Unquestionably, here's a feel-good story we can all get behind! On TikTok, a homeless man, John Metcalfe, went viral for his guitar-playing prowess. A TikTok user, Stephen Flynn, came across Metcalfe outside of a McDonald's drive-thru in England. Then, Flynn proceeds to record Metcalfe's rendition of Dire Straits' "Sultans of Swing." Take a look for yourself!
@steflynn748 ? original sound - Ste
Additionally, the positive response to the video was staggering. First, the clip received millions of views. Then, a GoFundMe was created on Metcalfe's behalf. Flynn recognized Metcalfe's considerable talent, deciding to help in any way he could.
"He is talented and an amazing person who just needs a little helping hand. Let's get Guitar John off the streets. Let make him see how amazing he is and how talented he is. He deserves to get recognized with a voice and talent like that," the GoFundMe message reads. So far, £6,941 (roughly $9077.12) has been raised to help Metcalfe get back on his feet!
A Homeless Musician Playing Outside Of McDonald's Gets Praise From The Internet
"It's totally restored my faith in human nature," Metcalfe said to PEOPLE. "Even after all that's happened to me — having my life stolen from me — it's just restored my faith." As Metcalfe explains, things started going downhill once he was deported to Britain due to visa issues.
"They gave me one hour to get what I could carry, and they put me in a jail overnight and then put me on a plane back to the U.K. the next morning. My poor girl sat there crying her eyes out. She couldn't believe it," Metcalfe explained.
"We want to move him and his partner in. We just want to see him happy," Flynn said, explaining his reasoning for helping Metcalfe. "His story pulls on your heartstrings, mate. All you want to do is help him. I can't see any other way."
Further, Metcalfe plans to use the money to purchase a camper van. He wants to travel around Britain, playing music for people. If a story like that doesn't warm your heart, it never had the capacity to embrace warmth in the first place. Hopefully, this is the start of a bright future for Metcalfe!