He especially admired the purity of those untouched expanses after a snowfall.
“It was nice just to be able to see out across this landscape and have just kind of a spiritual awareness of how small you are,” Burkhart says. At the same time, he realized how much impact his environment was having on him.
Now nostalgic for his time on the farm, Burkhart often uses those memories to make music.
Despite an impressive repertoire — 20 albums uploaded to his Bandcamp page since 2012 — Burkhart didn’t begin writing music seriously until he was in his early 20s.
Graduating from Hempfield High School in 2007, he took a year off to figure out his next move. He attended HACC sporadically before studying social work at Millersville University, where he earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
During this transitional period, Burkhart wrote music, using a microphone his brother Clark gave him. He had played piano and guitar throughout his youth, hobbies encouraged by his musically inclined parents.
“I think it was just kind of a way to find my voice and figure out a little more about who I was as a person,” Burkhart says.
While he is not on the farm anymore, his environment is still of utmost importance to how he creates.
Burkhart self-records all of his music in his Lancaster city bedroom. And he embraces what others may perceive as imperfections when they seep into his recordings.
“I love music that sounds honest,” Burkhart says. “I like when I hear a song and I can hear a door shutting or something in the background. It feels like you’re in the room with that person, and they’re sharing this with you.”
Burkhart’s music is often described as lo-fi dream pop. He often utilizes his experience from years of classical guitar lessons with Lancaster instructor Rob Perlis.
“He was very gentle and introspective and creative,” Perlis says of his student.
“When I was listening to some of his songs, I can hear a lot of those influences: classical influences, and we touched on open string voicings,” Perlis says.
Burkhart says he goes back and forth between instruments and styles when creating music.
“I have a heart for classical music and softer acoustic music, but I also enjoy putting together the full band stuff,” Burkhart says.
Burkhart began performing his music with a full band in the summer of 2015. Now, his band consists of his brother Clark Burkhart on drums and friends Anthony Galati and Derek Riley on bass and guitar, respectively.
Interest in Burkhart’s music picked up after an unknown YouTube user uploaded “Just How I Love You,” a song from his September album, “Marianne.” The video has more than 94,000 plays.
“That was wild,” Burkhart says. “I started getting emails from people in other countries too, and that just, like, that was really moving to me, that people could connect to just the stuff that I was sharing.”
Burkhart worked with U.K. label Hail Hail Records to release cassette tapes overseas. But, he’s deeply appreciative of the music community in his own backyard.
“It’s a very independent kind of community, and it’s tightknit,” Burkhart says.
Burkhart frequently works on new music, dedicating two to six hours every week to improving his craft when he’s not on the job as a case worker.
“I’ve always experienced life through the lens of music,” Burkhart says.
“So now, to be able to contribute to that world and write from a personal place and then to hear that people can relate to it — that’s something that I really value.”
tylerburkhart.bandcamp.com/
Waiting For You
Tyler Burkhart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They won′t catch me, not this time
He whispers to himself,
Quiet wishing they'll pin someone else
Pin it on you, ooh ooh
I′m always waiting on you, ooh ooh
Through alley light,
He keeps his jaw clenched tight
When he turns a corner, he looks twice
Looking for you, ooh ooh
Feels like I'm only looking for you ooh ooh
Time to call it quits,
Got a taste of his own medicine
When he′s drinking just to sleep,
Only from a dream he wakes to weep
Dreaming of you, ooh ooh
I guess I′m dreaming of you, ooh ooh
The lyrics of Tyler Burkhart's song "Waiting for You" convey the feelings of a person who is constantly waiting for a specific person in their life, possibly a lover or a friend. The opening lines, "If the stars align, they won't catch me, not this time," suggest that the person is somehow avoiding scrutiny or being caught, maybe from someone who might judge them for their waiting. The person whispers to themselves, quietly wishing that they would "pin someone else" instead of them. This could be interpreted as the person being tired of waiting and hoping that someone else would take their place.
The second verse paints a picture of a person through alley lights, looking for someone to fight. They keep their jaw clenched tight and look twice when turning a corner, seemingly searching for the person they are waiting for. This could suggest that the person is desperate to find the person they are waiting for, to the point of seeking them out in possibly dangerous situations. The bridge of the song reveals that the person has had a taste of their own medicine and is drinking to sleep. They only wake up to weep, dreaming of the person they are waiting for.
Overall, the song "Waiting for You" portrays a sense of longing for a specific person, with the lyrics conveying an almost obsessive behavior to find them. However, the person seems to be stuck in a never-ending cycle of waiting, with no end in sight.
Line by Line Meaning
If the stars align,
Hoping for fate to intervene in his favor
They won't catch me, not this time
Refusing to take responsibility for his actions
He whispers to himself,
Talking to himself as a coping mechanism
Quiet wishing they'll pin someone else
Desperately hoping to avoid getting caught
Pin it on you, ooh ooh
Wishing someone else was blamed for his mistakes
I'm always waiting on you, ooh ooh
Continuously hoping for someone to come through for him
Through alley light,
Walking through dark and isolated areas
Seems he's always looking for a fight
Actively seeking conflict in his life
He keeps his jaw clenched tight
Tension and stress are constantly present in his life
When he turns a corner, he looks twice
Paranoid and cautious in his movements
Looking for you, ooh ooh
Searching for a specific person
Feels like I'm only looking for you ooh ooh
Obsessing over finding this person
Time to call it quits,
Realizing it's time to stop his destructive behavior
Got a taste of his own medicine
Experiencing the negative consequences of his actions
When he's drinking just to sleep,
Using unhealthy coping mechanisms to deal with stress
Only from a dream he wakes to weep
His emotions and mental state are constantly affecting him
Dreaming of you, ooh ooh
Unable to let go of this person
I guess I'm dreaming of you, ooh ooh
Admitting to himself that he can't stop thinking about this person
Contributed by Violet L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@daviaugustodeoliveira9047
if the stars are aligned
they won't catch me not this time
he whispers to himself
quiet wishing they'll pin someone else
pinning on you
I'm always waiting on you
through the alley light
seems he's always looking for a fight
he keeps his jaw clenched tight
when he turns the corner he looks twice
looking for you
feels like I'm only looking for you
time to call it quits
got a taste of his own medicine
when he's drinking just to sleep
only from a dream he wakes to win
dreaming of you
I guess I'm dreaming of you
@bonurse7969
Burkhart and Burkhart
Attorneys at law
@tatehamilton758
Nice
@MHSstoners4life
Nooice
@WordSonable
this... this is funny my friend haha
@davidschlenstedt289
What a beautiful piece of music! My heart is broken and melting at the same time. Thank you for the upload! ❤️
@daviaugustodeoliveira9047
if the stars are aligned
they won't catch me not this time
he whispers to himself
quiet wishing they'll pin someone else
pinning on you
I'm always waiting on you
through the alley light
seems he's always looking for a fight
he keeps his jaw clenched tight
when he turns the corner he looks twice
looking for you
feels like I'm only looking for you
time to call it quits
got a taste of his own medicine
when he's drinking just to sleep
only from a dream he wakes to win
dreaming of you
I guess I'm dreaming of you
@Djoodibooti
Your brother is SLAYING this track, sweetie.
@dariomiric2958
Is he really David's brother?
@roshbin3026
@@dariomiric2958 there's definitely a relation
@mumindie
Waiting is lifelong behaviour that inherited us from plants, and this song kindly whispers me about this :)