His first recording was using his given name when he and a former schoolmate, Alun Davies(later of Cat Stevens' band), recorded, as a duo, an album entitled Relax Your Mind, on Decca Records. Both travelled extensively throughout the UK, and France, busking until they secured a job entertaining on a Cunard Line cruise ship.
From 1965 onwards Mark accompanied Marianne Faithfull on her recordings and concerts. Moreover he wrote and arranged some songs for her.
In 1968 Mark and Davies founded the short-lived five-piece band Sweet Thursday which was composed of Mark, Davies, Nicky Hopkins, Harvey Burns, and Brian Odgers.
Mark joined John Mayall's (post-Bluesbreakers) with whom he toured and recorded The Turning Point (1969) and Empty Rooms (1969). There he met Johnny Almond with whom he formed Mark-Almond.
Mark released a solo record for Columbia, "Song for a Friend", in 1975.
Mark moved to New Zealand in the mid-1980s, and released a number of successful solo Ambient music recordings on his White Cloud record label, as well as collaborating with other artists on traditional Celtic and folk recordings and producing other artists. A release of Tibetan Monk chants Mark recorded and produced with his wife Thelma Burchell won a Grammy Award in 2004.
Joey
Jon Mark Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Joey, the summer sky's so blue
And Joey, the farm is still as mellow
Joey, all that's missing here is you
You jumped a freight train to new orleans
And nearly borke poor mama's heart
And she said I should go and find you
And papa he doesn't say much anymore
And your dog is always scratching by the door
Looking on down the trail
Hoping that you won't fail
Joey, come on home again
Joey, young Becky married last Sunday
Joey, she made a pretty bride
For Joey, she growed to be a woman
But Joey, she's still hurting deep inside
You up and left without a warning
Didn't even say goodbye
And we didn't know till daybreak
Lord, how poor mama cried
And papa he doesn't say much anymore
And your dog is always scratching at the door
Looking on down the trail
Hoping that you won't fail
Joey, come on home again
The song "Joey" by Jon Mark is an emotional ballad that speaks to the pain of a family left behind by a young man who has gone off to seek adventure. The lyrics tell the story of Joey, who has left his family's farm in search of something more, and the longing they all feel for him to return. The opening lines paint a picture of the idyllic farm Joey left behind, with its tall yellow corn and bright blue sky. However, despite the beauty of his surroundings, Joey's absence hangs heavy over the family, and they feel incomplete without him.
The second verse recounts Joey's departure from home, which left his mother heartbroken and his father and dog despondent. Joey's departure was sudden and unexpected, and his family didn't even know he was gone until the next day. The pain that his absence causes is palpable, and the longing for him to return is clear in every line of the song. The final lines of the song directly address Joey, calling him to come home again and join his family once more.
Line by Line Meaning
Joey, the corn is tall and yellow
The corn in the farm is growing and is now fully matured.
Joey, the summer sky's so blue
The sky is clear and there are no clouds on this summer day.
And Joey, the farm is still as mellow
The farm is calm and peaceful, with no noises or disturbances.
Joey, all that's missing here is you
The artist wishes that Joey was present as they are nostalgic about the memories they shared together.
You jumped a freight train to new orleans
Joey left the farm and his family by illegally boarding a train to New Orleans.
And nearly borke poor mama's heart
Joey's mother was heartbroken when she found out that Joey had left without saying goodbye.
And she said I should go and find you
Joey's mother recommended that the singer should go and search for Joey.
But I didn't know were to start
The artist didn't have any idea where to begin their search for Joey.
And papa he doesn't say much anymore
Joey's father has become quiet and doesn't talk much after Joey left.
And your dog is always scratching by the door
Joey's dog misses him and is always waiting by the door for him to come back.
Looking on down the trail
The dog is looking down the road to see if Joey is coming back.
Hoping that you won't fail
The dog wants Joey to come back and hopes that he won't fail to do so.
Joey, come on home again
The singer is urging Joey to return to the farm as he is missed by his family members and the dog.
Joey, young Becky married last Sunday
Becky, Joey's former girlfriend, got married recently.
Joey, she made a pretty bride
Becky looked beautiful on her wedding day.
For Joey, she growed to be a woman
Becky has grown up and is now a fully grown woman.
But Joey, she's still hurting deep inside
Even though Becky is married, deep down she is still sad and hurt that Joey left.
You up and left without a warning
Joey left without warning or telling anyone that he was leaving.
Didn't even say goodbye
Joey didn't even say goodbye to his family and friends before leaving.
And we didn't know till daybreak
Joey's family didn't find out that he had left until the next morning.
Lord, how poor mama cried
When Joey's mother found out he had left, she cried a lot and was very upset.
Joey, come on home again
The artist is still urging Joey to come back home and be with his family.
Contributed by Abigail B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
1968 Poeng
喬伊，玉米又高又黃
喬伊，夏天的天空那麼藍
喬伊，農場還是那麼溫柔
喬伊，這裡缺少的就是你
你跳上去新奧爾良的貨運火車
差點傷了可憐媽媽的心
她說我應該去找你
但我不知道該開始
爸爸他不再多說
你的狗總是在門口抓撓
看著小路
希望你不會讓
喬伊失望，回家吧
喬伊，年輕的貝基上週日結婚
了 喬伊，她為喬伊做了一個漂亮的新娘
，她成長為一個女人
但是喬伊，她的內心深處仍然受傷
你起來，毫無徵兆地離開了
甚至沒有說再見
我們直到天亮我們才知道
上帝，可憐的媽媽哭了多麼可憐
爸爸他不再多說
你的狗總是在門口抓撓 看著
小徑
希望你不會失敗
喬伊，回家吧
CaSun
I first heard this on the radio maybe 1970 when I was 13 (edit: released in 75, my last year of HS, yeah that was a tough year my Dad was about to leave my Mom), it touched me so quick I somehow caught it on cassette and it’s been in my heart ever since. Glad it’s still here even though Spotify has lost it. A beautiful, touching song, made me imagine wishing my Dad had those feelings showing he cared, even though I hadn’t left home.
Eliane Joly
Jon Mark*JOEY* La voix est magnifique , vidéo extra ❤
Ricky SunGenie
Cry every time I hear it Sounds like a true story
PeMoFilm
Sad to read that the true story of Jon Mark alias John Michael Burchell ended two days ago, when he died in New Zealand.
anakepakkoes
I remember when i lived in Taiwan in the 80s, this was a song for Nissan Sunny commercial. Love this
田鴻慶
這首歌，我找了好久。感謝您！
Gerald Chen
頻道裡還有另一首 Jon Mark 同專輯收錄的歌曲，希望您也喜歡。
https://youtu.be/kioNC78jJNs
1968 Poeng
喬伊，玉米又高又黃
喬伊，夏天的天空那麼藍
喬伊，農場還是那麼溫柔
喬伊，這裡缺少的就是你
你跳上去新奧爾良的貨運火車
差點傷了可憐媽媽的心
她說我應該去找你
但我不知道該開始
爸爸他不再多說
你的狗總是在門口抓撓
看著小路
希望你不會讓
喬伊失望，回家吧
喬伊，年輕的貝基上週日結婚
了 喬伊，她為喬伊做了一個漂亮的新娘
，她成長為一個女人
但是喬伊，她的內心深處仍然受傷
你起來，毫無徵兆地離開了
甚至沒有說再見
我們直到天亮我們才知道
上帝，可憐的媽媽哭了多麼可憐
爸爸他不再多說
你的狗總是在門口抓撓 看著
小徑
希望你不會失敗
喬伊，回家吧
Apollo Song
I cry every time Ian now 69. Heard it when I was 2o
Rhoda Tseng
Really sad to hear the lyrics.