2026 Competition Entry:
The Boy Who Shed His Skin by J. Stephen Smith
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Lyrics
The Boy Who Shed His Skin
Words, J. Stephen Smith
[verse]
You know it’s just a bloody nuisance
Said the boy who shed his skin
Another lesson to be learned
You know we all die in the end
[verse]
So, you’d better just get on, then
Said a man just half my size
No time to set and cry about it
No place for you to run and hide
[chorus}
Cut these ties that hold me down
That’s the only way to begin
You can drop my weary bones in the ground
Said the boy who shed his skin
[verse]
Well, you know it’s been quite painful
Year to year and week to week
He bruises with the slightest touch
Even a kiss a upon the cheek
[verse]
I’ve seen him with the Lords and ladies
They can’t resist his boyish charm
And even with his loving mother
As she rocked him in her arms
[chorus]
Cut these ties that hold me down
That’s the only way to begin
You can drop my weary bones in the ground
Said the boy who shed his skin
[bridge]
Soon I’ll be flying home
So far from all the pain that I have known
Soon I’ll be flying home
And now it’s clear to me the time has come to go
[chorus]
Cut these ties that hold me down
That’s the only way to begin
You can drop my weary bones in the ground
Said the boy who shed his skin
[refrain]
Soon I’ll be flying home
So far from all the pain that I have known
Soon I’ll be flying home
And now it’s clear to me the time has come to go
Soon I’ll be flying home
Said the boy who shed his skin
Soon I’ll be flying home
Said the boy who shed his skin
Soon I’ll be flying home
Said the boy who shed his skin
Words, J. Stephen Smith
[verse]
You know it’s just a bloody nuisance
Said the boy who shed his skin
Another lesson to be learned
You know we all die in the end
[verse]
So, you’d better just get on, then
Said a man just half my size
No time to set and cry about it
No place for you to run and hide
[chorus}
Cut these ties that hold me down
That’s the only way to begin
You can drop my weary bones in the ground
Said the boy who shed his skin
[verse]
Well, you know it’s been quite painful
Year to year and week to week
He bruises with the slightest touch
Even a kiss a upon the cheek
[verse]
I’ve seen him with the Lords and ladies
They can’t resist his boyish charm
And even with his loving mother
As she rocked him in her arms
[chorus]
Cut these ties that hold me down
That’s the only way to begin
You can drop my weary bones in the ground
Said the boy who shed his skin
[bridge]
Soon I’ll be flying home
So far from all the pain that I have known
Soon I’ll be flying home
And now it’s clear to me the time has come to go
[chorus]
Cut these ties that hold me down
That’s the only way to begin
You can drop my weary bones in the ground
Said the boy who shed his skin
[refrain]
Soon I’ll be flying home
So far from all the pain that I have known
Soon I’ll be flying home
And now it’s clear to me the time has come to go
Soon I’ll be flying home
Said the boy who shed his skin
Soon I’ll be flying home
Said the boy who shed his skin
Soon I’ll be flying home
Said the boy who shed his skin
Author
Bio
J. Stephen Smith is an American singer-songwriter and music industry entrepreneur with over forty years of writing experience. His 2010 album Land of Plenty, recorded with The Redemption Center, received critical recognition — even as far away as Melbourne, Australia, where a reviewer compared his songwriting to the work of Mark Heard and T-Bone Burnett — and the Aquarian Weekly praised its “gritty hooks, intelligent lyrics and heartfelt vocals” in the tradition of Steve Earle. Drawing on the literary folk sensibility of Bruce Cockburn, the narrative grit of Steve Earle, the spiritual Americana of the late Mark Heard, and the fearless honesty of Lucinda Williams, Smith’s songs explore faith, loss, grace, and the human condition without easy answers.
In 1995 Smith founded Blind Records while living in Rochester, New York — initially as a platform to get unsigned and unheard artists airplay at local radio stations. The label grew to release several compilation albums under the series title The Immutable Record, and later released full albums by Jesse Sprinkle, Every Eye Closed, Mojo Heroes and The Redemption Center.
In 1995 Smith founded Blind Records while living in Rochester, New York — initially as a platform to get unsigned and unheard artists airplay at local radio stations. The label grew to release several compilation albums under the series title The Immutable Record, and later released full albums by Jesse Sprinkle, Every Eye Closed, Mojo Heroes and The Redemption Center.
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Wow, heartfelt mate. Another tear-jerker. We touch on similar themes. I have a song for my son I can’t finish writing because I keep crying everytime I do.
I know that’s right, I will be posting a song called Make It Better that i wrote for my son when his mom and i were going through a divorce