https://countrymusicnewsinternational.com/john-jenkins-dying-by-inches/

John Jenkins releases the perceptive new single, Dying By Inches

By Alan Shipston for Country Music News International Magazine

Acclaimed Liverpool-based singer John Jenkins unveils his new single, Dying By Inches, his first solo release for 2026.  Based on his observations of political upheaval and the erosion of modern society, Jenkins leans into his past to project his thoughts of the future.  Two acoustic guitars play the somber chord progression through the fingerpicked first verse soon to be joined with a subdued keyboard on the stark second verse.  John’s clean, clear voice reaches for the soul of the song as he sings,

I’m dying but no one really knows

Spoke to the chaplain, told him

Here’s a bag, bury me in these clothes

Well, I have no faith in this world

Nothing is sacred

Nothing is fair

Bass guitar joins the chorus as harmony voices tell the tale of deep unease and dismay at what the songwriter sees unfolding on the world stage.  A harmonica enters to bring a melancholy texture to the short solo section reinforcing the tragedy espoused in Jenkins lyrics.  John had this to offer regarding the writing of his song, “I wrote and recorded this song for my album Growing Old – Songs from my Front Porch a few years ago.  At the time, I felt that the political climate in the United States was deteriorating with the nation’s long‐held ideals of hope, freedom and liberty eroding day by day.”  Jenkins continues his insightful writing with, “Well, I saw a light held up high in the sky, of a statue of a woman by the port, and I think of the dreams that my father once had.”  As Jenkins observes the light of hope seems “just a little bit dimmer to me,” he reminisces of immigrants sailing to the port looking for liberty.

John Jenkins, a veteran of John Peel sessions and ’80s post-punk with The Persuaders and Come in Tokio, has carved a path as a leading singer-songwriter in the UK folk, country and Americana scene.  A master of melody and understated lyricism, his critically acclaimed albums showcase evocative storytelling and deft musicianship, earning him widespread praise from the music press.  With comparisons to Simon and Garfunkel, Ralph McTell and Suzanne Vega, John Jenkins continues to craft timeless, emotionally resonant songs that speak to the heart.  The Liverpool Acoustic wrote this about John Jenkins, “A triumph of songwriting and soul.  One of the UK’s most compelling voices in Americana.”