Amid all known beauty and shame
Lies a man who says he bears no name
Surrounded by voices he speaks
Of the future, with a madly streak
And around him, the circle, it grows
In their eyes the desire the know
But their stomach it quivers inside
For they fear he's truly their guide
Yet his speech is so clear and direct
To their knees they must fall and neglect
Petty crimes, great schemes of grand wealth
Future wives, clutching babes to their breast
So into darkness they march, to unite
With their secrets, in halls oh' so bright
Until their vision is so gravely impaired
And of reality they're never again scared
And with all new freedom, as found
Bodies risen from beds, to the ground
Till all earth is filled with lust and deceit
For their bodies still bound in defeat
So they turn to the one at the door
To revenge their demise, they implore
Of the man with no name, hands with ore
To commence his death, to even up the score
Still, amid all known beauty and shame
Lies a man who says he bears no name
Surrounded by voices he speaks
Of the future, with a madly streak
Tom Heyman documents life in San Francisco circa 2023, refusing to succumb to easy characterization & instead capturing the city’s nuance. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 22, 2023
Tanya Donnelly, Wreckless Eric, Rosanne Cash, contribute cover versions of John Wesley Harding’s songs for this charitable compilation. Bandcamp New & Notable May 6, 2021