stories - Jeff and Tim Buckley

curious, i delved a bit into the song on the other side of the last post

Jeff Buckley was a musician on the rise in the early 90's, unfortunately his life was cut short when he drowned swimming in a river. His father himself was a musician, Tim Buckley. Tim and his wife at the time, fought throughout her pregnancy and Tim left shortly before Jeffery Scott was born. Jeff took his father's last name after he died of a drug overdose when Jeff was 9.

Tim Buckley wrote this song, "Dream Letter," about his estranged wife, and son whom he'd never known.



Now this song (sorry for the repost, but I got the live version this time), "Dream Brother" by Jeff Buckley is believed to be written for a close friend of Jeff's. One who was on the verge of letting his marriage collapse and leaving his family.



The chorus:
Don't be like the one who made me so old,
Don't be like the one who left behind his name
Cause they're waiting for you,
Like I waited for mine,
And nobody ever came

and in this live version he wails - "You're just like him, you're just like him"

its pretty rare to see backstory this clearly with lyrics like these. his dad being an artist as well, and communicating his feelings in "Dream Letter," helps paint a vivid, tragic picture of the two stories, which Jeff juxtaposes at the beginning of "Dream Brother."