Garrels has been a lot of things: son of a hippie commune, skater boy,
suburban drug dealer, music/design student, coffee roaster, urban shepherd, and now nation- and globe-trotting minstrel of hope and healing.
He is also a beacon of light in a marketplace rife with artists who, whether wanting to acquire fame or just their next meals, have sold their souls to the not-so-almighty dollar and forsaken their first loves – the song – in the process. Garrels’ rogue ethic first led him to self-record, -produce, and -distribute a trio of early recordings, Stone Tree (2002), Underquiet (2003), and Over Oceans (2006), each a holy merging of sampled beats; plaintive, soulful vocals; and earnest acoustic strumming over unabashedly lo-fi production.
Despite fielding offers from major labels, Garrels retained a marked distrust for the recording industry (and it is just that) and, with the release of Over Oceans, formed his own little label that could: Small Voice Records. He also formed a humble but subtly mighty union with one Michelle Ramsdale, whose art has accompanied his aural musings on both Over Oceans and the subsequent Jacaranda album (2008).
It was the recording and producing of Jacaranda that proved a turning point for team Garrels. Housed in an old, rural mansion – a friend’s donated respite on an Indiana river in the woods – Josh and Michelle set to fashioning a home for themselves; crafting his best, tightest collection of songs to date; and creating a baby girl (née Heron Selah Garrels) all at once. The album itself became his most critically lauded so far, and the single “Don’t Wait For Me” was used in a scene on CBS drama “The Ghost Whisperer.”
Josh Garrels’ music is always equal parts confidence and vulnerability. That may seem a dichotomy – and then you hear him. Those trademark vibrant trills, lyricism chock-full of an earthy gusto and the search for God both, and the tapping and slapping against his trusty homemade acoustic axe – the sum of it is an amalgam of sound like precious few before or beside him.
“Fight or flight” is simplistic phrasing for the choice we often have in life’s trying situations. In his gritty formative years the former there was Josh Garrels’ strategy, but since his coming of age (and of belief) and his entrance into bona fide adulthood, within and without, his modus operandi has become flight. Flight as in lift-off, ascension. Rising above. Yea, the name of his young daughter is shared with a bird. Flight is a fixture, and wings a metaphor, in both the love story that Josh and Michelle grew and in the visual and musical arts that both have cultivated.
“My hope is to record at least an album a year for many years to come,” Garrels says, “probably continuing to record myself with my own home studio.” To borrow another well-worn axiom: If it’s not broken, don’t fix it. A minimalist website and album sales at live shows eventually thrust Josh Garrels into the arena where he now resides.
Garrels has always sought to inject his ears and his mind with a wide swath of influences. Early on it was Cat Stevens and De La Soul, and then those gave way to honchos of east-coast hip-hop the likes of the Wu-Tang Clan and A Tribe Called Quest. The mellowing – and yet, ironically, the lionizing – of his head, heart, and soul are evident in his budding young-adult affinities for the sounds of Bob Dylan and Digable Planets, Ben Harper and Gustavo Santaolalla.
Despite being his cherished mentors of music, none of these established artists would make Garrels blink were he to meet them. “In a media-saturated pop culture society where ‘stars’ are the royalty to be worshipped or fawned over, I believe the true role of artists is to serve others with their creations, “ Garrels says. “That means to draw people to fullness of life through revelation, longing, breakthroughs, simple beauty, and unpretentious truths. Artists help people see the obvious, the heart of the matter, and from this regained perspective people become more fully human. So much art these days has people focusing on an unattainable fantasy, lusting over what they'll never have unless they take it by force or by way of money or libido. This is all candy, and candy can't make a man healthy.”
Indeed, and “candy” is the last word for describing Josh Garrels, his life and his tunesmithing. He harmonizes and he freestyles, apt to lift a glitch beat or an accordion to the song at hand, whatever it demands. His latest, Lost Animals (2009), features a sonic quilt of singles, Jacaranda B-sides, soundtrack work, and collaborations. Originally intended as an EP, it outgrew those trappings and emerged a full-length weighing in at 10 songs.
As outgrowing goes, native Michigander Garrels and his family shed their initial digs in Indianapolis, that urban epicenter of gorgeous, golden cornfields, and took to North Carolina for a year to grieve with dear ones a death in the clan. Heartfelt time spent in Carolina bowed out gracefully to their nascent residence in Portland, Oregon, specifically the diverse and progressive artists’ haven that is the Mississippi/Alberta district.
For all the beats and world instruments and innovative guitar work, it will always be about the words with Josh Garrels. His stuff is drenched in musings that encompass time-worn theology and pastoral wonderment, that delight in the fauna of this world and a faith in another still to come. “Has this world been so kind to you that you should leave with regret? There are better things ahead than any we leave behind.” So said the writer C. S. Lewis, and so echo the visceral yearnings, sometimes verbose yet often as unintelligible as the melodies on some of his best tracks, that make up this well-traveled troubadour’s trunk full of songs.
Songbird
Josh Garrels Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Waking me up to tell me how
Another day passes along
I love that simple song that reminds me
I’m getting closer to you
And every time thoughts tumble down
My mind is unwound
Maybe on another day
When these words will come out right
A lesson in love is the hardest thing
You and I will ever learn
Because our hearts are so shy
And I think of you everyday
And in the night I pray
That you’re safe from harm
We’re walking on a thin string
But I know the Lords got the whole thing in his hands
We’re strangers in this land
But together could make our way home
Make our way home
Sarnwen
The fire passed me by
The earthquakes shaking the mountain
And I let em’ go
When love had left me dry
Your quiet voice broke through
To water my soul now
Oh sweet thing, she’s coming round my way
Oh sweet love, what else can I say
Today
The songbird in Josh Garrels's "Songbird" is a metaphor for the simple joys in life that help us to stay connected to what really matters. The sweet melody of the bird's song wakes the singer up and reminds him of the passing of time, and how every day brings him closer to the person he loves. The singer struggles with finding the right words to express his feelings, but he knows that he thinks of this person every day, and prays for their safety at night. The two of them are walking on a thin string, but he trusts in the Lord to guide them home.
Garrels speaks about the difficulties that come with love, acknowledging that it's one of the hardest lessons to learn. The human heart is often too hesitant, too shy to express itself because we fear being vulnerable, and that vulnerability can be painful when it's not reciprocated. He compares this hesitation to walking on a thin string, acknowledging the fragility of the situation. However, Garrels also recognizes that being together can make it all worthwhile, that despite the challenges, we can find our way home.
Overall, "Songbird" is a song about finding joy in life's simple pleasures, and how those moments can help us to stay connected to the things that matter. It's a reminder that love is not always easy, but that it's worth the effort.
Line by Line Meaning
Sweet songbird singing in the morning hour
The singer hears a bird singing in the morning which acts as an alarm for him to wake up.
Waking me up to tell me how
The bird's chirping is like a message waking the singer up for the day and reminding him of something.
Another day passes along
The singer acknowledges the passing of one more day in his life.
I love that simple song that reminds me
The bird's song is a simple yet powerful reminder for the singer of something important in his life.
I’m getting closer to you
The singer feels that the bird's song is bringing him closer to someone or something he loves.
And every time thoughts tumble down
The singer's thoughts are in disorder and he is unable to make sense of them.
My mind is unwound
The singer's mind is free and relaxed when he is listening to the bird's song.
So much to say
The singer has a lot going on in his mind but doesn't know how to express it in words.
Maybe on another day
The singer keeps his thoughts for another day when he can articulate them in better words.
When these words will come out right
The singer hopes to express his thoughts in words that will do justice to his feelings.
A lesson in love is the hardest thing
The singer believes that love is a difficult lesson to learn in life.
You and I will ever learn
The singer and his loved one will always be learning about love together.
Because our hearts are so shy
The singer's hearts are hesitant and cautious when it comes to love.
And I think of you everyday
The singer thinks about his loved one every single day.
And in the night I pray
The singer prays for his loved one at night, hoping that they are safe from harm.
That you’re safe from harm
The singer is concerned about his loved one's safety and well-being.
We’re walking on a thin string
The singer is with his loved one on a journey that is uncertain and unpredictable.
But I know the Lords got the whole thing in his hands
The singer trusts in a higher power to guide their way and keep them safe.
We’re strangers in this land
The singer and his loved one feel out of place or unfamiliar in their surroundings.
But together could make our way home
The singer believes that they can find their way back to where they belong as long as they are together.
The fire passed me by
The singer has faced a difficult situation in the past but he managed to come out of it unscathed.
The earthquakes shaking the mountain
The singer has experienced tumultuous events in his life that shook him to his core.
And I let em’ go
The singer has moved on from the difficult times he has faced and has let go of the pain and trauma associated with it.
When love had left me dry
The singer felt drained and empty when he lost love in his life.
Your quiet voice broke through
The singer's loved one's gentle voice brought him comfort and hope in his darkest hour.
To water my soul now
The singer's loved one's voice has brought a new sense of life and transformation to his soul.
Oh sweet thing, she’s coming round my way
The singer is filled with joy that his loved one is coming back to him.
Oh sweet love, what else can I say
The artist expresses his love for his partner, but also acknowledges that he may not have the words to fully express it.
Today
The singer is grateful for a new day and the opportunity to spend it with his loved one.
Contributed by Evan D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.