John Butler was born on April 1, 1975 in Torrance, California, to an Australian father and American mother. He moved to the small Western Australian town of Pinjarra in January 1986, when he was eleven. Butler began playing guitar at the age of sixteen, and by 1996 started his career as a busker in Fremantle, Western Australia. The John Butler Trio was formed in 1998 when Butler was joined by Gavin Shoesmith on bass and Jason McGann on drums, and by the end of that year had recorded their debut album John Butler.
They then released Three in 2001, Sunrise Over Sea in 2004 and Grand National in 2007, all of which were certified platinum.
In June 2009, a new line up of the ever evolving John Butler Trio emerged. Prominent Melbourne musician Nicky Bomba of Bomba fame and principal drummer on Sunrise Over Sea joined the band on drums and percussion, as did bass player Byron Luiters from Sydney outfit Ray Mann Three.
The latest album entitled April Uprising came from a journey John Butler undertook for the ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ TV series. He traces the Butler name through generations of hardship to a matriarch who sang for her survival and follows his Bulgarian ancestry to a forebear caught up in a violent revolt called the April Uprising. The recording process for the new album was shared with avid followers via a special studio sessions page on the band’s website.
John Butler comments on the forthcoming new album,
“The whole rehearsal and recording process so far has been a lot of fun and very gratifying. I feel the sounds and general spirit and energy of this album are best summed up in the words – free, melodic, funky, phat and rocking. There’s definitely a certain attitude that comes across on the album. Perhaps there’s a conviction, in a song writing and production sense, that I haven’t tapped into so much on earlier works that seems to be more prevalent on April Uprising. There’s chemistry and language that Nicky, Byron and I have found that really compliments these songs in all their different facets”.
Hello
The John Butler Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hell there boy better get it read…
You used to be so real
And all of your love everybody did feel
But now your turning into a fake
And all our hearts yeah you do break
Cause all those drugs that you do take
Sticking say all that shit up your nose
Hell man that's where all your money goes.
Then you start ripping off your friends,
Hell yeah man that's where my story ends
Going around to your Mum and Dads
Sticking all their valuables into bags.
Going around to the hockshop
So once again man you can go and get ripped off
But what your looking for inside
It's up jumped gone and died
Don't your see your wrongs
They can't all be right.
Can't you see your days,
They've turned into night.
Can't you see the sun,
Can't you see the moon,
Can't you see that Karma will be coming for you.
Hello!
Ripping off your friends,
Now I don't mind just a little indulgence,
But you gotta do it with a conscience.
Now all your into is drugs.
Talking your shit man hanging with thugs.
Speed equals confidence imagine that
But you be acting like a spoiled brat,
Thinking that everythings your way
Getting what you want but you don't have to pay
Don't listen to a word anyone say .
Your gonna wind up in the lockup some day ~
Don't your see your wrongs
They can't all be right.
Can't you see your days,
They've turned into night.
Can't you see the sun,
Can't you see the moon,
Can't you see that Karma will be coming for you.
Hello!
Hello!
Ripping off your friends,
Now I don't mind just a little indulgence,
But you gotta do it with a conscience.
The John Butler Trio's song "Hello" tells the story of someone who used to be real and loved by everyone, but has taken a downward spiral due to drugs. The lyrics describe how the person has become fake, breaking the hearts of those around them, and turning into an "asshole" due to the drugs they take. She is ripping off her friends, stealing from her parent's house, and going to hockshops to support her habit. The lyrics implore the person to see the wrong in their actions and realize that they will face "Karma" for their actions. The chorus repeats the word "Hello" multiple times, almost as if the singer is trying to get the person's attention and snap them out of their self-destructive behavior.
Overall, the lyrics paint a bleak picture of what drug addiction can do to a person and their relationships. The singer is clearly filled with sadness and disappointment at the person's choices and can only hope that they will come to their senses before it's too late.
Line by Line Meaning
Hello, Hello, whats going through your head,
You seem to be lost in thought and I am curious to know what it is.
Hell there boy better get it read…
You seem to be in trouble and should address it before it's too late.
You used to be so real
You were genuine and authentic before.
And all of your love everybody did feel
Everyone felt your love and warmth before.
But now your turning into a fake
But now you are becoming fake and insincere.
And all our hearts yeah you do break
Your actions are hurting us and breaking our hearts.
Cause all those drugs that you do take
The drugs you consume are causing a lot of harm.
One big asshole of you it does make
You are becoming a terrible person because of it.
Sticking say all that shit up your nose
You are snorting drugs up your nose.
Hell man that's where all your money goes.
You are spending all your money on drugs.
Then you start ripping off your friends,
You resort to stealing from your friends.
Hell yeah man that's where my story ends
That's where our friendship ends.
Going around to your Mum and Dads
You are stealing from your parents' house.
Sticking all their valuables into bags.
You are stealing their valuable items and hiding them in bags.
Going around to the hockshop
You are pawning off stolen items to the pawnshop.
So once again man you can go and get ripped off
So you can get cheated again by the pawnshop.
But what your looking for inside
But whatever you're searching for inside yourself.
It's up jumped gone and died
Seems to have disappeared or died.
Don't your see your wrongs
Don't you see the wrongdoings you've committed.
They can't all be right.
Your actions cannot be justified.
Can't you see your days,
Can't you see how your days have changed for the worse.
They've turned into night.
Your days have turned into darkness and negativity.
Can't you see the sun,
Can't you see the beauty and positivity in life.
Can't you see the moon,
Can't you appreciate the beauty of the night sky.
Can't you see that Karma will be coming for you.
Your actions will have consequences and you will face the repercussions.
Ripping off your friends,
Stealing from your close friends.
Now I don't mind just a little indulgence,
I don't mind a bit of enjoyment or pleasure.
But you gotta do it with a conscience.
But you have to do it with a sense of morality and ethics.
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: JOHN CHARLES WILTSHIRE BUTLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind