English was acclaimed for his starring role in the 1978 Australian TV series Against the Wind - he won the TV Week Logie Award for 'Best New Talent in Australia'. He also co-wrote and performed the score with Mario Millo (ex-Sebastian Hardie). The series had international release, known as Mot alla vindar (1980) in Scandinavia,[7] where both "Six Ribbons" and "Against the Wind" were released as singles, both singles and the soundtrack album peaked at #1 on the Norwegian charts; the first single, "Six Ribbons" and the album, peaked at #4 on the Swedish charts.
During 1983-1985, English won four Mo Awards with three consecutive 'Entertainer of the Year' awards and a further 'Male Vocal Performer' in 1985. English has performed in Gilbert and Sullivan's operettas Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado and HMS Pinafore from 1984. Performances of Essgee Entertainment's productions of the Gilbert and Sullivan trilogy from 1994 to 1997 were broadcast on Australian TV, they were all released on VHS and subsequently on DVD.
Josephine
Jon English Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
At the local movie show, the only place you go-o
And I've seen your face at night, out in the glow of the projection light
'Cause up o-on the scree-een are all the people you might have been
I know-ow-ow, I can see
That they'll never give you all the things you're gonna get from me
And I know-ow-ow, yes I know-ow
But Josephi-ine (Josephine), don't look in my eyes, you've got too many secrets
Oh, Josephi-i-ine (Josephine), they ain't crocodile cries or Hollywood features
But Josephine, I believe (Josephine), you can try 'em out on me
Just try 'em on me
I believe, I belie-ieve
Oh Jo-osephine, well you won't fi-ind your place
Up on a movie screen, with a different name and a different face
And I know-ow, what they say
That you never wanted life, all you want is a three act play
And I know-ow-ow, 'cause I trie-ied
Just to make you talk about thi-ings you wanted to hi-i-ide
But Josephi-i-ine (Josephine), don't look in my eye-eyes
'Cause you've got too many secrets
Oh Josephi-i-ine (Josephine), they ain't crocodile cries or Hollywood features
But, Josephine I believe (Josephine), you can try 'em out on me
'Cause you see, I don't want to tell ya I know all the answers
But Ill pay my money, take my chances
Baby I don't want to see ya all alone
At the end of the show when the light goes on
'Cause I ain't no star-are, I don't know that sce-ene
I know what I a-a-am, and I believe in Josephi-ine
Josephine, I believe, I belie-ieve
Josephine, just try 'em out on me
Josephine, I believe, I belie-ieve
Josephine, try to sing your song to me
Josephine,
The song “Josephine” by Jon English tells the story of a woman named Josephine who spends most of her time at the local movie show where she watches people on the screen who she might have been. The singer sees her there often and feels that she is just another lonely girl with nowhere to go. Despite this, he believes that Josephine can try out her secrets on him, inviting her to share her three-act play with him. He encourages her to open up to him, stating that he will pay his money and take his chances so that she will not be alone at the end of the show.
Throughout the song, the singer attempts to understand and connect with Josephine, even though she seems to be guarded and reluctant to share her secrets. He believes that she can find what she is looking for with him, rather than searching for it on the movie screen. The lyrics suggest a theme of loneliness and finding connection with others, as well as the idea that sometimes people can hide behind a facade of movie characters instead of being true to themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh Jo-osephine, well you won't fi-ind your dream
Josephine, you won't achieve your dream by just going to the movies
At the local movie show, the only place you go-o
The only place you go is the local movie show and it's not helping you achieve your dream
And I've seen your face at night, out in the glow of the projection light
I have seen you at night at the movie theater under the projection light
'Cause up o-on the scree-een are all the people you might have been
On the screen are people who you could have been but never will be
That they'll never give you all the things you're gonna get from me
I know they can't give you what I can give you
And I know-ow-ow, yes I know-ow
That you're just another lo-onely gir-irl with no place to go-o
I know you're just another lonely girl with nowhere to go
But Josephi-ine (Josephine), don't look in my eyes, you've got too many secrets
Josephine, don't look into my eyes because you're hiding too many secrets
Oh, Josephi-i-ine (Josephine), they ain't crocodile cries or Hollywood features
Don't worry Josephine, I don't care about your looks, I want to know your true feelings
But Josephine, I believe (Josephine), you can try 'em out on me
Just try 'em on me
I believe you can trust me and tell me your secrets
Oh Jo-osephine, well you won't fi-ind your place
Up on a movie screen, with a different name and a different face
You won't find your place on the movie screen with a different identity
That you never wanted life, all you want is a three act play
People say you don't really want a life, just a three-act play
And I know-ow, what they say
I know what they say about you
But Josephi-i-ine (Josephine), don't look in my eye-eyes
Don't look into my eyes because there's no need to hide your secrets from me
'Cause you see, I don't want to tell ya I know all the answers
But Ill pay my money, take my chances
I may not know all the answers but I'm willing to take a chance on you
Baby I don't want to see ya all alone
At the end of the show when the light goes on
I don't want to see you alone at the end of the movie when the lights come on
I know what I a-a-am, and I believe in Josephi-ine
Josephine, I believe, I belie-ieve
I know who I am and I believe in you, Josephine
Josephine, just try 'em out on me
Josephine, let your secrets out to me, trust me
Josephine, try to sing your song to me
Josephine, try to reveal your true self to me
Josephine
The song is about a girl named Josephine who is hiding her secrets and dreams, but the singer believes in her and encourages her to trust him
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JONATHAN JAMES ENGLISH, TIM FRIESE-GREEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Christiane Rieckmann
most beautiful song of all times.....
powerhungry52
great song, must be one of his best
63Katherine
I named my daughter Josefin after this song. His music is so missed but still out there.
So many beautiful songs. I met him in Stockholm as a teenager in the 80’s and he said about my dream to come to Australia:
”Come to Canberra. When you and your friend come there, ask for me and I will show you Canberra”
When I got my daughter in -92 I remembered him and his music and named her Josefin (the swedish version).
Still listen to all of his music. Thank you Jon!
63Katherine
I want to say that I never went to Australia or Canberra and I never saw Jon again
utubesigninsux
That's quite cool that you named your daughter after the song. I live in Canberra & saw Jon many times over the years & met him once too. A great talent. Get the live album Beating The Boards - it was partly recorded in Sweden.
Susan Betts
Is it just me or does anyone else hear 'Try' - Pink in the intro.