Stewart grew up in the coastal resort town of Bournemouth, Dorset. According to Songfacts, in days of youthful folly Stewart played in a beat group with later BBC DJ Tony Blackburn before moving to the capital to seek fortune and fame.
Having bought his first guitar from future Police guitarist Andy Summers, Stewart traded in his electric guitar for an acoustic guitar when he was offered a weekly slot at Bunjies Coffee House in London's Soho in 1965. From there, he went on to compete at the Les Cousins folk club on Greek Street, where he played alongside Cat Stevens, Bert Jansch, Van Morrison, Roy Harper and Ralph McTell
Although he had his share of the breaks, including a tenure at Bunjees coffee house and a record deal with CBS, life wasn't always easy for the young troubadour; his first serious love affair ended in disaster, and he experienced all the usual insecurities of the stranger in the big city trying to find his way.
In January 1970, Melody Maker named his second release Love Chronicles its Folk Album Of The Year, but in spite of his obviously carving out quite a name for himself, it was not until Year Of The Cat - the single and even more so the monster album - that he really shot to fame.
He emigrated to the United States as his career took off in the mid 1970s, and still lives in California. While studio albums are now few and far between, he still tours extensively in the United States, and, most years, in Europe. Recordings of concerts are often made available through his fan clubs.
Almost Lucy
Al Stewart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And though she put her mind to it
Her heart was never in it
She stayed around just long enough to get paid
She won't pass the time with you
She can't stay a minute
And all these changing faces never bothered her at all
That just existed like a back-drop
Lucy looks like someone who is waiting for a call
She knows will come
But no-one else can hear at all
Lucy finds the dressing room and the bar
Hangs her clothes up
Hopes tonight the contract won't be broken
Well, they kick you round so much when you're not a star
Make you play all night just for a pittance or a token
But all these imperfections never bothered her at all
She says it sharpens your perception
When your back's against the wall
There's something that enables her to rise above it all
To shrug it off, just when it seems to go too far
I think you almost
Feel the pain coming on inside
I think you almost
Feel it now and you don't know why
You don't know why
The last time that I saw her
She had given up the chase
Moved away to California
Got a suntan on her face
She says that life was just another time, another space
It's over now, she learned a lot
It's not a wasteI think you almost
Feel the pain coming on inside
I think you almost
Feel it now and you don't know why
I think you almost
Feel yourself reaching out inside
I think you almost
Feel it now and you don't know why
Don't know why
The song "Almost Lucy" by Al Stewart is about a woman named Lucy who worked as a club singer but felt disconnected from her work. The lyrics describe how Lucy would work at a different club every night but her heart was never in it. She stayed long enough to get paid, but she never passed time with anyone and couldn't stay a minute. Even though she saw changing faces every night, it never bothered her. It was just a backdrop or pattern on the wall. Lucy looks like she's waiting for a call that only she can hear.
Despite this, Lucy finds the dressing room and hopes the contract won't be broken. She knows that they can kick her around when she's not a star, and she can be forced to play all night. However, she says that all these imperfections never bothered her, and it just sharpens her perception when her back is against the wall. There's something that enabled her to rise above it all, and she can shrug it off just when it seems to go too far.
In the end, Lucy moves to California and says that life was just another time and another space. She got a suntan on her face and learned a lot, and it was not a waste. The chorus describes how the listener can almost feel the pain coming on inside or almost feel themselves reaching out inside, but they don't know why.
Overall, the song paints a portrait of a woman who feels disconnected from her job and from the people around her. Despite this, she's able to rise above it all and move on to something better.
Line by Line Meaning
Lucy worked a different club every day
Lucy was a prostitute who worked at different clubs every day.
And though she put her mind to it
Although she tried to focus on her work,
Her heart was never in it
She never really enjoyed what she did and it didn't make her happy.
She stayed around just long enough to get paid
She only worked long enough to earn enough money.
She won't pass the time with you
Lucy didn't waste her time with unimportant things.
She can't stay a minute
She didn't stay in one place for very long.
And all these changing faces never bothered her at all
Lucy wasn't affected by the different people she met or the things that happened around her.
That just existed like a back-drop
Those things were just part of the background in her life.
Or a pattern on the wall
They were like a design on the wall that she didn't pay much attention to.
Lucy looks like someone who is waiting for a call
Lucy always seemed like she was waiting for something important to happen.
She knows will come
She was sure that this thing she was waiting for would happen someday.
But no-one else can hear at all
But no one else knew what it was that she was waiting for.
Lucy finds the dressing room and the bar
Lucy goes to the dressing room and the bar at the clubs she works at.
Hangs her clothes up
She hangs up her clothes in the dressing room.
Hopes tonight the contract won't be broken
She hopes that she will be able to fulfill her contract for the night without any issues.
Well, they kick you round so much when you're not a star
The people at the club treat her badly because she is not famous or important.
Make you play all night just for a pittance or a token
Lucy is made to work long hours for very little pay.
But all these imperfections never bothered her at all
Lucy never let the negative aspects of her life affect her attitude.
She says it sharpens your perception
She believed that these difficulties made her more aware of her surroundings.
When your back's against the wall
When she was in a tough situation.
There's something that enables her to rise above it all
There was something inside her that allowed her to overcome the challenges she faced.
To shrug it off, just when it seems to go too far
She was able to let things go when they got too difficult to handle.
The last time that I saw her
The singer is talking about the last time he saw Lucy.
She had given up the chase
She had stopped pursuing something that was very important to her.
Moved away to California
She had moved to California.
Got a suntan on her face
She got a tan while living in California.
She says that life was just another time, another space
Lucy believed that her previous life was over and that she had moved on to something new.
It's over now, she learned a lot
Lucy believed that her past was behind her and that she had learned from her experiences.
It's not a waste
She didn't regret the choices she had made in her past.
I think you almost feel the pain coming on inside
The singer thinks that the listener is starting to feel emotional pain.
And you don't know why
But the listener can't explain why they are feeling this way.
I think you almost feel yourself reaching out inside
The artist thinks that the listener is trying to connect with something on a deeper level.
Don't know why
But the listener can't explain why they feel this way.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: ALISTAIR IAN STEWART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind