Chilton said in the September 1994 issue of Guitar Player that he considers himself a "musical performer, not a songwriter" and that some of his songs sound only "half-baked" to him. Nonetheless, his compositions have been performed by a number of artists, including Teenage Fanclub, This Mortal Coil, The Bangles, Wilco, Graham Coxon, Garbage, Tom Bradbury, Son Volt, Counting Crows, Elliott Smith, Jeff Buckley, Superdrag, Evan Dando, Cat Power, Yo La Tengo, Placebo, Xiu Xiu, and His Name Is Alive. The Replacements wrote the song Alex Chilton in his honor on their 1987 Pleased to Meet Me album, produced by Jim Dickinson in Memphis.
On March 17, 2010, Alex Chilton died of an apparent heart attack in a hospital in New Orleans. He was 59.
No More the Moon Shines on Lorena
Alex Chilton Lyrics
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Old Master used to own me as a slave
He had a little gal he'd call Lorena
And we courted where the wild bananas waved
For long years we courted and we were happy as one
I hard worked it for my dear old master and the happiness of live had just begun
No more the moon shines on Lorena
And the possum playing on the wild banana
And the old owl a-hootin' like a horn
One day I went to see dear Lorena
I honked and she would meet me at the gate
But they took her away to old Virginie
And left me to morn for her fate
For years I longed to see her
Thoughts of her, as ever in my head
One day master read me a letter
Telling me that Lorena, she was dead
No more the moon shines on Lorena
As we sit and watch the coon among the corn
And the possum playing on the wild banana
And the old owl a-hootin' like a horn
But I know that her soul has gone to heaven
And there she is ever free from pain
To her brighter crown it is given
And no more will she wear these darky's chains
No more the moon shines on Lorena
As we sit and watch the coon among the corn
And the possum playing on the wild banana
And the old owl a-hootin' like a horn
The lyrics to Alex Chilton's song No More the Moon Shines on Lorena are a heartbreaking tale of love and loss. The song tells the story of a former slave who courted a girl named Lorena on the old plantation where he used to be owned. They courted happily for years until she was taken away to old Virginie, and he was left to mourn for her fate. The singer longed to see her for years until his master read him a letter telling him that Lorena was dead. Although her soul has gone to heaven where she is free from pain, the singer remains forever chained to his memories of her.
The song is a poignant commentary on the experiences of enslaved African Americans in the pre-Civil War South. The singer's emotional connection to Lorena is both profound and complicated. Despite the happiness he found with her, he remains trapped in a system of oppression that separates him from the woman he loves. The use of plantation imagery, such as the wild bananas and the corn, serves to emphasize the singer's connection to the natural world as well as the cruelty of the system he is subjected to. The final verse, in which the singer mourns Lorena's passing, is infused with a sense of loss that is both personal and political.
Line by Line Meaning
Way down upon the old plantation
On the abandoned fields of the old plantation
Old Master used to own me as a slave
I was once owned by the old plantation owner as a slave
He had a little gal he'd call Lorena
His daughter, whom he named Lorena
And we courted where the wild bananas waved
We had a romantic relationship among the waving banana plants
For long years we courted and we were happy as one
We were in love for many years and our union brought us joy
I hard worked it for my dear old master and the happiness of live had just begun
I worked hard for my old master and just began to experience the joys of life
No more the moon shines on Lorena
Lorena has passed away and the moon no longer shines on her
As we sit and watch the coon among the corn
As we sit and watch the racoons in the cornfields
And the possum playing on the wild banana
And the possum playing among the banana trees
And the old owl a-hootin' like a horn
And the old owl hooting like a horn
One day I went to see dear Lorena
I went to visit Lorena one day
I honked and she would meet me at the gate
I signaled for her to meet me at the gate
But they took her away to old Virginie
But she was taken away to Virginia
And left me to morn for her fate
And left me to mourn her loss
For years I longed to see her
I longed to see her for many years
Thoughts of her, as ever in my head
Thoughts of her always remained in my head
One day master read me a letter
One day my master read me a letter
Telling me that Lorena, she was dead
Informing me that Lorena had passed away
But I know that her soul has gone to heaven
But I believe that her soul has ascended to heaven
And there she is ever free from pain
And there she is forever free from pain
To her brighter crown it is given
She has been granted a brighter crown in heaven
And no more will she wear these darky's chains
And she will no longer be enslaved by the chains of slavery
Contributed by Declan G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
t .byrne
Oh my god I love this more than life
Mitch Eadie
Love me a little Woody Guthrie melody.
SUSANNE SIMMONS
Black lives matter. What they were singing about a white woman being killed like this.
SUSANNE SIMMONS
Black lives matter. Who sings a song about killing a woman. This is a brutal song. Just thought of killing someone.
SUSANNE SIMMONS
Black lives matter. What if they were singing about a white woman like this. Some things just got to go just the same as they're taking down the alot of the confederate statues. They should get rid of this song too. Who sings a song about killing someone. Again Black lives matter
SUSANNE SIMMONS
I THINK THE SONG IS RACIST. TRIED TO OFF AS FUNNY HANGING BLACK SAVE IN THE SOUTH.
Alex Chilton's bitch
@Debra Simmons Alex can definitely sing. He's just having fun doing a cover. He was the singer from the 60s group The Box Tops. You may know their songs, 'The Letter' (was #1 in 1967) and 'Cry Like A Baby (also # 1 in, I think, '68). Listen to the Box Tops song 'The Door You Closed To Me' or 'Good Morning Dear' if you want to hear how beautiful his voice can be. Or even 'Thirteen' from his band Big Star from the 70s. I promise you he's pretty amazing!
Doug Herbert
Susanne Simmons - I'm not sure you even understand the meaning of the word "racist." This song, both in the original version by the Carter Family and in the more shambolic Alex Chilton version, is profoundly anti-racist .
debradeesimmons
Joaquín Le Bellot BECAUSE WE FEEL LIKE IT 😄
tim rundall
Clearly you are an idiot.