Steve Gunn is a New York-based guitarist and songwriter. His albums repres… Read Full Bio ↴Steve Gunn is a New York-based guitarist and songwriter. His albums represent milestones of contemporary guitar-driven, forward music. Mining the catalogs of Robbie Basho, Sandy Bull, Michael Chapman, and Sonny Sharrock, among other titans of stringed-things, Steve has steadily processed these inspirations into a singular, virtuosic stream. Close listening reveals the influence of Delta and Piedmont country blues, free jazz, and psych on the continually unfolding compositions. Friendships and collaborations with Jack Rose, Tom Carter, Meg Baird, and Michael Chapman colored the disciplined evolution of the deconstructed blues sound, at once transcendent and methodical, that is now Gunn’s signature.

With a career spanning nearly fifteen years, Steve has produced volumes of critically acclaimed solo, duo, and ensemble recordings. Gunn’s 2009 solo masterpiece, Boerum Palace, demonstrated a fully realized power for songcraft. Steve started to sing more and developed a commanding vocal style equal to his guitar practice. His acclaimed instrumental duo recordings with Truscinski, Sand City (2010) and Ocean Parkway (2012), cemented his place among the top of his peers, both present and past. These documents display Gunn’s compositional penchant for charting musical travelogues that ramble through city and wilderness alike. Dispatches home are not merely descriptive but corporeal; the evocative, rhythmic power of his writing and phrasing carries the listener along bodily. Steve builds songs as exploratory vessels, opens them up for mechanical tinkering, and lives in them through ceaseless improvisatory permutations.

Two solo albums have been released on Three Lobed Recordings, and two albums as one half of Gunn-Truscinski Duo also released on Three Lobed.

Chance
Steve Gunn Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

s not bad for him to know
Call him free with time to go
And it holds you back
Oh yeah, there's no way
For chance to go
Had a friend in his better days
Disappears but always pays you back, back
Oh yeah, there's nothing but clouds at back

Take what is needed
It's all deceiving
I hope you chance believe it

Bring him back is all he'll ask
Stand him up and get on track
But there's no way, back
And there's no one calling home

Take what is needed
It's all deceiving
I hope you chance believe it

There's nowhere

There's nowhere
And there's nowhere

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Steve Gunn's song "Chance" capture the notion of being stuck in a cycle, unable to break free from certain patterns or circumstances. The singer is aware of this and acknowledges that it is not necessarily a bad thing for him to understand this truth. He refers to himself as "free with time to go," suggesting that he may have some level of freedom or flexibility, but still feels held back in some way.

The line "And it holds you back, oh yeah, there's no way for chance to go" emphasizes the feeling of being trapped or limited, as if there is no room for unexpected opportunities or change. Despite having experienced better days and having friends who may have provided support, the singer feels like he constantly disappears and yet pays back what he owes. This imagery of disappearing may suggest a sense of isolation or disconnection from others.

The chorus, with the repeated line "Take what is needed, it's all deceiving, I hope you chance believe it," highlights the idea that what one thinks they need might not actually be what they truly need. It suggests a certain level of skepticism or doubt about the things people chase after or the beliefs they hold onto.

The final lines, "There's nowhere, there's nowhere, and there's nowhere," further emphasize the feeling of being stuck or lacking options. It could be interpreted as a realization that there is nowhere to run or escape from the constraints that the singer feels.

Overall, the lyrics of "Chance" delve into themes of limitation, cycles, self-awareness, and the desire for change or freedom.

Line by Line Meaning

s not bad for him to know
It is beneficial for him to have knowledge

Call him free with time to go
Contact him when he has available time

And it holds you back
It prevents you from progressing

Oh yeah, there's no way
There is absolutely no possibility

For chance to go
For a lucky opportunity to arise

Had a friend in his better days
Had a companion in happier times

Disappears but always pays you back, back
Goes away but consistently repays what is owed

Oh yeah, there's nothing but clouds at back
There is only uncertainty and obstacles ahead

Take what is needed
Acquire only what is necessary

It's all deceiving
Everything is misleading