Jason Clarke

This is a test of Dreamhost’s new free video conversion and display tool:

It’s time for another recurring series here (see also: beta testing, idea factory, best of).

This series is Greatest Lyrics, and it’s pretty straightforward. I’m going to be posting some song lyrics that I think are some of the greatest ever written. I’m not talking overall song quality here- though in most cases, they correlate- I’m simply talking the words; the poetry of the lyrics.

Whenever available, I’ll be using The LyricWiki as my official lyrics source (NOTE: There is another site, which I won’t link to, with a similar name- but you’ll note the other site is NOT a wiki). I don’t assume the site is perfect, and you shouldn’t either. But as its creators state, they wanted an alterative to the otherwise ad-ridden lyrics sites, and with that they’ve succeeded.

First up is The Boxer, by Simon & Garfunkel. It’s a popular song, but I think it’s one that, even though many may know the words, they don’t necessarily absorb them. Inspiration for this choice is thanks to Scheherazade and her post on the song.

I am just a poor boy.
Though my story’s seldom told,
I have squandered my resistance
For a pocket full of mumbles,
Such are promises
All lies and jest
Still, a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest

When I left my home
And my family,
I was no more than a boy
In the company of strangers
In the quiet of the railway station,
Running scared,
Laying low,
Seeking out the poorer quarters
Where the ragged people go,
Looking for the places
Only they would know

Lie-la-lie…

Asking only workman’s wages
I come looking for a job,
But I get no offers.
Just a come-on from the whores
On Seventh Avenue
I do declare,
There were times when I was so lonesome
I took some comfort there.

Lie-la-lie…

Then I’m laying out my winter clothes
And wishing I was gone,
Going home
Where the New York City winters
Aren’t bleeding me,
Leading me,
Going home

In the clearing stands a boxer,
And a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders
Of ev’ry glove that laid him down
Or cut him till he cried out
In his anger and shame,
“I am leaving, I am leaving.”
But the fighter still remains

Lie-la-lie…

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you:

The most important and awesome site in the history of the internet.

(Via Kottke)

UPDATE: More!

Check out Billy Bragg’s album, Don’t Try This At Home. It’s amazing.

I’ve been enjoying John Hiatt’s new album, Master of Disaster, lately. In particular, the title track, “Master of Disaster,” is classic Hiatt- great lyrics and and an unmistakable sound.

Hiatt’s personal site is here (though its painfully Flash-ishized).

If you want to check it out, Amazon is offering a free download of the song “When My Love Crosses Over” from the album.

I recently built a free website for my friend and neighbor Andrew Clifford, an excellent musician, producer, and drum instructor. Visit Andrew’s site (he’s got some tracks for sale!), or read more about the project here.

You can get news of my latest projects delivered to your RSS reader of choice via this feed.

I got my beta invite to Odeo tonight. Checked it out some, be checking it out even further tomorrow.

Jason Calacanis sat in on a presentation and gives a long, interesting report on the new Odeo “podcasting portal” (my phrase) coming soon from Blogger co-creator Evan Williams and others.

Update: Much more on the del.icio.us tag ‘odeo’.

Another update: Make magazine has photos, including some screens from the Odeo site/app.

The Garden State soundtrack.

Billy Bragg’s “”Must I Paint You A Picture“” (from Walking & Talking) is one of the best movie-ending-soundtrack-songs ever.