The new single by Michael Walsh represents more than a musical release because it tells a historical journey which merges storytelling elements with factual exploration. Through “A Man from No Time” we follow a protagonist who moves between the periods of French Revolution and Civil Rights Movement as he attempts to find self-forgiveness.
Jonathan Wood and Walsh combined their artistic talents to create a punk-infused production that delivers intense sonic power throughout the track. The track showcases a power-packed sound dimension that combines intense guitars with forceful drums which Jonathan Markwood delivers with an intense vocal delivery. This song carries punk influences from The Clash and The Ramones yet Walsh’s unique poetic style pushes the track past traditional genre limitations.
The main statement in the song explains the character’s internal battle through the lines “My past lies up ahead / My future I can’t outrun.” The character’s journey toward acceptance shapes the song’s unyielding tempo which builds emotional intensity between intellectual depth and physical stimulation.
This track from Walsh plays beyond musical categories because it presents a cinematic storyline that requires multiple listens. The musical narrative of “A Man from No Time” presents possibilities for becoming a movie score.
Listen to A Man from No Time
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What’s the central narrative or story that “A Man from No Time” explores?
The mystery of life and death. The possibility of the concept of past lives. Fate and redemption. Denial and self-forgiveness.
On one level it’s a sketch for a science fiction film where a man visits a medium who conjures the spirits of his past lives. He realizes, to his horror, that he’s done terrible things in the past and is trapped in the cycle of life – death – rebirth.
On a deeper and personal level it’s about denial, redemption and self-forgiveness.
The song title suggests an intriguing concept of timelessness. Can you elaborate on what “A Man from No Time” means to you?
I think it was Bob Dylan who once said, when you write a song it’s always about yourself. For me that’s often true. With this song it’s true. It’s about owning up to your mistakes. Self-denial of the wrongs you’ve commited and the negative impact it’s had on others, often the ones you love the most. When you’ve hurt someone or ruined a relationship. Trying to find ways or actions you can do to redeem yourself.
The protagonist in the song is in denial, claiming “the Fates hung me out to dry.” He hasn’t learned. The song’s a metaphor. You can’t move on in life until you’re brutally honest with yourself. Can’t get any serenity. It’s funny, I wasn’t thinking about this when I wrote the lyrics. That the song was about me. Maybe a little bit. More than a little bit. I’ve gained some serenity, but still working on it. Forgiving yourself? It’s like trying to catch smoke with your hands.
Could you walk us through the specific lyrics that you feel are most representative of the song’s core message? The chorus.
My past lies up ahead
My future I can’t outrun
I’m a man from no time or place
One history has shunned
My soul on trial for all the wrong I’ve done
The Fates hung me out to dry
Between the centuries I’ve swung
Again, the metaphor of past lives to illustrate not being able to move forward in this life. Being in denial. Not being able to forgive yourself. Let go of the past.
The third verse is different. Terrible things happen to innocent people and sometimes their reaction is terrible in some way or violent. We’ve all been victims of bad luck or fate. In this case the teenage boy buring down a police station after he’s witnessed atrocities inflicted upon his community.
Alabama’s burning 1963
Jim Crow boilin’ the mercury
Baudelaire’s Flowers wrap ‘round my reed
Go buy a rosary, sins pickin’ up speed
The Fates cracked the whip, stripped the trees
Gave me cuts that do not bleed
Drowning gilded memories
This day a flashing century
My grief a public enemy
I used poet Charles Baudelaire’s book Flowers of Evil reference to illustrate to the stark contrast of beauty (the good) and the evil we humans come into contact with daily. Life’s tough. My dad used to say ‘Life ain’t a bowl of cherries.’
How did the melody and musical arrangement come together to support the song’s thematic elements?
I had the great fortune of working with Producer Jonathan Wood at Premier Song Production in the UK. Jonathan’s a great listener and an amazing talent. A great guy to work with. He wrote the musical composition and hired brilliant session musicians. And Jonathan Markwood on vocals! Amazing! I told Jonathan Wood I wanted the music punk style, fast and hard with a sense of urgency and desperation to mirror the protag’s feelings of being trapped and helpless. In the style of The Clash and the Ramones. I’m thrilled with the outcome!
Were there any specific musical techniques or instrumental choices you made to convey the song’s sense of temporal displacement?
Producer Jonathan Wood made great choices to create this effect. The searing guitars, the reverb on the vocals, the crashing drums.
What inspired the sonic landscape of “A Man from No Time”? How did you want the music to sound different from your previous work?
This is the second song Jonathan and I have done together. We did my anti-war song Give Me A New Sky last fall. Again, this is Jonathan’s brilliance. He seemed to really connect with my lyrics, and like I mentioned before, he’s a great listener and was always open to my ideas.
Are there any personal experiences or observations that directly influenced the creation of this single?
I was my dear Mother Joan’s caregiver the last ten years of her life. She died of Parkinson’s fall of ’23. She was in a nursing home her last five years. I visited her 4-5 days a week. I saw a lot of death there. Residents I had befriended. And I’m still coming to terms with guilt I’ve carried for too long. Guilt from a broken marriage.
The title suggests a character who exists outside conventional time. Can you describe the protagonist of the song?
Again, the metaphor using a man feeling trapped in the cycle of life, death, and rebirth to illustrate the difficulty of forgiving oneself, the power of denial.
What emotional response are you hoping listeners will have when they hear “A Man from No Time”?
That’s a tough question. I really don’t know. Everyone’s perception’s unique.
How long did it take you to write and refine this particular track?
The chorus came to me a few years ago. I always keep spiral notebooks around. Fill them with lyrics. When I wanted to work with Jonathan Wood again and record a song I chose this one out of the half dozen that were pretty close to being done. Then I worked on it intensely for several weeks. When I’m feeling it, songs come at the same time. Sometimes I’m working on lyrics for 5-6 songs at the same time. I give them a rest. If the words don’t come up out of me I don’t force it. Lots of times lines come in the middle of the night. The best lines come out of the unconcious. Truths that well up out of your soul. I just write ’em down. What a gift!
Were there any challenging moments in the songwriting or recording process for this single?
Yeah, with writing the lyrics always right before I’m going to send them to Jonathan and say okay this is it. It’s done. It really never feels done. For several days after I say maybe I should of used this line or changed that line. I feel the same way with the fiction books I’ve written.
If you could have listeners focus on one specific aspect of the song, what would it be
Another tough question. I think the music and the lyrics work together beautifully. I’ve gotten a lot of postive responses from listeners. Again, I owe so much of the success of this song to Producer Jonathan Wood, his fabulous session musicians, and Jonathan Markwood’s dynamic and incredible vocal performance!
