“Godforsaken World” by Jonah Tolchin
from Criminal Man (2012)
I’ve been struggling for several weeks now in my attempt to articulate Jonah’s absolute brilliance. Why have I wasted such time chasing something so obvious?
Just listen and decide for yourself. Think about everywhere these songs have come from. Think about everywhere this man will go; Here is an album so saturated with talent, a writer so vivid and visceral, that you can’t help but be excited for his entire career.
Then realize that today, July 13th 2012, is Jonah’s 20th birthday, and imagine the lifetime of creation already overflowing.
I don’t mean to take away from the strength of this album, or to overemphasize Jonah’s age. In fact, I mean the exact opposite. This is a gem edging on a goddamn masterpiece, and despite the fact that age is mostly meaningless within art, is a piece created by a (then-)19 year old kid with more skill and lyrical wit than most of his contemporaries, regardless of age. You just cant help be excited for what he’ll be creating in 5 years. 10 years. The pieces he’ll be constructing on a wind-strung, time-clawed porch in 60 years.
Happy Birthday, Jonah! We love you.
Well I asked my babe to walk with me
Her mother would not let her daughter be.
Well I asked the lord for the reason why
He’s too drunk to come down from the sky
Well lord I said I’m a simple man
And mama well I’m doing the best I can
If I follow my heart and speak my mind
Don’t get nothing back but blood and crying
City’s on fire, run to the woods, there ain’t no left
Don’t you remember what you could,
Could have done, times run out, flames creeping up,
No water in the well to put it out.
Honest man, Honest man come walk with me
Tell me how do you live so peacefully
Well he took out a needle and a sack of cocaine
and said these things help me to stay sane.
I said lord well if this is sanity
Then I’ll go wild I’ll be insane for free
Policeman, he walked up to me
He said boy, come with me.
Well they threw me, in the county jail
He said don’t ask questions, son don’t rebel
If we let you leave, son well you better walk right
And he handed me the plans to the rest of my life
Well I looked at the paper in my hand
White-picket fence, two kids, a handyman
Well it had the day I was to leave this old world
Then he handed me a ring and told me the name of a girl.
City’s on fire, run to the woods, there ain’t no left
Don’t you remember what you could,
Could have done, times run out, flames creeping up,
No water in the well to put it out.
Well I contemplated suicide,
They said that’s illegal but good try
I grabbed the pistol from policeman’s belt
pulled the trigger down the officer fell.
I laughed, felt better than a man could tell
Said looks like the place for me is hell
It couldn’t be worse than this godforsaken world
Couldn’t be worse than this godforsaken world.
City’s on fire, run to the woods, there ain’t no left
Don’t you remember what you could,
Could have done, times run out, flames creeping up,
No water in the well to put it out.
Trains gone loose, thousand miles out
Stuck in the desert times run out
Throat’s so dry whiskeys all we got
No cure on board, Oh waters all run out
We are also proud to present Jonah Tolchin’s last 2 EPs (as if Criminal Man wasn’t enough):
