Ray bega… Read Full Bio ↴Barbara Ray is a South African singer originally from Scotland.
Ray began singing with the Scottish Group the Sundowners. Moving to South Africa she had chart success with singles such as "I Don't Wanna Play House", "Like I Do" and "Funny Face". She was awarded multiple Gold disks such as for "Silver Threads and Golden Needles", and "Down The Mississippi".
In 1976 together with Bobby Angel she won a SARIE for vocal group and in 1979 together with Lance James she won the same award.
The Ballad Of Lucy Jordan
Barbara Ray Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The eyes of Lucy Jordan
In a white suburban bedroom
In a white suburban town
As she lay there 'neath the covers
Dreaming of a thousand lovers
'Til the world turned to orange
At the age of thirty seven
She realised
She'd never ride through Paris in a sports car
With the warm wind in her hair
So she let the phone keep ringing
As she sat there softly singing
Little nursery rhymes she'd memorised
From her daddy's easy chair
Her husband is off to work
And the kids are off to school
And there were oh so many ways
For her to spend her days
She'd clean the house for hours
Or rearrange the flowers
Or run naked through the shady street
Screamin' all the way
At the age of thirty seven
She realised
She'd never ride through Paris
In a sports car with the warm wind in her hair
So she let the phone keep ringing
And she sat there softly singing
Little nursery rhymes she'd memorised
From her daddy's easy chair
The evening sun touched lightly on
The eyes of Lucy Jordan
On the rooftop where she climbed
When all the laughter grew too loud
And she bowed and curtsied to the man
Who reached and offered her his hand
As he led her down to the long white car
That waited past the crowd
At the age of thirty seven
She knew she'd found forever
As she rode along through Paris
With the warm wind in her hair
The Ballad of Lucy Jordan is a melancholy yet powerful song written by Shel Silverstein and first made popular by Marianne Faithfull in 1979, but hit particularly hard with Barbara Ray's emotional rendition of the song as well. The song paints a vivid picture of Lucy Jordan, a woman in her late thirties, who wakes up one morning in her white suburban bedroom with her mind drifting to her unfulfilled dreams. She is overwhelmed with the realization that she has spent her life doing mundane tasks, like cleaning and rearranging the house, and has never fulfilled her dreams of traveling to Paris or experiencing any other adventure. She sings little nursery rhymes to herself as she waits for her husband and children to leave, allowing her to be alone with her thoughts. As the day finally ends, she climbs to the rooftop of a building, bows and curtsies to strangers, and is lead to a car by a man who takes her for a ride in Paris. She found her adventure, the warmth of the wind, but it is too late because it is all just a figment of her shattered imagination.
The song is, on the surface, sad and melancholy, yet it has a deeper meaning for listeners, especially women, approaching middle age. It is a reminder that the pressures of society can strip people, particularly women, of their dreams and ambitions. Lucy Jordan is a symbol of wasted potential and unfinished business, of the woman who desired so much and accomplished so little. It's about coming to terms with the fact that life doesn't always pan out the way one hopes and that the endless routine of household chores and family commitments can leave one feeling unfulfilled and dissatisfied.
Line by Line Meaning
The morning sun touched lightly on
The morning light illuminated gently on
The eyes of Lucy Jordan
Lucy Jordan's eyes were open to receive the light
In a white suburban bedroom
Lucy Jordan was in a bedroom located in a well-off residential town
In a white suburban town
The town where Lucy Jordan resided was a suburban area where people lived in comfort
As she lay there 'neath the covers
She was lying under the blanket
Dreaming of a thousand lovers
She was fantasizing of being with many different partners
'Til the world turned to orange
Her consciousness transitioned to a state where everything turned orange
And the room went spinning round
The surrounding space appeared to be rotating
At the age of thirty seven
When Lucy Jordan reached 37 years old
She realised
She became aware of something profound
She'd never ride through Paris in a sports car
Lucy Jordan would not be able to experience driving a sports car in Paris
With the warm wind in her hair
The wind would brush through her long hair while driving
So she let the phone keep ringing
She allowed the phone to continue ringing without answering
As she sat there softly singing
She sang quietly while sitting down
Little nursery rhymes she'd memorised
She recollected small children's songs she had learned previously
From her daddy's easy chair
She was sitting on the couch that her father used to sit in
Her husband is off to work
Lucy Jordan's spouse left for his workplace
And the kids are off to school
Her children departed for school
And there were oh so many ways
There were many different methods
For her to spend her days
She had options for how to occupy her days
She'd clean the house for hours
She would spend extended amounts of time tidying up the house
Or rearrange the flowers
She would change the placement of the flowers in the house
Or run naked through the shady street
She would sprint down the road without clothes when it was cool outside
Screamin' all the way
She would scream loudly as she ran down the street
The evening sun touched lightly on
The evening sunbeams gently shone upon
The eyes of Lucy Jordan
Lucy Jordan's eyes were visible and exposed to the evening light
On the rooftop where she climbed
She climbed up to the rooftop
When all the laughter grew too loud
The sounds of laughter became too boisterous, and she had to leave
And she bowed and curtsied to the man
She showed respect to the man by bowing and curtsying
Who reached and offered her his hand
He extended his arm and gave her a hand
As he led her down to the long white car
He showed her the direction to go towards the lengthy white vehicle
That waited past the crowd
The car was positioned beyond the group of people
At the age of thirty seven
When she became 37 years old
She knew she'd found forever
Lucy Jordan realized she had discovered something everlasting
As she rode along through Paris
While in transit through Paris
With the warm wind in her hair
The wind was blowing her hair while driving in the sports car
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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