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.
Look the Other Way
John Gorka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know, I know
By now we all have scars
That we could show
Have you been waiting so long
That you made up your mind
To look the other way
But nobody knows for certain
What nobody knows can't hurt them
So try to hold that smile
Believable denial
Look the other way
Everybody has something to lose
Your choices take a toll
You can't choose
Your true colors showing
You have crossed a line
Your silver tongue is tin
I can't listen to you spin
To help you ease your mind
But nobody knows for certain
What nobody knows can't hurt them
So try to hold that smile
Be over in awhile
Look the other way
We have so much in common
So much that should unite us
But everytime we look up
There's somebody new to divide us
Separate and conquer
All for the touch of Midas
And it's a lonely rancor
Pour on a few to incite us
Still the sun is gonna shine
Join the growing line
Look the other way
It's really nothing new
Just be glad it wasn't you
Look the other way
In John Gorka's song "Look the Other Way," the lyrics present the struggle of dealing with personal and societal issues. The lyrics assure the audience that they are not alone in experiencing pain and turbulence, as everyone has scars that they could show. However, the song also addresses the concept of avoiding these issues, with lines like "Have you been waiting so long that you made up your mind to look the other way, afraid of what you'll find?" The song suggests that while individuals may have tough choices to make and true colors exposed, there is value in maintaining a façade of composure or denial. The lyrics offer glimpses of social commentary, such as when it speaks of someone's "silver tongue" becoming "tin." The song goes on to ask us to join the "growing line" and "look the other way," as there is comfort and safety in not acknowledging the difficult truth.
Overall, the song challenges listeners to grapple with whether they will turn a blind eye out of fear or confusion, or if they will face their challenges head-on. The chorus also reminds us that "nobody knows for certain what nobody knows can't hurt them," but it leaves it up to the listener to decide for themselves if pretending the issues don't exist is the best course of action.
Line by Line Meaning
I know you've had it hard
I understand that you have faced difficulties in life.
By now we all have scars
We all have some damage from past experiences.
Have you been waiting so long
Have you been procrastinating for a while?
That you made up your mind
Have you already decided?
To look the other way
To ignore the problem or to avoid dealing with it.
Afraid of what you'll find?
Are you scared of discovering what is really happening?
But nobody knows for certain
No one can be sure.
What nobody knows can't hurt them
What people are unaware of cannot harm them.
So try to hold that smile
Try to put on a happy face.
Believable denial
Acting as if you do not know anything about a situation so that it seems more believable.
Look the other way
Choose not to pay attention to something.
Everybody has something to lose
Everyone has something that can be taken away from them.
Your choices take a toll
Your actions have consequences.
You can't choose
Sometimes we do not get to decide the outcome of situations.
Your true colors showing
Your real personality is becoming apparent.
You have crossed a line
You have gone too far.
Your silver tongue is tin
The way you speak is not as convincing as it used to be.
I can't listen to you spin
I do not want to hear your lies and excuses.
To help you ease your mind
To make you feel less guilty or troubled about something.
We have so much in common
We share many similar qualities or experiences.
So much that should unite us
There are many reasons for us to come together and work towards common goals.
But everytime we look up
But every time we glance around us.
There's somebody new to divide us
There is always someone or something that creates division between us.
Separate and conquer
The idea of dividing groups of people so that they become weaker and easier to control.
All for the touch of Midas
All for the sake of obtaining wealth or power.
And it's a lonely rancor
Resulting in bitter feelings of isolation and resentment.
Pour on a few to incite us
Intentionally add fuel to the fire to increase tensions and anger.
Still the sun is gonna shine
Despite all the problems and difficulties we face, life will go on.
Join the growing line
Join the queue of people who are moving on and keeping a positive outlook on life.
Be over in awhile
The present situation will come to an end soon.
It's really nothing new
This is not a new phenomenon or situation.
Just be glad it wasn't you
Feel grateful that you are not the one experiencing the current problem.
Look the other way
Ignore the issue or pretend that it does not exist.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind