James Taylor: “The Frozen Man” (Live at Carnegie Hall, 4/12/2011)
Just a beautiful performance of an incredible song. There’s no light on him so I can’t be sure, and they don’t mention him in the credits, but I believe that’s the late great Don Grolnick accompanying James’ acoustic guitar.
In 2011, James was honored by @Carnegie Hall with a four-part James Taylor “Perspectives” series of concerts which included James curating and hosting the 120th Anniversary Carnegie Hall Gala on April 12, 2011. The gala fundraiser that evening benefited the education programs of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute.
“The Frozen Man” was first Inspired by an article that appeared in @National Geographic magazine about a man lost in a late 19th century polar expedition to the arctic — and the discovery of his body 100 years later. James has since described the song as having been inspired too by his father, Isaac, who himself was a kind of polar explorer. “The Frozen Man” written by James Taylor, first appeared on his album “New Moon Shine” in 1991.
LYRICS
The Frozen Man by James TaylorLast thing I remember is the freezing cold
Water reaching up just to swallow me whole
Ice in the rigging and howling wind
Shock to my body as we tumbled inMy brothers and the others were lost at sea
And I alone am returned to tell thee
Hidden in ice for a century
I walk the world again
Lord have mercy on the frozen manNext words that were spoken to me
Nurse asked me what my name might be
She was all in white at the foot of my bed
I said angel of mercy, I’m alive or am I deadMy name is William James McPhee
I was born in 1823
I was raised in Liverpool by the seaBut that ain’t who I am
Lord have mercy, I’m the frozen manIt took a lot of money to start my heart
Just to peg my leg and to buy my eye
The newspapers call me state of the art
And the children, when they see me, they cryWell, I thought it’d be nice just to visit my grave
See what kind of tombstone I might have
There lay the wife and daughter and it seemed so strange
(So strange)
Both of them dead and gone from extreme old ageI say, when I die make sure I’m gone
Don’t leave ’em nothing to work on
You can raise your arm, you can wiggle your hand
(Unlike myself)
So you can wave good-bye to the frozen man
Good-byeI know what it means to freeze to death
To lose a little life with every breath
To say good-bye to life on earth
To come around again
Lord have mercy, I’m the frozen man
God have mercy on the frozen man
Have mercy on the frozen man#JamesTaylor #JT #TheFrozenMan #CarnegieHall #NewMoonShine
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