Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American … Read Full Bio ↴Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who has been active since 1958, initially as one of the staff songwriters at 1650 Broadway and later as a solo artist. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential musicians of all time, King is the most successful female songwriter of the latter half of the 20th century in the US, having written or co-written 118 pop hits on the Billboard Hot 100. King also wrote 61 hits that charted in the UK, making her the most successful female songwriter on the UK singles charts between 1962 and 2005.

King's major success began in the 1960s when she and her first husband, Gerry Goffin, wrote more than two dozen chart hits, many of which have become standards, for numerous artists. She has continued writing for other artists since then. King's success as a performer in her own right did not come until the 1970s, when she sang her own songs, accompanying herself on the piano, in a series of albums and concerts. After experiencing commercial disappointment with her debut album Writer, King scored her breakthrough with the album Tapestry, which topped the U.S. album chart for 15 weeks in 1971 and remained on the charts for more than six years.

King has made 25 solo albums, the most successful being Tapestry, which held the record for most weeks at No. 1 by a female artist for more than 20 years. Her record sales were estimated at more than 75 million copies worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. She has been inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a performer and songwriter. She is the recipient of the 2013 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, the first woman to be so honored. She is also a 2015 Kennedy Center Honoree.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carole_King

Studio albums
Writer (1970)
Tapestry (1971)
Music (1971)
Rhymes & Reasons (1972)
Fantasy (1973)
Wrap Around Joy (1974)
Thoroughbred (1976)
Simple Things (1977)
Welcome Home (1978)
Touch the Sky (1979)
Pearls: Songs of Goffin and King (1980)
One to One (1982)
Speeding Time (1983)
City Streets (1989)
Colour of Your Dreams (1993)
Love Makes the World (2001)
A Holiday Carole (2011)

Welfare Symphony
Carole King Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Welfare workers
Prying into her life
Was she really someone's wife
And where was he

She often cried as they left her without a shred of pride

She had so many things to think about

So many children to feed
She had need of something that would ease her mind
(Store front religion play the numbers)

She had trouble in her time
She had so much trouble in her time

Overall Meaning

Carole King's song "Welfare Symphony" reflects on the struggles of a woman who is receiving welfare support. The lyrics describe how welfare workers invade her privacy, asking intrusive questions about her marital status and whereabouts. The lyrics also detail how the woman is left humiliated and feeling devoid of dignity as the workers leave her with nothing.

The song touches on the various challenges that the woman faces, including the burden of raising many children and the lack of financial means to ease her worries. The lyrics suggest that the woman turns to various coping mechanisms, including seeking solace in religion or resorting to gambling in the hopes of winning some money.

Overall, "Welfare Symphony" depicts the harsh realities of life for individuals who rely on welfare to survive. It underscores the many challenges and indignities they face, and the limited support they often receive.

Welfare SymphonyCarole King Lyrics

Welfare Symphony
Carole King Lyrics