Formerly the frontman of the rock band The Lonely Forest (2005-2014), John … Read Full Bio ↴Formerly the frontman of the rock band The Lonely Forest (2005-2014), John Van Deusen is a singer-songwriter from Anacortes, Washington, now known for his critically-acclaimed 4-part album series "(I Am) Origami," which displays his songwriting about mental health struggles to his spiritual life.

"Put John Van Deusen’s CD, “Yossarian,” into a disc player and you’ll hear polished, melodic songs reminiscent of Matchbox 20 or the piano-driven Ben Folds Five.

It’s hard to believe that the mature songs, intricate piano performances and deep, comforting voice were all produced by a 17-year-old high school student.

The burgeoning talent of Van Deusen, now 18, has been recognized by Experience Music Project, which selected him and his band as finalists in Sound Off, a competition for regional bands aged 21 or younger. Performing as John Van Deusen and the Lonely Forest, the band offers energetic rock ‘n’ roll, moody and complex piano compositions, strong electric guitar work and polished rhythms, poetry, machines and vocals."

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Nothing New
John Van Deusen Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

A boy without passion is a boy without anger
A boy without reason would be an irrational man
A man with more mind than heart
Is never a great man at all
And I'm somewhere in between

And what life is
And what life could be

And who you are
And who you should be

Watch out
The world is out to prove you wrong
Of who you are

Im nothing new
Im a carcass
Dead and rotting a glimpse of soul

Doleful sorrow
Please forgive me

A girl without passion is a girl without passion
A girl without reason would be an irrational woman
A woman with more mind than heart
Is never a great woman at all
And you're somewhere in between

And what life isn't
And what life couldn't be
And who you want
And who shouldn't be

Watch out
The world is out to prove you wrong
Of who you are

I'm nothing new
I'm a carcass
Dead and rotting a glimpse of soul
Doleful sorrow
Please forgive me

And I'm nothing new
I'm nothing new
I'm nothing new
And I'm nothing new
I'm nothing new
I'm nothing new

And I was nothing new
Was a carcass
Dead and rotting a glimpse of soul

Doleful sorrow until
You forgave me

Overall Meaning

The song Nothing New by John Van Deusen opens with the following lyrics “A boy without passion is a boy without anger, A boy without reason would be an irrational man, A man with more mind than heart, Is never a great man at all” highlighting the importance of finding a balance between passion, reason and emotions. The song portrays the theme of self-reflection and highlights the fact that no one is unique and we are all a part of a larger picture. The song talks about the struggle of self-identity and finding one’s place in society, urging the listener to be wary of the world’s expectations and to find their own path in life.

The chorus urges the listener to watch out for the world that is “out to prove you wrong of who you are” and to be true to oneself. The song ends on a hopeful note, with the lyrics “And I was nothing new, Was a carcass, Dead and rotting a glimpse of the soul. Doleful sorrow until You forgave me." indicating that it is only through finding self-forgiveness and understanding that one can move forward in life.

Line by Line Meaning

A boy without passion is a boy without anger
Without living with passion, one can never understand how anger affects them

A boy without reason would be an irrational man
Without living with reason as a child, one will become an illogical adult

A man with more mind than heart
A person who uses their intellect more than their emotions

Is never a great man at all
A person who doesn't balance their mind and heart can never be truly great

And I'm somewhere in between
I'm not purely intellectual, nor am I purely emotional - I'm somewhere in the middle

And what life is
Understanding the true nature of life

And what life could be
Contemplating the many possibilities of what life could be

And who you are
Reflecting on one's own identity

And who you should be
Thinking about the ideal version of oneself

Watch out
Be cautious

The world is out to prove you wrong
The world will try to disprove one's beliefs or assumptions

Of who you are
Of one's identity

I'm nothing new
I'm someone who is not unique or special

I'm a carcass
I am like an empty, lifeless shell

Dead and rotting a glimpse of soul
Even though I am alive, I feel like my soul is dying

Doleful sorrow
Deep sadness

Please forgive me
Asking for forgiveness from someone

A girl without passion is a girl without passion
Repeating the same statement to emphasize its importance

A girl without reason would be an irrational woman
Lack of reason in childhood will lead to irrationality in adulthood

A woman with more mind than heart
A woman who uses intellect more than emotions

Is never a great woman at all
Without balancing mind and heart, a woman can never be truly great

And you're somewhere in between
You are not purely intellectual or purely emotional, but somewhere in the middle

And what life isn't
Understanding what life is not

And what life couldn't be
Contemplating the impossibilities of what life could be

And who you want
Thinking about who one desires to be

And who shouldn't be
Thinking about the type of person one should not aspire to be

I was nothing new
I used to be someone who was not unique or special

Until you forgave me
My feelings of sadness and emptiness have been resolved through your forgiveness

Contributed by Andrew V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Comments from YouTube:

Mr_ Perki

Thank you so much for posting! I’ve been looking for this album for years! I used to own it, but lost it and I haven’t been able to find it anywhere. So, hearing this was like listening to an old friend. Thank you 🙂