Irish singer-songwriter Pa Sheehy, the former Walking on Cars frontman, checks in with “My Old Friend John,” the latest single from his forthcoming debut album, Maybe It Was All for This. To proclaim it a sympathetic portrait of a pal with problems is pushing the wrong narrative, I think, though that has the nice ring of alliteration and is somewhat accurate. In truth, the song charts the issues that spurred a friend’s battle with the bottle as well as his quest for a redemption that’s yet to come, all while conveying a truth too many among us fail to recognize: there but for the grace of God go I. To quote the chorus, “He sits in the back of my mind all the time/He don’t drink the water, he worships the wine/And the people say, why does he do it?/And the worst part is I know why.”
Sheehy possesses a gruff voice that resonates with authenticity; whether he really has is beside the point, as the mark of a great writer is empathy for his subjects, but one gets the sense that he’s lived the lyrics. It’s a masterful song and performance.
(The album is slated for release in the first week of October and can be ordered from his website. The song itself can be streamed from the usual streaming sites.)
The Old Grey Cat 
One thought