// About John Cartwright's

DAISY

CHAIN
DAZE

Songwriter. Guitarist. Composer. Proud creator of music heard by an admirably selective audience of approximately a dozen people.

stylized posterised portrait of John Cartwright, pulling his jacket close to his body

For many years, I have poured my heart and soul into writing and recording music that spans a multitude of genres. My creations tell compelling stories, evoke emotions, and challenge societal perceptions. Approximately a dozen people have heard them.

Drawing inspiration from a wide array of musical influences, my sound is versatile and designed to connect with listeners — a group that, so far, has remained admirably selective in size.

My lyrics address pressing social issues: inequality, the struggle for survival in a challenging world, and the quiet indignity of watching your stream count stall at single figures. Through my music, I strive to give a voice to the unheard. It turns out the unheard includes me.

Each song is more than entertainment. It is an opportunity to connect, provoke thought, and warmly encourage empathy in a world that feels cold at times — and that has, on the whole, yet to notice.

All recordings made at Windswept Studio, Upper Tumble, Carmarthen, South Wales.
A committed one-man operation, stubbornly independent since the beginning.

Musical

Influences

George Benson Zappa Psychedelia Pink Floyd Radiohead Shostakovich Brian Eno The Kinks Rage Against The Machine Funkadelic Jeff Beck Bob Dylan Neil Young Mozart

The Sound

Lyric Style

Bob Dylan / Neil Young conscientious lyric style with a modern contemporary songwriter twist.

Sound Profile

Soft, reflective moments juxtaposed with hard edges. Commercial without selling out. Not soppy or safe, but poignant.

Tone

Thoughtful compositions with a slight jarring edge. Some tracks tongue-in-cheek, poking fun at the ridiculous things in everyday life.

// Selected Lyrics

Words from the songs

Numbers Don't Lie — Album Track: Psychoanalysis

A “friendly” psychoanalyst digs into someone's hidden fears, pain, and dependence while pretending to help them heal. The song feels eerie and unsettling, blurring the line between comfort and control.

Come sit down beside me
Show me your hands
Please let me in

Let me understand
Don't be scared
I'm a friendly guy

Psychoanalysis
I'm your friendly analyst
mmm mmm, that's me

I can see deep in your soul
It hides feelings you can't control

Don't be scared
Psychoanalysis
I'm your friendly analyst

I feel your despair
Your dreams disapear
And everything
A living nightmare

I've noticed you can't sit still
What do you do?
Take another pill

Psychoanalysis
I'm your friendly analyst
mmm mmm, that's me

Psychoanalysis
I'm your friendly analyst
mmm mmm, that's me

— daisychaindaze, 2024

Now That You've Forgot: From Lyrics - Book XV

A quiet reunion at the place they first met brings back painful memories for one person, while the other seems to have already moved on. It's a bittersweet story about holding onto love when someone else has forgotten it.

I pour another coffee
Lean into the table
and ask you how it's been
I gaze into your eyes
Talk about the weather
and question who you've seen

I ask about your mother
Smile at the waiter
and enquire about dessert
I express my interest
In home made apple pie
and sense you've been hurt

I mention that I miss you
You stare through open windows
then turn and touch my shirt

Remember how we
wrote our names in the sand
and marvelled at the sunset

Now that you've forgot. How can I forget?

And as I look across to you
A smile falls from your face
and I am left holding
A cold cup of coffee
On a lipstick stained cup
In an unknown place

Now that you've forgot. How can I forget?

This is the place
The place we first met
This is the place
I've come to forget

— daisychaindaze, 2026

Can I Be One of Those Fabulous People: From Lyrics - Book XV

A person dreams of becoming glamorous and admired, chasing the flashy “fabulous” lifestyle they see around them. But beneath the luxury and appearances, they start realising it may not be as meaningful or special as it seems.

Can I be one of those fabulous people
You know, good looking', nice to know

Can I be one of those fabulous people
You know, plenty of fun, plenty to show

I've got hollywood eyes
but can't see what's being seen

Drinking wine
because it's got a fancy name
Behind gold curtains
Water tastes the same

Can I still be one of those fabulous peoples?

— daisychaindaze, 2026

Retro styled image of glamorous lady with a martini

Envy, Spite, and Jealous Luck — Album Track: Uncaged, Unhinged

A person is overwhelmed by intense anger that feels like a wild animal they can't control. As it consumes them, they struggle with self-destruction, isolation, and their own sense of sanity.

I've got a jack-hammer head
the thumping won't stop
my eyes pop from my skull
as anger takes hold

Don't come near me
I can't control rages
my fists break plastic
and rip up pages

Uncaged, unhinged, anger is the animal
And it's tearing away at my flesh

Can't step away
the damage has been done
screaming won't help
Because nobody comes

I'm dangerous
only to myself
as anger shakes me
I question the reasons
for my sanity

Uncaged, unhinged, anger is the animal
And it's tearing at my flesh
I'm uncaged, unhinged
Uncaged, unhinged

— daisychaindaze, 2025

Grunge image of angry guitarist, hand and an innocent face

Idiot: From Lyrics - Book XV

A charismatic but self-absorbed leader convinces people he has all the answers, while his arrogance divides and misleads those who follow him. As frustration grows, the song questions how society can hand so much power to someone driven more by ego than wisdom.

There's nothing as dangerous
as an idiot who thinks he's a genius

There's nothing more dangerous
than someone saying they're on your side
while they stare at the mirror

And when he's finished pruning
We'll be singing his praises
Believe he's not fooling
And hope he can save us
To make us great again

There's nothing as dangerous
as an idiot subsumed by vanity

We're forced to comply
Bury our heads in sand
Believe he has a master plan
To keep us moving on
To make us great again

There's nothing as dangerous
as an idiot who thinks he's a genius
There's nothing as divisive
as an idiot who comes between us

Now we enter his golden age
and our burning rage
can barely light a candle
We have been snuffed out
messed about, lost out
to someone who thinks he knows best
to make us great again

Well, I suppose we can all rush to church
and proclaim without shame
There is no God
Just a fucking idiot

— daisychaindaze, 2025

// About the craft

Every lyric is a small act of faith - that someone, somewhere, will hear it and feel less alone. So far, that someone has mostly been me. But I'm still writing.

Writing, for me, starts somewhere quiet: a feeling that can't sit still, a phrase that keeps circling back, a moment that deserves more than being forgotten. I catch those things in a tatty notebook and try to turn them into something that stands on its own.

My approach is instinctive but deliberate. I'm drawn to the space between what's said and what's felt — the line that sounds simple until it hits you sideways. Accessible on the surface, but with weight underneath for anyone who wants to dig. Every word earns its place, or it doesn't stay.

With daisychaindaze, the writing has found a natural home. The sound gives the lyrics room to live — texture and atmosphere that lets the words breathe without explaining themselves.

The themes that keep coming back: unfairness, bigotry, bullshit, frustration, fascination, connection, distance, growing old, feeling young, love lost, love gained. And the way people - escpecially powerful people - talk around the things that matter most.

I'm still figuring out what kind of lyricist I am. But this uncertainty feels like the right place to write from.

— John Cartwright / daisychaindaze 2026