Muchacho

Song for Zula

'Hard Was All I Knew,' is a stripped-down country/Americana ballad about loving someone without asking for comfort or shortcuts. Told from a quiet, reflective male perspective, the song leans on acoustic guitar and soft violin to carry a story of endurance, respect, and letting go without blame. This is an album-cut style song — restrained, honest, and built for listeners who value lyrics, space, and emotional weight over polish.

Written and produced by Johnny E. Lewis.

Mmmmm . . . mmmmm hmm
I learned young how to carry the weight
Saw good men bend, saw some break
God doesn't care what you think you’re due
I never prayed for easy, hard was all I knew

When heaven sent me a vision so real
Didn’t promise more than you could feel
I never prayed for easy, hard was all I knew

Every day you stayed, our love was my truth
If a man's left standing when the ground starts to move
I never prayed for easy, hard was all I knew

There were no nights running you were never wild
You just needed more than my kind
You made your own way through
I had no right to change what made you you

I watched you choose what kept you whole
Even when it cost us both
Love taught me to give and not to take
Through teary eyes wrapped in heartache

Some love ends without leavin' a scar
Just two people knowin' who they are

I never prayed for easy, hard was all I knew
Every day you stayed, our love was my truth
If a man's left standing when the ground starts to move
I never prayed for easy, hard was all I knew

I don’t dream of the past there's no one to blame
Won't throw what we had into the flames
You didn’t leave to hurt me
You left to stay the same

I never prayed for easy, hard was all I knew
But I’d carry the weight again if I had to choose
Some love don’t last, but it’s still true
I never prayed for easy, hard was all I knew

Easy never asked a thing of me
Love did

Hard Was All I Knew

Like I Used To

Middle of the Bed

The Hanging Gardens Of Beatenberg

Scorpionfish

Nocturne - EP

Olalla

Physics EP

Yours to Keep

Counting The Miles

Moonlight

Cape Town-based trio, Matthew Field (vocals and guitar), Robin Brink (drums) and Ross Dorkin (bass) deliver a unique  sound that effortlessly owns mainstream South African pop. Moved by poetry and art, Matthew took inspiration from a sketch of the Swiss town of  Beatenberg, in a book of lectures by expressionist Paul Klee. Classically trained and locally inspired, they formed in 2008 with the express desire to introduce us all to something new.

On the release of their debut, The Hanging Gardens of Beatenberg in 2014 the album became a showcase for the possibilities of pop music, exploring Kwaito, House and Mbaqanga. Beatenberg has broken radio chart records and won numerous awards as a result, including a sweep of the South African Music Awards including Album of the Year, Duo or Group of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, Best Pop Album and four awards for the riveting single “Pluto (Remember You)”.

Now joining Island Records in the Spring of their international musical journey, they're set to release 12 Views of Beatenberg at the close of 2018. There’s every reason to believe that Field, Dorkin and Brink will be South Africa’s first global pop success – and that they will do this on the back of a sound that is rooted in their home country’s indigenous styles, unfailingly moving forward to the future.