Rachel Waring Joe Pug

I’ve begun listening to Joe Pug as I study because I enjoyed listening to Hymn #101 so much in class. I have discovered that his music is similar in overall message as well as overall sound. He finds beauty by looking behind him but also by pushing forward. Many of his songs talk about things that have happened in the past and how you need to hold onto things. However, he also talks about how he does not plan on giving up. He also brings up mountain and country themes a lot, which fits the style of music that he plays, he is playing what he knows and what he is surrounded by.

In the song “If It Still Can’t Be Found” Joe Pug sings “If I walked ahead, I could look behind”. This shows how much he values moving forward but looking back clearly and concisely. By also focusing on nature and mountains, most likely from the area he grew up in, he is also looking back as he moves forwards. The world is moving towards a more technological way of life and he is looking back at a more natural world and sees beauty in that.


This point of view can also be seen in the style of his music. His music is largely acoustic and he uses more “old-timey” instruments, such as harmonicas, banjos and the like. By using this type of instrument he is keeping his music firmly rooted in the past while still writing about topics that are relevant and therefore moving forward. He sees the most beauty in the past and the future.

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