Songs of Love and Horror

As a performer, songwriter, and actor, Will Oldham has carved a singular path through the worlds of indie folk and cinema. Now the critically acclaimed, enigmatic artist presents his life’s work: the lyrics to more than two hundred songs spanning the 1980s to the present, each with annotations that impart new meaning to his music.

Oldham’s aphoristic meditations—on death, patience, and turning carelessness into a virtue—are, like his lyrics, profound, earthy, and often funny. They reveal flashes of Oldham’s philosophy, the sources and circumstances that inspired his lyrics, and the literary ambition of his songwriting. Separated from their aural form, Oldham’s lyrics become a new kind of poetry—candid, awkward, and wise—with influences as diverse as Rabindranath Tagore and The Mekons.

A book that will delight his longtime fans and inspire young songwriters, Songs of Love and Horror reveals an artist who has captured extraordinary poetry in music despite being "a stranger among my own language."

In calitate de interpret, compozitor si actor, Will Oldham a sculptat o cale singulara prin lumile indie folk si cinema. Acum, artistul enigmatic, aclamat de critici, isi prezinta opera vietii: versurile a peste doua sute de melodii cuprinse intre anii 1980 si pana in prezent, fiecare cu adnotari care confera un nou sens muzicii sale. Meditatiile aforistice ale lui Oldham - despre moarte, rabdare si neglijenta intr-o virtute - sunt, ca si versurile sale, profunde, pamantesti si adesea amuzante.