Mei and I have been fortunate enough to write and arrange a version of the song that introduced me to bossa nova. The reimagined cover, self released under Public Confession Art House, sonically and thematically honors Jobim's existential conceit.

releases March 30, 2023 
Originally written by Antonio Carlos Jobim
Arranged and Performed by John Roseboro and Mei Semones
Coproduced by Luke Jr
Michael Barnes on Bass
Daniel Robinson on Tenor Saxophone 
Reid Deveraux on Trombone and Piano
Isac Jamba on Drums and Percussion

Public Confession Art House

Lyrics:
A stick, a stone, it's the end of the road
It's the rest of a stump, it's a little alone
It's a sliver of glass, it is life, it's the sun
It is night, it is death, it's a trap, it's a gun
The oak when it blooms, a fox in the brush
The nod of the wood, the song of a thrush
The wood of the wing, a cliff, a fall
A scratch, a lump, it is nothing at all
It's the wind blowing free, it's the end of the slope
It's a bean, it's a void, it's a hunch, it's a hope
And the riverbank talks of the Waters of March
It's the end of the strain, it's the joy in your heart

The foot, the ground, the flesh and the bone
The beat of the road, a sling-shot stone
In a truckload of bricks in the soft morning light
The shot of a gun in the dead of the night
A mile, a must, a thrust, a bump
It's a girl, it's a rhyme, it's a cold, it's the mumps
The plan of the house, the body in bed
And the car that got stuck, it's the mud, it's the mud!

Afloat, adrift, a flight, a wing
A cock, a quail, the promise of spring
And the riverbank talks of the Waters of March
It's the promise of life, it's the joy in your heart

A point, a grain, a bee, a bite
A blink, a buzzard, a sudden stroke of night
A pin, a needle, a sting, a pain
A snail, a riddle, a wasp, a stain
And the riverbank talks of the Waters of March
It's the promise of life, it's the joy in your heart

A snake, a stick, it is John, it is Mei
A fish, a flash, a silvery glow
And the riverbank talks of the Waters of March
It's the promise of life in your heart, in your heart


Psycho, sycophant
A rant, a rave
A goat, a lamb
A siren, a scream
The ocean, the sand
A friend, a cop
A car, a crash
My hand, a slap
A cloud, a storm
A star, a way
A charm, a future
A song, a snake

A stick, a stone, the end of the load
The rest of a stump, a lonesome road
A sliver of glass, a life, the sun
A night, a death, the end of the run
And the riverbank talks of the Waters of March
It's the end of all strain, it's the joy in your heart

U.H.F. - MFP

Stereolab