Gorka was born in Edison, New Jersey. He received his first guitar as a Christmas gift, though Gorka alleges that his older brother stole it from him shortly thereafter. He eventually learned, instead, to play the banjo, and began performing in a folk music group at his church.
Gorka attended Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and joined the Razzy Dazzy Spasm Band which would also include guitarist Richard Shindell. He later began performing solo at the Godfrey Daniels coffee house as the opening act for various musicians that toured there. These included Nanci Griffith, Bill Morrissey, Claudia Schmidt and Jack Hardy.
In 1984, Gorka took first place at the Kerrville Folk Festival. Since then he has toured with artists such as Suzanne Vega, Shawn Colvin, Michael Manring, Christine Lavin, Dave Van Ronk, Cliff Eberhardt, David Massengill, Frank Christian and Lucy Kaplansky.
As of 2005, he was residing in the St. Croix Valley area near Saint Paul, Minnesota.
In 2008, Gorka decided to return to Europe for the first time in fourteen years. In October that year, he played four times in the Netherlands, he played live on VPRO radio and he did a session for the John Gorka video site.
In 2009, Gorka toured in the USA and also in Ireland and the Netherlands. In October that year, Red House Records released the CD "So Dark You See". This is considered a more intimate, vocal and guitar-centered record than the last two albums.
Lay me Down
John Gorka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I will lay me down
Leaning on the evening star
Turn it towards the dawn
Part holds on tide like a sail
Part flies on a lone
There is nowhere else to go
I can't tell where I let off
And where she begins
So you won't know which one you see
Whenever I walk in
We have been for way too long
Separate and alone
Together we must place our time
I am coming home
Beat and broken
I arrive
Pieces all around
A careful eye assembles me
Before she takes me down
Down
I will lay me down for her
I will lay me down
Leaning on the evening star
Turn it towards the dawn
Together we'll begin the fall
Autumn and beyond
We'll steal and burn the chilly nights
Now that summer's gone
Now that summer's gone
Away
John Gorka's song Lay Me Down is a tribute to a great love, a love that is strong enough to withstand any obstacle that comes their way. In the song, Gorka talks about how he is willing to lay down his life for his lover, both literally and metaphorically. He asserts that he will "lay me down for her" and that he will do this while "leaning on the evening star" and "turning it towards the dawn". The image that comes to mind here is one of the singer surrendering himself to his lover completely and allowing her to guide him on his journey.
The song's lyrics are poetic and insightful, filled with vivid imagery and metaphors that make it easy for the listener to visualize the love that Gorka is describing. He speaks of how his lover has become a part of him, and he cannot tell where he ends and she begins. The idea of two people becoming one is a powerful one, and it is beautifully expressed in this song.
In the end, Gorka states that he and his lover have been "separate and alone" for too long, and now it is time for them to be together. He acknowledges that they will face challenges, but he is confident that they will overcome them together. The final line, "Now that summer's gone, away" suggests that the cold, dark days of winter are coming, but Gorka seems unafraid of what lies ahead because he knows that he and his lover will face it together.
Line by Line Meaning
I will lay me down for her
I am willing to surrender myself to her completely
I will lay me down
I will unconditionally submit myself to her
Leaning on the evening star
Finding support from something constant amidst change
Turn it towards the dawn
Ensuring hope and light for the future
Part holds on tide like a sail
Half of me yearns to explore, but also remains anchored to something familiar
Part flies on a lone
Yet my other half still seeks adventure, independence, and risk
There is nowhere else to go
Starting to realize that everything we need is right here
Now that summer's gone
As we enter the autumn of our lives, we must face the future together
I can't tell where I let off
Our boundaries have blurred and we are no longer sure who we are individually
And where she begins
We are intertwined and inseparable
So you won't know which one you see
We don't know where one of us stops and the other starts, so no one else will either
Whenever I walk in
People will see a blended version of the two of us
We have been for way too long
We've been apart for too long
Separate and alone
It's time for us to stop being single and isolated
Together we must place our time
We need to spend our time together to be truly fulfilled
I am coming home
I am returning to where I belong
Beat and broken
I am weak and disheveled
I arrive
But I am still here, ready to be fixed
Pieces all around
Parts of me are scattered everywhere, and cannot be reassembled alone
A careful eye assembles me
Only someone who knows me very well can put me back together
Before she takes me down
Once rebuilt, I will give myself over to her again
Together we'll begin the fall
We will enter this new stage of life as partners
Autumn and beyond
We will face the seasons of life together
We'll steal and burn the chilly nights
We will make the best of each moment and overcome adversity with passion and warmth
Now that summer's gone
We must leave behind our past lives and embrace a new chapter together
Away
end of song
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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