Joe Pug - "Hymn 101"

This song was on the latest Paste CD, and I've haven't stopped listening to it over and over again since I got the issue. The lyrics moved me so much I decided to post them here.



and i've come to know the wishlist of my father
i've come to know the shipwrecks where he wished
i've come to wish aloud
among the over-dressed crowd
come to witness now the sinking of the ship
throwing pennies from the seatop next to it

and i've come to roam the forest past the village
with a dozen lazy horses in my cart
i've come here to get high
to do more than just get by
i've come to test the timber of my heart
oh i've come to test the timber of my heart

and i've come
to be untroubled in my seeking
and i've come
to see that nothing is for naught
i've come to reach out blind
to reach forward and behind
for the more I seek the more I'm sought
yeah the more I seek the more I'm sought

and i've come to meet the sherriff and his posse
to offer him the broad side of my jaw
i've come here to get broke
then maybe bum a smoke
we'll go drinking two towns over after all
oh we'll go drinking two towns over after all

and i've come to meet the legendary takers
i've only come to ask them for a lot
oh they say i come with less
than i should rightfully possess
i say the more i buy the more i'm bought
and the more i'm bought the less i cost

and i've come
to take their servants and their surplus
and i've come
to take their raincoats and their speed
i've come to get my fill
to ransack and spill
i've come to take the harvest for the seed
i've come to take the harvest for the seed

and i've come to know the manger that you sleep in
i've come to be the stranger that you keep
i've come from down the road
and my footsteps never slowed
and before we met i knew we'd meet
before we met i knew we'd meet

and i've come here to ignore your cries and heartaches
i've come to closely listen to you sing
i've come here to insist
that i leave here with a kiss
i've come to say exactly what i mean
and i mean so many things

and you've come
to know me stubborn as a butcher
and you've come
to know me thankless as a guest
will you recognize my face
when god's awful grace
strips me of my jacket and my vest
and reveals all the treasure in my chest

"Hymn 101" - Joe Pug

Now the thing you're not going to believe, if you listened to the song, is this guy is 23 years old. I would have guessed at least 50 - Erin guessed 60. It's not just his mature-sounding voice that does it, but as NPR said, the lyrics possess a wisdom beyond his age.

One last excellent thing about Joe Pug - he's offering "Hymn 101" as a completely FREE download on his website. No only that, but he'll send you a free CD if you send him your mailing address. So hit that up if you love his music as much as I do.

Here's some more links if you're interested:
Pug's Myspace
"Hymn 101" video
Pug EP