Young Man is Colin Caulfield from Chicago. Regarding his music, "It’s enoug… Read Full Bio ↴Young Man is Colin Caulfield from Chicago. Regarding his music, "It’s enough to make you stop and say, “What is that?” It being the gorgeous melodies and lean, spellbound guitar lines of Colin Caulfield, an English/French lit major who’s about to change what it means to be a shape-shifting singer-songwriter in the YouTube age.

Just ask Bradford Cox. He knows. Why, just a year ago, the Deerhunter frontman stumbled upon Caulfield’s organ-grinding rendition of “Rainwater Cassette Exchange” and said it’s “fantastically superior to the original. It actually sent shivers up my spine, especially during the second verse.”

Believe it or not, that chilling cover was just a warmup session. As killer as he is at capturing the very essence of everything from Animal Collective to Ariel Pink, Caulfied’s true talent is in telling his own Young Man stories. The first chapter of which goes by the name Boy, a deceivingly-simple suite of songs about wanting to grow up without having the slightest idea of what ‘being a man’ actually means.

Now that’s a reason to hit rewind, from the tone-setting tenderness and psych-infused harmonies of “Five” to the restless rhythms (Caulfield was a drummer well before he became a singer/guitarist) and room-engulfing intimacy of “Up So Fast.” Both of which feature some of the most hopeful/haunting choruses you’ll hear all year.

And that’s just the beginning, of course. Since Young Man was conceived as a concept project about the passing of time, love, and loss, Caulfield already has two loosely- linked LPs on tap—a faceless collection of fragile characters that could be any one of us, really.

“A lot of it’s autobiographical,” explains Caulfield, “but it’s universal at the same time, because everyone goes through these things.”

Listen closely. It’ll all make sense soon enough. Trust us."

Josie
Young Man Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Josie, my lover
Is there another?
I’m willing to the end of
My patience
I’m feeling an old
Acquaintance

Hear me, I’ve been waiting

I’ve been so patient
You can’t expect the same light to appease me
You can expect the same guy so easy

Give it away
Like it still, what’s it to me?
Like I care, just step on me

I’m not anymore just an ewee
I’m done for

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Josie" by Young Man express a feeling of frustration and impatience towards a lover named Josie. The singer questions if there is another person in Josie's life, and is willing to hold on until the end of his patience. He feels like he is reconnecting with an old acquaintance, indicating a distance between him and Josie.

The singer then mentions his waiting and patience, and that Josie cannot simply appease him with the same light or expect him to be the same guy who is easy to be with. He then tells Josie to give it away, indicating a possible breakup or separation, and that he doesn't care anymore. The final line, "I'm not anymore just an ewee, I'm done for," suggests that he is finally giving up on the relationship with Josie.

The lyrics of "Josie" convey a strong sense of disappointment and tiredness from the singer's perspective. The relationship seems to have reached an impasse, with the singer feeling as though he is no longer relevant in Josie's life. The lyrics leave much to the imagination, and the meaning is open-ended, which makes it suitable for interpretation.

Line by Line Meaning

Josie, my lover
Addressing Josie as his lover

Is there another?
Asking Josie if she's seeing someone else

I’m willing to the end of my patience
Willing to wait for Josie but his patience is limited

I’m feeling an old acquaintance
Feeling a sense of familiarity with the situation

Hear me, I’ve been waiting
Asking Josie to listen to him as he explains how long he's been waiting

I’ve been so patient
Emphasizing that he's been extremely patient

You can’t expect the same light to appease me
Josie can't expect things to be the same as before and just make him happy

You can expect the same guy so easy
He's not the same guy he used to be and Josie can't expect him to be that way again easily

Give it away
Surrendering to the situation

Like it still, what’s it to me?
It doesn't matter if Josie still likes him or not, he's moving on anyway

Like I care, just step on me
He doesn't care what Josie does anymore and is willing to let her hurt him