With a back catalogue boasting such gems as 'Rainmaker' and 'Fully Qualified Survivor' (featuring Mick Ronson, Rick Kemp, and others), it remains a mystery to all why he wasn't afforded more mainstream recognition. With his often quirky songs and vocal style sometimes eerily reminiscent of David Bowie, one can only assume that Chapman's hardy reluctance to bow to the commercial pressures of his record companies served only to afford him scant recognition from the record-buying public. With a muse falling somewhere between Kevin Ayers and Warren Zevon, Chapman was a folk-rock, psychedelic-jazz troubadour.
Chapman first appeared on the London and Cornwall folk music circuits in 1967, including the Piper's Folk Club in Penzance, alongside John Martyn and Roy Harper. His first album was "Rainmaker" in 1969.
His 1970 second album, "Fully Qualified Survivor", again produced by Gus Dudgeon with lush strings arranged by Paul Buckmaster, received much critical acclaim from the likes of BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, and featured his best-known track, "Postcards of Scarborough".
After a tour of the United States with Rick Kemp, Chapman signed to Decca's subsidiary, Deram, recording an increasingly rockier set of albums. Championed by Charles Shaar Murray and John Peel, he continued to have a high profile, being a lively draw on the college circuit in the UK and across mainland Europe.
1977 saw the end of Chapman's Decca deal, and the beginning of an association with Criminal Records in 1978; both record labels released versions of The Man Who Hated Mornings. He continued to gig and record consistently, varying styles and sounds, sometimes working with a full group, more often working with Rick Kemp alone.
The 1980s was a quieter time for Chapman. He continued to make recordings that straddled musical genres and pushed his guitar playing to the fore, but had neither the profile nor sales of the previous decade.
The late 1990s onwards represented a period of continued rebirth for Chapman. He embraced the 'elder statesman' role and enjoyed critical acclaim for albums like Navigation, Dreaming Out Loud and Still Making Rain (a wry pun title that looked back to his debut album). With the 1997 release of Dreaming Out Loud, Chapman was releasing albums at the rate of one every two years, and still attracting high praise, if not great sales.
The 21st century saw Chapman exploring his guitar player roots and releasing instrumental albums alongside his song-based sets. Americana and Words Fail Me feature soundscapes that recalled travels in America, and featured a dexterity and inventiveness on the guitar equal to the classic Harvest and Decca periods.
A tribute album titled Oh Michael, Look What You've Done: Friends Play Michael Chapman was released in 2012 on Tompkins Square Records. It includes contributions from Lucinda Williams, Maddy Prior, William Tyler, Hiss Golden Messenger and Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore.
In 2016, Chapman celebrated fifty years as a professional musician. Towards the end of his life he still played professionally and regularly toured in the UK, Europe and US.
memphis in winter
Michael Chapman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All along the worn out plane
Where the devil eyes await
And it gets too dark to rain
It gets too dark to rain
Never going through the darkness
Never ever leave my sight
There's just too many crazes
They say that Jesus saves
Ha well, I′ve seen none of that down here
I just see people with a hunger
I just see people with a fear
And I can see the jungle roaring
All those huddled in steam
Are they just some hungry mouths to feed?
Or the bitter end of dream?
Where the river comes a-rolling
Where the levy tends to break
We're to walk the streets at night, well
It's not a risk that you would take
′Cause it′s cold, it's cold down the river
But you can see the Memphis bell
This is no scene from heaven
This could be seen as hell
We′re passed the end of nowhere
All along the worn out plane
Where the devil eyes await
And it gets too dark to rain
It gets too dark to rain
It gets too dark
"Memphis in Winter" by Michael Chapman is a hauntingly poetic piece that speaks of hardships and despair. The song begins with the imagery of being stranded in the middle of nowhere, where the devil's eyes are waiting. Here, the singer finds himself surrounded by darkness that gets too deep to rain. The reference to darkness represents the difficult times that we all experience in our lives. The second verse speaks of the singer's disillusionment with religion. Despite hearing about the saving powers of Jesus, the singer has not witnessed any miracles in his life. Instead, he sees people suffering from hunger and fear. The jungle's roar represents the chaos and uncertainty of life, with people struggling to survive.
The third verse depicts Memphis in winter, where walking the streets at night is a risk that few would want to take. The singer sees the Memphis bell in the distance, a reference to the Southern Belle steamboat that operated on the Mississippi River. The mention of the boat further emphasizes the idea of being isolated in a desolate landscape. The song ends where it begins, with the singer back in the same bleak surroundings, where the darkness has become too much to bear. The song's overall message is that life can be challenging, and we often find ourselves in dire circumstances with no reprieve.
Line by Line Meaning
We're passed the end of nowhere
We are in a desolate place far away from civilization.
All along the worn out plane
The surroundings are barren and unyielding, indicating a sense of despair and exhaustion.
Where the devil eyes await
There is a sense of impending doom lurking around every corner.
And it gets too dark to rain
Even the natural cycles of the earth seem to be against us, as the darkness seems to be unending.
It gets too dark to rain
The futility of hopelessness is omnipresent in the environment.
Never going through the darkness
We are unable to move towards a brighter future due to the darkness that is present around us.
Never ever leave my sight
We must remain vigilant and aware of our surroundings at all times.
There's just too many crazes
There are too many dangerous individuals who are lurking in the shadows.
And you can die just beyond the light
Danger lurks even in the areas where the light is present, reminding us of the fragility of life.
They say that Jesus saves
There is a belief in a higher power that can rescue us from our current predicament.
Ha well, I've seen none of that down here
This belief is not present in the current surroundings; no imaginary power can save us.
I just see people with a hunger
The people around are driven by their primal needs of survival.
I just see people with a fear
There is a constant fear that pervades the people in the area.
And I can see the jungle roaring
The noise of chaos and uncertainty is all-encompassing.
All those huddled in steam
People are grouped together, trying to find warmth in each other's presence.
Are they just some hungry mouths to feed?
People are struggling to get their basic necessities, and there is nobody to offer respite.
Or the bitter end of dream?
It is impossible to understand if their struggle is merely one of basic needs or if this is the culmination of shattered dreams.
Where the river comes a-rolling
The river serves as a metaphor for the way of life, which keeps moving forward relentlessly.
Where the levy tends to break
The breaking of the levy implies the inevitable breakdown of the structure of society, as we know it.
We're to walk the streets at night, well
The environment is dangerous, even in daylight.
It's not a risk that you would take
One would never willingly put themselves in harm's way in these surroundings.
'Cause it's cold, it's cold down the river
The coldness in the air makes one feel physically ill, implying a sense of bleakness.
But you can see the Memphis bell
The Memphis bell serves as the only beacon of hope in this bleak landscape.
This is no scene from heaven
There is no divine intervention that would transform this situation into something more positive.
This could be seen as hell
The circumstances are so dire that they would be perceived as the lowest of the low, which is hell.
Writer(s): Michael Chapman
Contributed by Michael N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@dr.sardonicus4916
Great song. Lyrics are really piercing.
We're past the end of nowhere
All along the worn-out plain
Where the devil lies awaiting
And it gets too dark to rain
Never go into the darkness
Never ever leave my sight
There's just too many crazies
And you can die just beyond the light
They say that Jesus saves
But I see none of that down here
I just see people with the hunger
I see people with the fear
And I can see the jungle growing
Hobos huddled in the steam
Are they just some hungry mouths to feed
Or the bitter end of the dream?
Where the river comes a-rolling
Where the levee tends to break
Where to walk the streets at night
Is not a risk that you woukd take
Cause it's cold, cold down on the river
But you can see the Memphis Belle
This ain't no scene from heaven
This could be seen as hell.
@sporn23
wow, very good trip
@claudiu9775
Touches the soul. Underrated. Head and shoulders above all current day pop rabble.
@pietermeulendijks2749
He did it again! Good old Michael. Love his guitar playin'
@roberthaigh3206
The old guy still has it! Magical!
@timchase5233
How has this guy escaped me for so long,great songwriting and music.
@davidmatthews3780
Hey Mike you playing is deff a scene from heaven. Lets all stay away from hell ❤
@adamjenks9613
LOVE this track. I discovered through an issue of MOJO magazine a while back. Good stuff!!
Cheers!
@davidmatthews3780
It just gets better everytime i hear it 🎸🎸🎸
@nickjackson8703
it is so intense and lyrical, and sarcastic, and guitar playing is just phenomenonally awesome..
@joegalan6882
Where the Levee tends to break