Sing me to sleep

produced under the close eye of

Josh “the Reverend” Peyton.

A connection beyond the grave between Indiana troubadours was forged when Jonathan “Pork-chop” Boyd took the stage at the HiFi in Indianapolis, IN on September 29th 2015 to recite his poem in tribute to songwriter/poet Townes Van Zandt.

Jonathan “Pork Chop” Boyd

Feb 22 1969 - Aug 10 2022

”I hope this song is considered as a masterpiece of the art community of Indianapolis, Indiana.

All proceeds from this song will be donated directly to Conner, Dalton and Sonya Boyd to support the one’s who supported us.”

- Russ Baum.

Sing Me to Sleep

written by: Jonathan Boyd

The hour is late and I've grown weary

Rest for my soul has become a must

I dig through my crate and pull one out 

And blow off the dust

As I lay down I hear the needle drop

That's where my dreams start

and my blues stop

And there's the taste of whiskey on my lips

Resin on my fingertips

As I lay here resting my bones

I love to hear all those heartache songs

In my head I wander through Tecumseh Valley

Stop to have a drink down at Gypsy Sally's

So as the Sandman starts to creep

Mr. TVZ, won't you sing me to sleep

There's Mr. Mudd and Mr. Gold

Paints a story, colors bright and bold

As I slumber through the night

I just ain't waiting around to die

And she'll lead you down to misery

So Mr. TVZ, won't you sing me to sleep

When the rooster crows in the morning

I'll rise up with a grin

Wash the night from my face

As the day begins

And as each sun sets

I pray my soul to keep

And I'll play another record

 And Mr. Townes Van Zant 

Will sing me to sleep

“I was invited to play a Townes Van Zandt tribute by friend and songwriter Scott (Cootie) Crabtree to celebrate 10 years at the HiFi and a homecoming from my first tour of Florida. To my dismay my dog of 16 years named “Porkchop” passed away before I made it home. I went to the tribute show in true Townes fashion - out of my mind, drunk, confused and open for sadness with a deep hurting heart - my set was awful. By the end of the night I witnessed what felt like a miracle when songwriter Chris Wolf announced the next performer - “Ladies and gentleman let me welcome to the stage Jonathan Boyd. Most of you know his as Porkchop!”. I was flabbergasted. A portly and humble Jon takes the stage and nervously recites his poem, Sing Me to Sleep. A beautiful tribute to my favorite troubadour. Little did I know at that time but Jon was at the center of many lost souls and starving artists in indianapolis supporting the music scene from the source with an open door pollicy in a home converted in a venue\safe house dubbed “The Man Cave”. Supporting and catering to the likes of Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, Drive By Truckers and Justin Townes Earl led to deep understandings and relationships of the hard life of touring and pulling thru life with music. The Boyd home became quickly respected by all of us who didn’t have a place to go. Jonathan touched my heart that evening and gave new life to my best friend “Porkchop”. I vowed to one day turn it to a song. Here it is, just as late as Jon himself but not too late to support his family.

- Russ Baum

The Story

Jonathan and Sonya Boyd

here is a direct link to support the family of this beloved Indianapolis friend of music.

Vocals: Russ Baum

Acoustic guitar: Russ Baum

Bass guitar: Bryan Dougherty

Engineering: Jeff Smerdel

Produced by: Russ Baum, Jeff Smerdel and Josh Peyton

Mixed by: Jeff Smerdel

Mastered by: