He was born Wesley Stace in Hastings, East Sussex, England. His given name, Wesley, comes from John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, who preached one of his last sermons in the town where Harding was born.
His stage name may be seen as an almost inevitable nickname for a folk-pop musician, in that his first name overlaps with the Bob Dylan album (and song) "John Wesley Harding". The American gunfighting historical figure John Wesley Hardin was largely forgotten before 1965, when Johnny Cash wrote and recorded the song "Hardin Wouldn't Run".
His education included the boarding schools St. Andrews School (Pangbourne, Berkshire); Milbourne Lodge (Claygate, Surrey); The King's School (Canterbury, Kent); and university at Jesus College, Cambridge. He left Cambridge with a First in English Literature, but left before completing his Ph.d. in Social and Political Science.
Musical influences include Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Ray Davies, and Phil Ochs. He has been frequently compared to Elvis Costello probably fueled, in part, by the fact that two members of his early band The Good Liars (Pete and Bruce Thomas) had been members of The Attractions. Harding was chosen by Bruce Springsteen as his first opening act in 20 years for his solo shows at the Berkeley Community Theatre in 1995. Harding
I Can Tell
John Wesley Harding Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can see it in your smiling eyes
I can't help when you're telling lies
I can see it in your lack of surprise
I can see just where the truth doesn't lie
Watching you cut through the bind that ties
Once upon a time a story with a happy end
You can't appease me now, those hopeless things you send
And you can't please me now and we can't start again
There's too much history, and no clean sheets
When I get to hear his story, it puts my feet to sleep
It's all romantic nothing about a heart in a rage
Murdered by some cartoon villain who ripped out the last page
(chorus)
Happy ever after, a prince apparent and his bride
All his disarming charm and her unfaithful side
He's scouting for success and she's his girl guide
The day the die was cast, it was the day I died
And now your hips are up for grabs and now the chips are down
I could be jetting with the set instead of with this clown
You want it to be unabridged, all bridges should be burnt
Sometimes you must recross them, that's something you never learnt
(chorus)
There are some tricks you can't pull
I mean the wool that is
Over my eyes
That's what happens when lookng for love
Becomes a game of I spy
I know you're combing someone's hair, or someone's soothing you
A lie may well fool someone else but it tells the truth
About you to you
(chorus)
The song "I Can Tell" by John Wesley Harding is a commentary on relationships and the difficulty of trusting in them. The first verse describes the singer's ability to tell when someone is lying, seeing it clearly in their eyes and behavior. He knows the truth of the matter, but he cannot help the lies he hears. The line "Watching you cut through the bind that ties" refers to the tangled web that lies can create, causing confusion and uncertainty.
The second verse tells the story of a romantic relationship that once had a happy end, but now it is all in the past. The singer is drawing a clear line that his partner's actions cannot appease him anymore. He speaks of a heart that is broken by a villain who 'ripped out the last page' of the story. The chorus repeats the central theme of the song: the inevitable end of a relationship that has been built on lies.
The third verse is a commentary on the complexities of relationships. The 'wool' that is pulled over the singer's eyes refers to his inability to see what he needs. He knows that looking for love has become a game of "I spy," meaning that he cannot see the truth through the deceit. He highlights that even if a lie may fool someone, it will always tell the truth about that person to themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
I can tell when you're telling lies
I possess the ability to recognize when you're being dishonest
I can see it in your smiling eyes
Your eyes betray your falsehood despite your smile
I can't help when you're telling lies
It's beyond my control to stop you from being untruthful
I can see it in your lack of surprise
Your lack of surprise confirms that you were indeed lying
I can see just where the truth doesn't lie
I know the exact location where the truth is absent
Watching you cut through the bind that ties
I'm observing you severing the ties that held us together
Once upon a time a story with a happy end
At one point, our story had a joyous ending
But that's all in the past now, it's all around the bend
That's a distant memory now, lost and unattainable
You can't appease me now, those hopeless things you send
Your futile attempts to make amends are ineffectual
And you can't please me now and we can't start again
It's too late to rekindle whatever we had, it's over
There's too much history, and no clean sheets
Our past is too troubled, nothing remains pure and unsullied
When I get to hear his story, it puts my feet to sleep
I'm bored by his version of events, it doesn't interest me
It's all romantic nothing about a heart in a rage
It's a sugarcoated, unrealistic tale, devoid of true feelings
Murdered by some cartoon villain who ripped out the last page
The ending was ruined by a villainous character who prevented resolution
There are some tricks you can't pull
Some deceitful tactics aren't viable
I mean the wool that is
I'm referring to the wool you try to pull over my eyes
Over my eyes
To deceive me and hide the truth from me
That's what happens when looking for love
This is the outcome when searching for love
Becomes a game of I spy
It turns into a game of finding the deceitful clues and lies
I know you're combing someone's hair, or someone's soothing you
I know you're with someone else, either being taken care of or taking care of someone
A lie may well fool someone else but it tells the truth
Lies may deceive others, but it reveals the truth about the liar
About you to you
The truth about yourself is exposed by the lies you tell
Happy ever after, a prince apparent and his bride
The fairytale ending for a seemingly perfect couple
All his disarming charm and her unfaithful side
Despite his charming personality, she remains unfaithful
He's scouting for success and she's his girl guide
He's searching for triumphs while she guides him through them
The day the die was cast, it was the day I died
The moment the situation was set in stone was the moment my hope vanished
And now your hips are up for grabs and now the chips are down
Now that you're single and desperate, your fortunes are on the line
I could be jetting with the set instead of with this clown
I could be living a luxurious, glamorous life instead of spending time with you
You want it to be unabridged, all bridges should be burnt
You desire a complete explanation and complete destruction of any persistent connection
Sometimes you must recross them, that's something you never learnt
Occasionally, you must revisit past connections, but you never learned that
(chorus)
The repeated section of the song
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOHN WESLEY HARDING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bryankeisling132
Lyrics:
John Wesley Harding
Was a friend to the poor
He traveled with a gun in every hand
All along this countryside
He opened a many a door
But he was never known
To hurt an honest man
It was down in Chaynee County
A time they talk about
With his lady by his side
He took a stand
And soon the situation there
Was all but straightened out
For he was always known
To lend a helping hand
All across the telegraph
His name it did resound
But no charge held against him
Could they prove
And there was no man around
Who could track or chain him down
He was never known
To make a foolish move
@juancamacho5746
John Wesley Harding
Was a friend to the poor
He traveled with a gun in every hand
All along this countryside
He opened a many a door
But he was never known
To hurt an honest man
It was down in Chaynee County
A time they talk about
With his lady by his side
He took a stand
And soon the situation there
Was all but straightened out
For he was always known
To lend a helping hand
All across the telegraph
His name it did resound
But no charge held against him
Could they prove
And there was no man around
Who could track or chain him down
He was never known
To make a foolish move
@bigbeefyboy9132
I think we should all be fortunate to live in a time where his whole discography is available at our fingertips.
@teardowngarage5608
This
@presidentdudley731
eartips
@ethanhill9460
I hated always the deification of DYLAN. But your observation is keen. More a tribute to the current capitalist culture. Sorry to say capitalism is the culture rather than say altruism orartistic creation.
The Nobel prize, my MA would agree, was overdue.
@tombitetto9498
Aye
@tombitetto9498
You'd better be a haven't lived yet college doof
@ConnorFrench
How lucky are we to live in the same lifetime as Bob Dylan?
@yamapenny5960
👍💞⛩🙏✌🦋
@pessimist131313
Very lucky. I think he had some effect on everyone in many generations and more to come.
@J4060
Very much I must say.