And they tell me all the winners smoke cigars

Josiah Leming, who might be classified as a musician that lived out of his car and who was self-promoted through Facebook and You Tube, is one of those modern phenomenons given to us by American Idol. Though he was cut before the semifinals in Season 7 of American Idol, he was able to negotiate a contract with Warner Brothers which resulted in his debut album, "Come on Kid." The album was a failure, which resulted in Warner Brothers quickly dropping him from its label. He continues his musical career, therefore, largely solo, suffering the disadvantage of weak marketing.

Though he is hardly a star, he does have the distinction of writing a song about cigars. For Leming, the cigar is a symbol of his dreams, dreams that he has not be successful at achieving. He seeks to go beyond mere cigarettes and alcohol, and seeks the grandeur that is epitomized by the cigar. For Leming, therefore, the cigar is a symbol of both his failure and his desire for success.

"This Cigar" Lyrics:

This cigar, burns a hole straight through my jeans and
Through your heart, as we watch the ashes form
Another scar, that I will never show
But some how everybody seems to know my demons
In all my efforts I've committed treason
For chasing dreams that are changing like the seasons
Make me feel so small, but I'm so proud to tell them all

That I'm a man now
I can drive a car
And I'm a drop out
I'm nobody so far
But I don't mess with
Cigarettes and alcohol
Cos I'm the best there is
And they tell me all the winners smoke cigars

This guitar, is pouring melodies that burn
Inside my heart, as the sound is broken up
By passing cars, they don't know that I'm above
Ir that I'm swimming in the middle of an ocean
I'm riding on a wave of pure emotion
Yeah, I'm drinkin up this sea like it's a potion
Maybe it could lend me wings, I'll either float or start to sink

Cos I'm a man now
I can drive a car
And I'm a drop out
I'm nobody so far
But I don't mess with
Cigarettes and alcohol
Cos I'm the best there is
And they tell me all the winners play guitar

And I know I've never been the kind
To let them get inside my mind
You just got to see that I need them on my side
I promise not to breathe it in
or ever strum a chord again
cos it hurts my lungs and burns my tongue to know that....

This cigar, burns a hole straight through my jeans
And through her heart, as we watch the ashes form
Another scar, that I could never show
Yet somehow everybody seems to know my demons
In all my efforts I've committed treason
For chasing dreams that are changing like the seasons
I know that I'm so small but I'm so proud to tell you all

That I'm a man now
I can drive a car
And I'm a drop out
Nobody so far
But I don't mess with
Cigarettes and alcohol
Cos I'm the best there is
And they tell me all the winners smoke cigars