Much like the man himself, Hayes' musical sensibilities defy easy categorization. Just because there's a banjo featured in a track, don't expect it to sound Appalachian -- and certainly don't expect that recurring tuba to have anything to do with Sousa and his severely metered marches. With his new album "Big Black Hole and the Little Baby Star", the North Carolina-bred, San Francisco-rooted artist continues to embrace the multifarious, channeling Billie Holiday in her more melancholy moments (Fucked Me Right Up) or hitting the pavement with broken-hearted, wild eyed friends who take strength in numbers (Calling All Cars). With subject matter that ranges from polka dot panties to innocent death row inmates, it's best to keep an ear cocked to sort out Hayes' lyrics. A masterful songwriter and fingerpicker, the singer plays guitar, mandolin, and banjo on the album.
Etienne de Rocher mans the piano, bass, keyboards and backup harmony vocals, and Ches Smith supplies percussion. Ara Anderson, who's added his horns to Tom Waits' and Jolie Holland's albums, adds some powerful oomph on trumpet and tuba. Hayes says that the process for getting this fourth record together has been "totally organic - - it has to do with time, and how the sound changes because of it, as well as with the people you play with."
A little over a year ago, while playing a warehouse show for local arts and culture mag Kitchen Sink, Hayes bumped into fellow musician de Rocher. It was a fortuitous meeting. De Rocher invited Hayes to record a few songs at his garage studio, and Hayes eventually recorded the whole of Big Black Hole there. Thanks in part to de Rocher's production, the album's sound is a departure from his previous discs. Now, Hayes sounds a little less folky, a little more languid and groovy, as if he loosened the knot on his hobo tie after tossing back a few Don Julios -- a better approximation of his live shows.. - Elka Karl
Rosebush Inside
Sean Hayes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You think the world owes you
It don't owe you a thing
Don't you know, for a moment oh
You think the world owes you
It don't owe you a thing
There's a man doing time
He was wrongly accused
Forty years and still survived.
There's a man doing time
Keeping a rosebush alive
He was wrongly accused
Forty years and still survived.
Don't you know, for a moment oh
You think the world owes you
It don't owe you a thing
...It's giving all it can
The rest you must invent
When it's giving all it can
The rest you must go get
When it's giving all it can
The rest you must invent
When it's giving all it can
The rest you oh,
Don't you know, for a moment oh
You think the world owes you
It don't owe you a thing
There's a man doing time
Keeping a rosebush alive
He was wrongly accused
Forty years and still survived.
There's a rosebush inside
Keeping a man alive
And we all need hope
Like water sunshine
Don't you know
You gotta water sunshine
For a moment oh
You gotta water sunshine
You think the world owes you
You gotta water sunshine
It don't owe you a thing
You gotta water sunshine
Don't you know
You gotta water sunshine
For a moment oh
You gotta water sunshine
You think the world owes you
You gotta water sunshine
It don't owe you a thing
You gotta water sunshine
It don't owe you a thing
You gotta water sunshine
It don't owe you a thing
You gotta water sunshine
The song "Rosebush Inside" by Sean Hayes is about the idea of entitlement and how it impacts our perception of the world. The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "Don't you know, for a moment oh you think the world owes you, it don't owe you a thing," emphasizing the idea that we must take responsibility for our lives and not expect the world to give us everything we want. The song reminds us that even in the most hopeless situations, there is always something to be grateful for and that hope is essential for survival.
The verses of the song tell the story of a man who has been wrongfully imprisoned for 40 years but has found hope in keeping a rosebush alive. This man is an embodiment of the message of the song, as he has been dealt a difficult hand in life, but has found purpose and beauty in the small things. The rosebush is a symbol of resilience and endurance, and highlights the importance of finding something to hold onto in difficult times.
In conclusion, "Rosebush Inside" is a song about gratitude, resilience, and hope, reminding us that even when things seem darkest, there is always something to be thankful for and a reason to keep going.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't you know, for a moment oh
Sometimes we mistakenly believe that the world owes us something
You think the world owes you
Thinking that the world owes us something is a common and dangerous misconception
It don't owe you a thing
The world isn't indebted to us and doesn't owe us anything
There's a man doing time
Keeping a rosebush alive
He was wrongly accused
Forty years and still survived.
There's a man who was unjustly imprisoned for 40 years, but he found solace in tending to a rosebush and managed to survive despite the harsh circumstances
When it's giving all it can
The rest you must invent
When we have exhausted all of our resources, we need to find a way to create solutions on our own
The rest you must go get
We need to be proactive and seek out what we need instead of relying on others to provide for us
There's a rosebush inside
Keeping a man alive
And we all need hope
Like water sunshine
The rosebush that the man took care of gave him hope and helped him survive, just as we all need hope and positivity to thrive
You gotta water sunshine
For a moment oh
You think the world owes you
We need to actively cultivate positivity and optimism, rather than expecting the world to provide it for us
It don't owe you a thing
You gotta water sunshine
The world doesn't owe us anything, but we can still cultivate positivity for ourselves
Don't you know
You gotta water sunshine
It's important to remember that we need to take responsibility for our own positivity and work to maintain it
It don't owe you a thing
You gotta water sunshine
We can't expect the world to provide us with positivity, we need to create it ourselves
It don't owe you a thing
You gotta water sunshine
It don't owe you a thing
You gotta water sunshine
It don't owe you a thing
You gotta water sunshine
The world doesn't owe us anything, but we need to focus on creating positivity for ourselves
Contributed by Jordyn F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Erin Scussel
Will be using your song and teaching Mr. Bickham's story next week with my 8th graders. Thanks to NPR for covering this story.
Whosoever Will
Erin Scussel what's the story?? !!
Duckymomo
He was my great grandpa thank u for teaching ur students about him
Just Thinkin'
This is a song worth hearing referenced in Michele Harper’s “The Beauty in Breaking”, a book worth reading.
Chiquichu61
"The Beauty in Breaking" brought me here. I also highly recommend the book, and I thank Michele Harper for introducing me to Mr. Hayes.
Tami Bovaird
also here because of the book reference
digitalkaos
This has to be one of my all time favorites and I only heard it for the first time yesterday. This is amazing!
Bryan Z
Gets me through the hard times💯...
linnetswings
When you lose it all, you still have all you need. <3
Miss Liz Fordahl
My students journal from a Snap Judgment prompt every Tuesday. Presently, they have asked me to play this song while they journal their response to this story. :)