One of my all-time favorites. I’ve always wondered why the extra verse from the “Mariana’s EP” disc was left on the cutting room floor. I’ve always loved the way it wrapped up the story and think it may be one of the best verses you’ve ever written.
You might be right Ron. I'm going to upload that version right now. Give me a couple of minutes. Then I'm going for a walk. The neighborhood has been talking over by swifties. What a scene!
I have no idea why I didn't include that verse in the final version. I think I just forgot to!
I've always preferred this verse, and I think this story is a great explanation of why it's poignant and not facile. Balloon Man hasn't been seen in a while, but perhaps, without the balloons, he has simply become some other man.
If you're the Ron I think you are, I found it for the first time on your website, before I knew that the EP existed. So thank you.
I remember I figured out how to play this song and was signing it reading the lyrics on the libretto (I guess, I don't know where else I would find them) and it had that additional end verse which I had never heard so I just sang it, reading and singing the words for the first time and I swear the emotional kick of that last verse split my chest open (symbolically speaking). It was very powerful as it really brought the song home to me in terms of not just missing someone but the love for the absent person prevents you from moving on, and also defines who you are, so you're afraid to let it go. Really stopped me dead in my tracks and the words caught in my throat. Damnit Richard, you damn-near killed me! This song, Transit, Wisteria, Reunion Hill...they all have the capacity to reduce me to a puddle. There are not too many artists who do that to me.
God bless you. I’ve thought of this for months. Ever since the introduction of “Progress and Mortar” and the possibility they were connected somehow. So happy to see this in story form. Stay well. Peace.
When I was growing up, a marvelous old man would sometimes appear on our street with a rickety cart on wheels and a push handle. He sharpened scissors, knives, and all manners of cutlery ... right there, on the street ... making his living (I suppose) with what he knew to do. I was too young to chat with him, but I still marvel at the sight he presented: his dignity .. for sharpened blades for a dollar or probably (at that time) less. Now, some 60 years later, I still think about him, wonder who he was, and what became of him. Such a nice song you (once again) penned, Richard.
Thanks for the kind words Dave. Around here that guy would be called el afilador. They go around on bicycles rigged up so that the grindstone is powered by the front wheel of the bicycle turned upside down. They announce themselves with pan flutes.
Hah, I don't remember pan flutes (that would have been pretty neat!) -- I also like the dual utility of the front bike wheel. I did however have a "Good Humor" man with a bell ... and he knew to PARK in front of our house until we came out for ice cream. When it got cold (we lived in Chicago) he'd leave and go to Florida, I do know that ... Spring (& Summer) was officially announced when he came back!
This song. Such a beautiful sound and I so envy your lyrical talents. Such balance in what turns a biography into a heartbreakingly pure love song. Killer. A thousand questions… do you have a single song that you wrote that makes you feel like you did it all correctly, like you would never consider a change or a re-recording?
Interesting question. I don't think there's one song I wouldn't re-record. As for writing... I've got a handful of songs I think are good enough, which is to say... wouldn't change. Balloon Man is one.
What a wonderful song - so vividly visual, and the only song I've ever heard that used the word "equipoise". And for all of its detail, so much was left unsaid for the listener to fill in or just dream about. That irresistible listener involvement is a big part of how wonderful it is.
As for Balloon Man himself, I'm happy to know that he's much more than just your own creation. (Tell me, is "another clown throwing fire at the sky" also real? I've wondered about that, too.) I do hope that he's still among us; we all need a bit of magic from our childhood from time to time.
For years I've listened to this song while running or walking. I too have filled in the story in my head so many times. That's an artist's true magic bringing us in to the story, making it real in our minds.
Thanks Don. Yes, leaving room for the listener is so important. It's also important for me as the singer, in performance. Yes, the juggler is real. Not sure he's still there. But they're always popping up!
Hi all. I've switched out the audio. Ron Greitzer reminded me of another version, with a verse omitted from the final. Having just listened to it for the first time in almost 15 years, I have to say... I do not hate it! And it's much more interesting to upload an alt version (which most will not know) rather than the version that appeared on the record.
Thank you. Forgive me if I get a little weepy at Sara’s violin on the missing verse. (BTW, not sure if it’s just me, but I’m hearing a couple of glitches starting about :15 into the audio).
Curses. You are right. There's some kind of issue with the upload. I think I uploaded too heavy a file. I'll dumb down the resolution and try again. Thanks.
A photo of the real Balloon Man! What a treat! I've pictured him so many times. For some reason I imagined him being tall and thin, and I thought the balloons would be bobbing up in the air. But now I know Balloon Man a little better.
Cue tuneless British singing: “And I’m sooooo far away, on the other side of the worrrrrrld. I’m just happy to know that Balloon Man lives in it too.”
I like to think of it less as tinkering with the truth, and more as adding evocative details that make the story more real. And that works in concert with leaving out enough details so as to draw the listener in to become an active participant in the telling of the tale.
Bill Morrissey and I talked about each of those from time to time. I appreciated both of them in his songwriting, and I appreciate them in yours, too.
I thought the same thing about the balloons, always pictured them as helium-filled. The reality certainly makes sense as helium is expensive, but I'll keep picturing floating balloons in my mind while listening to this beautiful song.
Just love. Your sharing that that song is true, has deep meaning, is rooted in actual lived experience, and speaks to the states of the world: utterly beautiful, Richard. And thank you. SO happy that your throat-chakra and your mastery of the musical language are so clear, and are expressed by your conscious choice to do so
Thank you Jeff. I'm glad the song has meaning for others. It's a straightforward song. But it's meaning for me is endless. Of all the songs I've written, if I had to pick one which wraps everything up, it would be this one.
It's hard to pick a favourite song by you, but Balloon Man is certainly up there for me. And it's this version that wins, without question.
My focus has always been that person on the balcony—imagining who they are, and who it is they're missing on the other side of the world. I know it doesn't really matter, but I love trying to picture them, and feeling that pang of emotion when they head back inside ("No! Stay a while longer and tell me more!")
Then you gave us this alt version on Mariana's EP. I couldn't believe my luck all those years ago! The double verse before the first chorus felt so perfectly paced. But it's that final verse... well, it's just wow. Finally, after wishing it for so long, that person on the balcony DID stay a little longer, and gave the song it's perfect ending.
"My focus has always been that person on the balcony-- imagining who they are, and who it is they're missing on the other side of the world." Well said Kenny. The person on the balcony is me. Balloon man is himself and me. The balloons are balloons, at least until the end, when they become something else.
Thanks for replying and explaining that. For some reason I'd never assumed it was you; always someone else. (Even ME at times, when missing someone half a world away!) But it's nice to finally know, and having a photo of the actual Balloon Man is the icing on the cake. Wonderful.
My interlocutor was so far away when he was on the other side of the world in the Marshall Islands, while I was back in Massachusetts (although we remained within the same area code, thanks to MIT -- this was back in 1990). But it got even worse after he died about 13 years later and I had those moments of disconnect, thinking "I know who would understand this...," only to remember that discussing your loss with the person you've lost is kind of tricky. So I resonate with that longing to tell that someone who isn't with you.
The Balloon Man story itself comes across to me so vividly in the song that I (like others) imagined images to go with it. I really love the immediacy of the story that arises from the way the story is related. And the story seems so ripe for interpretation as some kind of allegory, which I must confess is more my tendency to think about than to think about the factual reality of this individual's life and details (which would probably get me thinking about privacy and consent and all kinds of extraneous issues).
So I guess all of this is to say I love the song, and am glad to have it in my world (in both versions) and to be able to enjoy it in my own idiosyncratic way.
Diana I don't know what to say. Your message is so strong. You said, "I know who would understand this..., only to remember that discussing your loss with the person you've lost is kind of tricky. So I resonate with that longing to tell someone who isn't with you." Thank you for articulating this. Something like this was very much on my mind when I wrote the song. Then later, the longing is for a whole world.
One of my all-time favorites. I’ve always wondered why the extra verse from the “Mariana’s EP” disc was left on the cutting room floor. I’ve always loved the way it wrapped up the story and think it may be one of the best verses you’ve ever written.
The balloons are pulling him backwards
If he cut them all loose he’d be free
But he doesn’t, he can’t, and he never will
Without them, what man would he be?
You might be right Ron. I'm going to upload that version right now. Give me a couple of minutes. Then I'm going for a walk. The neighborhood has been talking over by swifties. What a scene!
I have no idea why I didn't include that verse in the final version. I think I just forgot to!
I've always preferred this verse, and I think this story is a great explanation of why it's poignant and not facile. Balloon Man hasn't been seen in a while, but perhaps, without the balloons, he has simply become some other man.
If you're the Ron I think you are, I found it for the first time on your website, before I knew that the EP existed. So thank you.
I’m probably the Ron you think I am.
Well, gentlemen, one thing's for certain. I'm not the Richard you think I am!
That's hilarious.
I remember I figured out how to play this song and was signing it reading the lyrics on the libretto (I guess, I don't know where else I would find them) and it had that additional end verse which I had never heard so I just sang it, reading and singing the words for the first time and I swear the emotional kick of that last verse split my chest open (symbolically speaking). It was very powerful as it really brought the song home to me in terms of not just missing someone but the love for the absent person prevents you from moving on, and also defines who you are, so you're afraid to let it go. Really stopped me dead in my tracks and the words caught in my throat. Damnit Richard, you damn-near killed me! This song, Transit, Wisteria, Reunion Hill...they all have the capacity to reduce me to a puddle. There are not too many artists who do that to me.
What an absolute marvel of equipoise.
I’ve long been glad that you shared Balloon Man with those of us, so far away and clueless, who reside in the global north.
God bless you. I’ve thought of this for months. Ever since the introduction of “Progress and Mortar” and the possibility they were connected somehow. So happy to see this in story form. Stay well. Peace.
I also remember and wish him well. My children loved him.
You lived around the corner from "the park by the church". How wonderful they got to know him!
I can see that his glasses are slightly askew.
Always. Absolutely always.
When I was growing up, a marvelous old man would sometimes appear on our street with a rickety cart on wheels and a push handle. He sharpened scissors, knives, and all manners of cutlery ... right there, on the street ... making his living (I suppose) with what he knew to do. I was too young to chat with him, but I still marvel at the sight he presented: his dignity .. for sharpened blades for a dollar or probably (at that time) less. Now, some 60 years later, I still think about him, wonder who he was, and what became of him. Such a nice song you (once again) penned, Richard.
Thanks for the kind words Dave. Around here that guy would be called el afilador. They go around on bicycles rigged up so that the grindstone is powered by the front wheel of the bicycle turned upside down. They announce themselves with pan flutes.
Hah, I don't remember pan flutes (that would have been pretty neat!) -- I also like the dual utility of the front bike wheel. I did however have a "Good Humor" man with a bell ... and he knew to PARK in front of our house until we came out for ice cream. When it got cold (we lived in Chicago) he'd leave and go to Florida, I do know that ... Spring (& Summer) was officially announced when he came back!
Well, that sure made me teary-eyed. I'm pretty sure the answer will only make us sadder than does this state of not-knowing.
Love the song. Love the compassion in the song.
I'm choosing to believe he's found a better circuit.
This song. Such a beautiful sound and I so envy your lyrical talents. Such balance in what turns a biography into a heartbreakingly pure love song. Killer. A thousand questions… do you have a single song that you wrote that makes you feel like you did it all correctly, like you would never consider a change or a re-recording?
Thanks Gary. It is a love song for sure.
Interesting question. I don't think there's one song I wouldn't re-record. As for writing... I've got a handful of songs I think are good enough, which is to say... wouldn't change. Balloon Man is one.
What a wonderful song - so vividly visual, and the only song I've ever heard that used the word "equipoise". And for all of its detail, so much was left unsaid for the listener to fill in or just dream about. That irresistible listener involvement is a big part of how wonderful it is.
As for Balloon Man himself, I'm happy to know that he's much more than just your own creation. (Tell me, is "another clown throwing fire at the sky" also real? I've wondered about that, too.) I do hope that he's still among us; we all need a bit of magic from our childhood from time to time.
For years I've listened to this song while running or walking. I too have filled in the story in my head so many times. That's an artist's true magic bringing us in to the story, making it real in our minds.
Thank you John. I hope the BPM has been good for your pace!
I'm old, slow and recovering from a knee replacement. The beat is just fine!
Thanks Don. Yes, leaving room for the listener is so important. It's also important for me as the singer, in performance. Yes, the juggler is real. Not sure he's still there. But they're always popping up!
Hi all. I've switched out the audio. Ron Greitzer reminded me of another version, with a verse omitted from the final. Having just listened to it for the first time in almost 15 years, I have to say... I do not hate it! And it's much more interesting to upload an alt version (which most will not know) rather than the version that appeared on the record.
Thank you. Forgive me if I get a little weepy at Sara’s violin on the missing verse. (BTW, not sure if it’s just me, but I’m hearing a couple of glitches starting about :15 into the audio).
Curses. You are right. There's some kind of issue with the upload. I think I uploaded too heavy a file. I'll dumb down the resolution and try again. Thanks.
OK, I think I fixed it. Substack does not like 48 mb aiff files. Let me know if it works. Thanks
A photo of the real Balloon Man! What a treat! I've pictured him so many times. For some reason I imagined him being tall and thin, and I thought the balloons would be bobbing up in the air. But now I know Balloon Man a little better.
Cue tuneless British singing: “And I’m sooooo far away, on the other side of the worrrrrrld. I’m just happy to know that Balloon Man lives in it too.”
Well yes. I do give the impression that the balloons are floating. I had to tinker with the truth a bit.
I like to think of it less as tinkering with the truth, and more as adding evocative details that make the story more real. And that works in concert with leaving out enough details so as to draw the listener in to become an active participant in the telling of the tale.
Bill Morrissey and I talked about each of those from time to time. I appreciated both of them in his songwriting, and I appreciate them in yours, too.
Bill was the master. Only met him a few times. But I listened carefully to everything he did.
I thought the same thing about the balloons, always pictured them as helium-filled. The reality certainly makes sense as helium is expensive, but I'll keep picturing floating balloons in my mind while listening to this beautiful song.
Thank you for sharing those photos. ❤️
You're welcome Karen.
Just love. Your sharing that that song is true, has deep meaning, is rooted in actual lived experience, and speaks to the states of the world: utterly beautiful, Richard. And thank you. SO happy that your throat-chakra and your mastery of the musical language are so clear, and are expressed by your conscious choice to do so
Thank you Jeff. I'm glad the song has meaning for others. It's a straightforward song. But it's meaning for me is endless. Of all the songs I've written, if I had to pick one which wraps everything up, it would be this one.
It's hard to pick a favourite song by you, but Balloon Man is certainly up there for me. And it's this version that wins, without question.
My focus has always been that person on the balcony—imagining who they are, and who it is they're missing on the other side of the world. I know it doesn't really matter, but I love trying to picture them, and feeling that pang of emotion when they head back inside ("No! Stay a while longer and tell me more!")
Then you gave us this alt version on Mariana's EP. I couldn't believe my luck all those years ago! The double verse before the first chorus felt so perfectly paced. But it's that final verse... well, it's just wow. Finally, after wishing it for so long, that person on the balcony DID stay a little longer, and gave the song it's perfect ending.
Thanks Richard 🎈
"My focus has always been that person on the balcony-- imagining who they are, and who it is they're missing on the other side of the world." Well said Kenny. The person on the balcony is me. Balloon man is himself and me. The balloons are balloons, at least until the end, when they become something else.
Thanks for replying and explaining that. For some reason I'd never assumed it was you; always someone else. (Even ME at times, when missing someone half a world away!) But it's nice to finally know, and having a photo of the actual Balloon Man is the icing on the cake. Wonderful.
My interlocutor was so far away when he was on the other side of the world in the Marshall Islands, while I was back in Massachusetts (although we remained within the same area code, thanks to MIT -- this was back in 1990). But it got even worse after he died about 13 years later and I had those moments of disconnect, thinking "I know who would understand this...," only to remember that discussing your loss with the person you've lost is kind of tricky. So I resonate with that longing to tell that someone who isn't with you.
The Balloon Man story itself comes across to me so vividly in the song that I (like others) imagined images to go with it. I really love the immediacy of the story that arises from the way the story is related. And the story seems so ripe for interpretation as some kind of allegory, which I must confess is more my tendency to think about than to think about the factual reality of this individual's life and details (which would probably get me thinking about privacy and consent and all kinds of extraneous issues).
So I guess all of this is to say I love the song, and am glad to have it in my world (in both versions) and to be able to enjoy it in my own idiosyncratic way.
Diana I don't know what to say. Your message is so strong. You said, "I know who would understand this..., only to remember that discussing your loss with the person you've lost is kind of tricky. So I resonate with that longing to tell someone who isn't with you." Thank you for articulating this. Something like this was very much on my mind when I wrote the song. Then later, the longing is for a whole world.