www.justinrutledge.com
Rutledge has released three albums, No Never Alone, The Devil on a Bench in Stanley Park and Man Descending. His fourth album, entitled, "The Early Widows" was released in May 2010 on Six Shooter Records.
Rutledge's musical style is often compared to that of American alt-country singer Ryan Adams. His influences, both of the literary and music world, include Leonard Cohen, Hank Williams, Richard Brautigan and E.E. Cummings.
In 2006, Justin Rutledge was named Toronto singer-songwriter of the year by NOW magazine.
Rutledge has toured Canada, the UK, the United States and Europe, and has played shows with Kathleen Edwards, Jim Cuddy, Blue Rodeo, Hawksley Workman, Luke Doucet and Dolly Parton.
His critically acclaimed lyrics are sometimes linked by music writers to his time as a university English major; he was editor-in-chief of a University of Toronto literary journal.
History
Early life
Justin Rutledge was born and grew up in the Junction neighbourhood in Toronto, a working class community centered around an intersection of four railway lines. He was raised in an Irish-Catholic family and grew up with aspirations of becoming a writer. To that end he studied English literature, with a major in modern poetry, at the University of Toronto. He dropped out after three years of school as his musical career got in the way. Rutledge told Macleans in an interview that his backup plan would be to finish his university studies in English "if this music thing doesn't work."
No Never Alone (2004-2005)
No Never Alone is Justin Rutledge's first album. In order to pay for the recording he worked as a bartender. Rutledge has remarked, "I would often do a studio session during the day, and then head straight to work until 4 or 5 in the morning"
The album earned Rutledge considerable praise, particularly in the UK, where he was compared to Ryan Adams by Comes With a Smile, who also proclaimed that "A major new talent has landed". Additional UK praise came from Uncut magazine who referred to Rutledge as “a master of gothic understatement” and NME describing the album as "an incredible breakthrough".
It was only receiving this attention in the UK that 'No Never Alone' was released in Rutledge's native Canada.
The Devil on a Bench in Stanley Park (2006-2007)
Rutledge's second album, "The Devil on a Bench in Stanley Park" was released through Six Shooter Records on October 6, 2006. "Devil on a Bench" is actually Rutledge's second attempt at a sophomore album - He spent a year recording his first attempt, tentatively titled In the Fall, before he scrapped it. He was unsatisfied with the album, and has explained, “I thought a sophomore album should have just a bit more of an assured sense about it. A second step forward should be a step up the ladder as opposed to just asserting your presence. You’re not just saying, ‘hey, I’m still here. You’re saying, ‘hey I’m here and I’ve challenged myself and I’ve hopefully done something that I haven’t done already. In order to challenge himself and create the album he wanted, Rutledge wrote a new batch of songs and recorded them in eight days with his band - opting for a more live recording style.
"The Devil on a Bench in Stanley Park" was nominated for a Juno award in the category "Roots & Traditional Album of the Year: Solo" and received the Galaxie Rising Star Award at the Edmonton Folk Festival.
[edit] Man Descending (2008)
Man Descending
Justin Rutledge's third album, "Man Descending" was released on April 8, 2008 through Six Shooter Records. The album is named after a 1982 collection of short stories by Guy Vanderhaeghe, also called "Man Descending". Rutledge was inspired by a line from Vanderhaeghe's book, "A man descending is propelled by inertia; the only initiative left him is whether or not he decides to enjoy the passing scene." He says of the line, "It really resonated with me. As I continued to read the stories, I realized that all these characters in the book were dealing with the same kind of static or inertia in their lives. I kind of took little threads and wove them into songs."
The album features Ron Sexsmith, Jenn Grant, Catherine MacLellan, Hawksley Workman, Melissa McClelland, Joey Wright, Jim Bryson as well as "What Rutledge calls the best band in town; David Baxter, Bazil Donovan and Blake Manning; Burke Carroll and Bob Packwood."
"Man Descending" was long-listed for the Polaris Music Prize.[17] Other praise for "Man Descending" in 2008 included the #5 spot on Exclaim's Wood, Wires & Whiskey top 10 and a nomination for Contemporary Album of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards.
According to an interview, "Compared to 2006’s The Devil On A Bench In Stanley Park, Rutledge feels Man Descending is a much more patient, intimate and mature album, despite recording it in just three days."
The songs "Alberta Breeze" and "San Sebastian" were written for "In The Fall:" - the album that Rutledge scrapped in 2006, and were rerecorded for Man Descending.
In 2009 Justin Rutledge took part in an interactive documentary series called City Sonic. The series, which featured 20 Toronto artists, had him reflecting on his time performing at the Cameron House.
The Early Widows (2010)
The Early Widows is Justin Rutledge's fourth album, released in May 2010 on Six Shooter Records. Justin wrote several songs with a single character in mind from author Michael Ondaatje's Novel Divisadero after collaborating with Ondaatje on a theatrical adaptation of the novel. Michael Onjaatje also co-wrote several of the songs receiving official credit for the single Be A Man.
The album is produced by Canadian singer-songwriter Hawksley Workman (also credited as a musician on the album) and also features Canadian singer-songwriter Oh Susanna.
Greenwich Time
Justin Rutledge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where the flags sail high
The blood we spill is our own
Captain home
You're a salty dog
Through night and fog we row
Captain home
Our day is getting late
I see sand and sun
The wind has won
But wait
What will they say?
Though you're a shell of a man
We'll be a hell of a band someday
What will they say?
Greenwich Time
Just a little south of the grapevine
We rely on Greenwich Time
Just a little west of the train line
We rely on Greenwich Time
Stay captain stay
It won't be long
It won't be long
So stay captain stay
It won't be long
No it won't be long
So stay captain stay
Greenwich Time
Just a little south of the grapevine
We rely on Greenwich Time
The stern is yours the mast is mine
We rely on Greenwich Time
In "Greenwich Time" by Justin Rutledge, the lyrics paint a picture of a crew on a ship that is potentially facing their demise. The captain is being urged to return home safely amidst impending danger. The first stanza sets the tone of the song, calling out to the captain to bring the crew home safe from battle. The second and third stanzas describe the challenges the crew is facing including rowing through the night and fog and their dwindling time at sea.
However, the final stanza takes a slightly more optimistic turn. The crew hopes that they will not be remembered as failings but instead as a group that had the potential to become "a hell of a band someday." The chorus repeats the importance of "Greenwich Time" in their journey, showing how reliant they are on its guidance. The final line brings it all back to the captain's duty, reminding him that the ship is his to steer, and his crew is depending on him to bring them home.
Overall, "Greenwich Time" showcases the complex emotions that can come with being in a potentially dangerous situation. While the crew is facing uncertainty and potential defeat, they choose to focus on the hope of what they could become, and the importance of staying the course.
Line by Line Meaning
Home captain home
Return to where you belong, captain
Where the flags sail high
Returning to a place where their country's flags fly proudly
The blood we spill is our own
The sacrifices and risks taken by the captain and their crew are solely their own
You're a salty dog
The captain is experienced and capable of navigating any situation
Through night and fog we row
We persist through hardships and uncertainties
Our day is getting late
Time is running out and the opportunity may soon be lost
I see sand and sun
There is a hopeful destination in sight
The wind has won
Nature and circumstance are beyond our control
Though you're a shell of a man
Despite having been beaten down, there is still potential for greatness
We'll be a hell of a band someday
The crew may become a successful and impressive group in the future
Greenwich Time
A reliance on a consistent time standard for navigation and coordination
Just a little south of the grapevine
Location in proximity to the San Fernando Valley, where the grapevine is a major highway
Just a little west of the train line
Location in proximity to a railroad track
Stay captain stay
Hold on and don't abandon hope, captain
The stern is yours the mast is mine
The captain and crew have specific roles and duties to fulfill
Contributed by Joshua H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
NKOITH
i heard this song for the first time the other day on cbc r2 and thought it was so beautiful...wrote down the title and looked it up...LOVE IT!!!!
Anthony Parkinson
The first song that I heard over his on a recommendation of my newspaper. Great tune, fabulous chorus and a great drum roll
ives100
Very good song, nice voice.
Jill B
Wonderful driving beat! I have returned to this song many times over the years. It reminds me of an ex-boyfriend with whom I shared a love of Justin Rutledge. That ex-boyfriend is ancient history now, but he comes to mind whenever I hear this song.
David Wallin
Bought his most recent album and have enjoyed it
eddiemc2
Very cool song Thanks for posting this.
rebkins
Heard this now on CBC Radio One while in the kitchen... quickly jotted down the name and title because this went straight to my heart.
David Flack
Wish I could play and sing this well
mullaguido
Awesome!!!!!!!!!!1
BillGill
Justin Rutledge is special...