Originally coming to fame in the mid-1960s singing orchestral pop ballads as the frontman of The Walker Brothers, Walker went on to a solo career balancing a light entertainment/MOR ballad approach with increasing artistic innovations in arrangement and writing. Despite a series of acclaimed albums, a disastrous drop in sales forced him back into straight Middle of the road recordings with little of his own artistic input. This in turn eventually led to a Walker Brothers reunion in the mid-1970s (although the latter eventually moved, by mutual consent, into more avant-garde areas).
From the mid-1980s, Walker revived his solo career while drastically reinventing his artistic and compositional methods, via a series of acclaimed and vividly avant-garde albums. These combined his iconic voice with an unsettling avant-garde approach which owed more to modernist and post-modernist classical composition than to his pop singer past. This change in approach has been compared to "Andy Williams reinventing himself as Stockhausen".
Walker has been a continuing influence on other artists, in particular The Last Shadow Puppets, Marc Almond, Goldfrapp, Douglas Pearce of the band Death in June, Billy MacKenzie of The Associates, David Sylvian, Julian Cope, Antony Hegarty, Thom Yorke, Steven Wilson, David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Trey Spruance, Perry Blake, Radiohead, Noah Lennox, Mikael Åkerfeldt, and the Divine Comedy/Neil Hannon.
Walker continued to release solo material until his death, and was signed to 4AD Records. As a record producer or guest performer he worked with a number of artists including Pulp, Ute Lemper, Bat For Lashes and Sunn O))).
Joe
Scott Walker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The baby down the hall was cryin'
Somebody had a party goin' on
The fat boy you told tales to
Moved away the other day
To think with no goodbye
He could have gone
A postcard from Sun City
A kind of desert place
Where old folks dry away
You gazed out through the window
At the wonders of the sky
As if it were the first time every day
Chorus:
There ain't no-one left alive to call me Joe
You used to say
No-one left alive
To call me Joe.
You've been beyond the boundaries
Understood it all
And thought of nothing
The ultimate was simple to your eyes
Just watch the world make madness
As the youth cried their replies
An old man knows far better than to try.
They say towards the end
You hardly left your shabby room
Where once you loved to go
*Walkin'
Thru' the day
Sit back and watch a spider
Weave your window
'Cross the moon
And meals on wheels
Laughed kindly
When you'd say
There ain't no-one left alive to call me Joe
To call me Joe
No-one left alive to call me Joe.
The lyrics to 'Joe' by Scott Walker depict the end of a man's life while reflecting on his past experiences and relationships. The first verse describes the scene of Joe's death, with a crying baby and a party going on, highlighting the contrast of life and death. The second verse mentions a fat boy who used to tell tales, who moved away without saying goodbye, and a postcard from Sun City found by Joe's side. Sun City is a retirement community, emphasizing the theme of aging and death. Joe gazes out the window at the sky, as if seeing it for the first time, suggesting a sense of wonder and appreciation for the beauty of the world. The chorus "There ain't no-one left alive to call me Joe" repeats throughout the song, signifying Joe's loneliness and lack of connection to others.
In the following verses, the lyrics reflect on the wisdom that comes with age and the simplicity of the ultimate truth. Joe has 'been beyond the boundaries' and 'understood it all,' suggesting he has seen the world and experienced everything life has to offer. He thought of nothing because he has achieved the ultimate understanding. The youth's madness and cries are contrasted with an old man's knowledge, highlighting the differences in perspective between the generations. The final verse portrays Joe's final days, where he hardly leaves his room, preferring to watch the world from his window. He has found comfort in the simple things, like watching a spider weave a web across the moon, and finds solace in the kindness of Meals on Wheels. The repetition of the chorus emphasizes Joe's isolation, with no one left alive who remembers him and who can call him by his name.
Line by Line Meaning
As old Joe sat a dyin'
Joe was on his deathbed
The baby down the hall was cryin'
There were other people nearby, living their lives but Joe's time was coming to an end.
Somebody had a party goin' on
Other people were having fun while Joe was nearing the end of his life.
The fat boy you told tales to
Joe had told stories about someone to another person.
Moved away the other day
The person Joe had talked about has left town.
To think with no goodbye / He could have gone
Joe regrets not bidding farewell to the person he had talked about.
A postcard from Sun City / Was found layin' by your side / A kind of desert place / Where old folks dry away
There was a postcard on Joe's bedside table from a place where old people go.
You gazed out through the window / At the wonders of the sky / As if it were the first time every day
Joe spent his remaining hours looking at nature's beauty outside the window.
There ain't no-one left alive to call me Joe / You used to say / No-one left alive / To call me Joe.
Joe is remembering that no one is left who calls him by his name anymore.
You've been beyond the boundaries / Understood it all / And thought of nothing / The ultimate was simple to your eyes / Just watch the world make madness / As the youth cried their replies / An old man knows far better than to try.
Joe has now experienced everything and has reached the ultimate realization that the world is filled with madness and that the older generations should not try to understand or control the youth.
They say towards the end / You hardly left your shabby room / Where once you loved to go
Joe had lost his interest and energy to go out towards the end of his life.
Walkin' / Thru' the day
Joe recalls his lives where he used to walk during the day.
Sit back and watch a spider / Weave your window / 'Cross the moon
Joe was content to just watch nature happening from his window.
And meals on wheels / Laughed kindly / When you'd say / There ain't no-one left alive to call me Joe / To call me Joe / No-one left alive to call me Joe.
Even the delivery people were kind enough to listen to Joe's memory of his name.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANDY SEMEL, SCOTT ENGEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind