmony is often requested and has resulted in his numerous appearances on dozens of recordings that frequently make the top 100 in the country genre. His songwriting often deals with rural topics, childhood memories, or relationships (both positive and negative aspects), and, while most pieces are sweet or bittersweet, other examples of his songwriting discuss much more difficult topics like immortality ("6 Redbirds in a Joshua Tree" -- written with Darrell Scott) or, perhaps one of the most difficult topics to broach, sexual abuse, as he did in "Drown" (also written with Darrell Scott). "Drown" is probably one of the most dark, difficult, and explicit treatments of the topic ever recorded and unusual for its candor among the songs in Cowan's catalogue.
John has released several albums since the breakup of the New Grass Revival: Soul'd Out (1990, Sugar Hill), From Out of the Blue: The Sky Kings (2000, Rhino/Warner Archives), John Cowan (2000, Sugar Hill), Always Take Me Back (2002, Sugar Hill), 8,745 ft.: Recorded Live at Telluride (2005, Cowvox Records), New Tattoo (2006, Pinecastle), Lost Weekend (a limited edition recording of Grooveyard by Bose), and Come, Messiah, Come (Light).
Please Come Home For Christmas
John Cowan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, what a Christmas to have the blues
My baby's gone and I have no friends
To wish me greetings once again
Choirs will be singing Silent Night
Ooh, Christmas carols by candlelight
Please come home for Christmas, come home for Christmas
Friends and relations send salutations
As sure as the stars shine above
It's Christmas time, my dear, oh, it's that time of year
To be with the one you love
Won't you please tell me, you'll never more roam?
Christmas and New Year's will find you home
There'll be no more sorrow, no grief and pain
And I'll be happy, happy once again
Friends and relations send salutations
As sure as the stars shine above
It's Christmas time my dear, it's that time of year
To be with the one you love
So won't you tell me, you'll never never never more roam?
Christmas and New Year's will find you home
There'll be no more sorrow, no grief and pain
And I'll be happy, happy once again
No grief or pain and I'll be happy once again
John Cowan's Please Come Home for Christmas is a song about loneliness and longing for the presence of a loved one. The lyrics depict an individual in a state of melancholy during the Christmas season because of the absence of their significant other. The bells that are ringing and the Christmas carols being sung in the background seem only to accentuate their sadness due to their partner's absence. The singer has no friends or relatives around to wish them the best of the season, highlighting their isolation further.
The chorus of the song is a plea for their beloved to return home for the festive period, even if they cannot make it back in time for Christmas day, they should aim to return by New Year’s night. In case the person they yearn for cannot return, the singer requests that they never leave them again. They declare that the next holiday season should find them together, free from any emotional pain and overflowing with joy. The song's emotional weight resonates with anyone who has ever experienced loneliness and heartbreak, especially during a time that is reputed for being merry and bright.
Line by Line Meaning
Bells will be ringing, the glad, glad news
There will be joyous bells ringing with happy news.
Oh, what a Christmas to have the blues
It's a sad Christmas, with the singer feeling blue.
My baby's gone and I have no friends
The singer's loved one is not there, and they feel alone with no friends.
To wish me greetings once again
No one is there to greet the artist with holiday wishes again.
Choirs will be singing Silent Night
Choirs will be singing the famous Christmas song 'Silent Night.'
Ooh, Christmas carols by candlelight
There will be Christmas carols sung by candlelight.
Please come home for Christmas, come home for Christmas
The singer really wants their loved one to come home for Christmas.
If not for Christmas, by New Year's night
If not for Christmas, the artist hopes their loved one will come home by New Year's night.
Friends and relations send salutations
The artist's friends and family are sending holiday greetings.
As sure as the stars shine above
These greetings are as certain as the stars shining above.
It's Christmas time, my dear, oh, it's that time of year
It's Christmas time, which is special and important to the singer.
To be with the one you love
Being with loved ones is the most important thing at Christmas time.
Won't you please tell me, you'll never more roam?
The singer is asking their loved one to promise they will never leave again.
Christmas and New Year's will find you home
The singer hopes their loved one will return home for Christmas or New Year's.
There'll be no more sorrow, no grief and pain
If their loved one comes home, the singer will be happy and there will be no more sadness or pain.
And I'll be happy, happy once again
The artist will be happy once again if their loved one returns home.
Friends and relations send salutations
The artist's friends and family are still sending holiday greetings.
As sure as the stars shine above
These greetings are as certain as the stars shining above.
It's Christmas time my dear, it's that time of year
It's still Christmas time and still a special time of year for the singer.
To be with the one you love
Being with loved ones is still the most important thing at Christmas time.
So won't you tell me, you'll never never never more roam?
The artist is emphatically asking their loved one to promise they will never leave again.
Christmas and New Year's will find you home
The artist still hopes their loved one will return home for Christmas or New Year's.
There'll be no more sorrow, no grief and pain
If their loved one finally returns, there will be no more sadness or pain for the singer.
And I'll be happy, happy once again
Once their loved one is back, the artist will be happy once again.
Lyrics © DistroKid, BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Charles Mose Brown, Gene Redd
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind