Careless Soul: The beauty, sadness and genius of Daniel Johnston

Careless soul, oh, heed the warning
For your life will soon be gone
Oh, how sad to face the judgment
Unprepared to meet your God

Careless soul, why will you linger?
Wandering from the throne of God
And your life is spent in folly
Oh, prepare to meet your God

Careless soul, oh, heed the warning
For your life will soon be gone
Oh, how sad to face the judgment
Unprepared to meet your God

Hear you not the earnest pleadings
Of your friends that wish you well?
And perhaps before tomorrow
You’ll be called to meet your God

Careless soul, oh, heed the warning
For your life will soon be gone
Oh, how sad to face the judgment
Unprepared to meet your God

Daniel Johnston represents more than a musical genius but the fragile nature of humanity and the volatile state of one’s mind. Daniel’s songs are simple, short and beyond poignant in so many ways. There’s no dramatic set-up, no huge-scale show, no red curtains to pull back, just the rawness of real emotion and a heartbreaking descent. From sadness to elation to tearful, one can say listening to Daniel Johnston is a mainline to his soul — open and vulnerable for everyone to see.

The first time I heard ‘True Love will you in the End’ I felt such heartache and sadness and even today I still find it one of the saddest songs I've heard. Maybe that's because every word is coming from a pure place but in the quivering voice, you can feel his sense of this untruth and his unrelenting hope.

You, of course, can't talk about Daniel Johnston without talking about his mental health. Despite his genius, he battles through bipolar disorder and eventually schizophrenia. But like Daniel, you too, go through the journey with him. His musical career is a journey through his mind and soul and that journey is both beautiful and sad. His music and his art represent exactly what he feels and sees, no barriers, no filters, no beating around the bush. Maybe, this is why Johnston’s music resonates with so many. The simplest of words, feeling and true vulnerability. An act of courage and truth most of us are reluctant to share.

As someone who also suffers from Bipolar Disorder, Daniel’s story and his music not only inspires me but his world of emotions and the perspective he shares is something that truly resonates. The feeling of being a superhero but also the ongoing plague of demons within and without. His energy and exuberance are truly felt through those handmade recordings and when Daniel fell below the line, you felt it too. You were right there beside him. In the trenches, in the dark, in that depression. His story is both heartbreaking and in its own way triumphant.

[True love will find you in the end
You’ll find out just who was your friend
Don’t be sad, I know you will
But don’t give up until

True love will find you in the end
This is a promise with a catch
Only if you’re looking can it find you
’Cause true love is searching too

But how can it recognize you
If you don’t step out into the light, the light
Don’t be sad I know you will
Don’t give up until
True love will find you in the end]

The fragility of Daniel’s mind and similarly his music continues to gain more and more fans since his humble beginnings in the 80s, proving once again that the raw humanity and simple truths of Johnston’s music are forever relatable.

Pain, sadness, beauty, loss, fear, rejection, love, self-loathing, vulnerability, courage, hope, truth. This is what Daniel lends us, through simple notes and simple lyrics. Lyrics that seem so basic yet hit you square in the gut at full impact. Daniel’s music is the epitome of the human condition in its purest form. No frills, no pretty bows. Just life, just truth, sincerity and sometimes the crazy within us all.

Daniel’s creativity and volatile health continue to roller-coaster up and down his life. But this music icon of true lo-fi still leaves his mark on an audience who loves and accepts this man full of so much talent and so much pain. Johnston’s “craziness” isn't lost on any of us but if anything it brings us closer. In a world where we are taught that being vulnerable is to be weak and that to be mentally unwell is to be of no worth, Daniel is a true story that shows just how false these old ideals are. Daniel has all but disappeared and continues to create and alternate between his world and his second world — the hospital, and lives on a ranch his father built for him. Austin, Texas now has a “Hi, How Are You Day” that raises awareness about mental health and has live acts play in honour of Johnston’s contribution to music, art, creativity and our humanity.

Whilst Daniel and his music come across as almost child-like and pure the reality is this is truly a unique mind filled with more than we could possibly understand. Daniel’s truth is a testament to courage and authenticity and being who you are. Whether you’re battling demons or not, I think there’s a little piece of Daniel Johnston in each of us. Ultimately, what Daniel gives us is a heartfelt testament of emotion and the ongoing perseverance against odds and he does this so humbly and ever so eloquently without even knowing how his words and life have impacted people’s lives and the world around him. We know that we are not alone in our fragility and vulnerability but also that Daniel is one piece of the puzzle in the story of both genius and mental health. But above all, Daniel Johnston gives us both beauty and sadness and shows us that they don't have to be two separate entities but one and the same and often that's what life is.