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Song titles have been used for the poetic purpose of the biography and may not necessarily relate to the context of the songs or the period. They may also be slightly amended or shortened to accommodate the meter.

The verse focuses, to a large extent, on Taylor's struggles with deep depression, especially in his earlier years when he suffered from an inability to reconcile his inner world with the world he saw around him. Through institutional care and treatment, he learned strategies to deal with a life that had initially left him sleeping up to 20 hours a day.

Stanza 1- 2: Music (1975); Carolina in my Mind (1969); Copperline (1991)
James Vernon Taylor was born in 1948 in Boston, Massachusetts and moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina as a result of his father's job as an assistant professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. The area in which Taylor grew up, Copperline, noted for its red soil and mining, was later described by him as a beautiful, tranquil and rural coming of age experience. Taylor's mother was an aspiring opera singer and music was a strong influence in the home.

Stanza 3: Sweet Baby James (1970); Hymn (1973);
Starting with the cello, Taylor graduated to the guitar by the age of 12. His style was influenced by hymns, carols and the music of Woody Guthrie.

Stanza 4 - 5: School Song (2007); Wandering (1975); Turn Away (1985); Angry Blues (1975)
Despite showing a good scholastic performance, his headmaster described him as being more sensitive and less goal-oriented than most of his peers. He left and later tried to resume his education but felt detached and became depressed, subsequently committing himself to a psychiatric hospital. His treatment there was credited with giving him a sense of time and structure, a life saver. He accepted that his feelings were an innate part of his personality.

Stanza 6 - 7: Stand and Fight (1981); You can Close your Eyes (1971); Another Day (1968); Hard Times (1981)
Music was his driving force that gave his life a sense of meaning through the turmoil of his development.

Stanza 8 - 9: Promised Land (1975); Fire and Rain (1970); Country Road (1970); Walking Man (1974)
He moved to New York and set up a band, Flying Machine. Although he learned a lot about music during this period, he learned much more about drugs and became addicted to heroin. Out of money and abandoned by his manager, he made a desperate call to his father to bring him home to the rural sanctuary of the countryside. More treatment followed and there was a tentative recovery. He learned (*Walking Man) that, if he was going to achieve anything in life, he would have to take things one step at a time.

Stanza 10: Love Songs (1975)
Through the sentiments of his songs, he made a connection with his fans. He always believed that it was wrong to explain the lyrics because it was up to the listener to interpret and, once that was done, there would be true ownership on their part.

Stanza 11- 12: Line 'em Up ( 1997); How Sweet it is ( 1975); Sunny Skies ( 1970) You've Got a Friend (1971)
Clearly a nod to the famous Nixon footage of him saying goodbye to his line of staff. But also believed to reflect Taylor's thought process of lining up his positive thoughts in an attempt to overcome the negative aspects of the world around him. In short, he knew he had to embrace the real world and not simply exist in his mind.

Stanza 12: How Sweet it is (1975); Sunny Skies (1970); You've Got a Friend (1971)
Through mental issues, recurring drug addiction and turmoil, he learned through music to focus his mind on the beauty of his surroundings and the myriad of emotions that accompany love. Unlike many artists of his time, he wrote with the conviction of someone much older than himself with his sensitive, affecting songs that resonated with his fanbase. In short, a friend to the people, a political activist and supporter of good causes.

He has been married since 2001 to his third wife, Caroline Smedvig, and has 4 children. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 and is one of the best-selling music artists of all time.

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