Wilson's repertoire includes both jazz and blues standards and renditions of pop and rock songs. Her contralto voice has been described as bluesy and sultry, and the style of her music ranges from swing to funk to bossa nova. Many of the songs she covers are by artists who usually record in other genres.
Wilson counts the late Miles Davis as one of her greatest influences. In 1989 she performed as the opening act for Davis at the JVC Jazz Festival in Chicago. In 1999 she produced Traveling Miles as a tribute to Davis. The album developed from a series of jazz concerts that she performed at Lincoln Center in November 1997 in Davis's honor and includes three selections based on Davis's own compositions, in which Wilson adapted the original themes.
A Brief Discography
Point of View (1986, JMT)
Days Aweigh (1987, JMT)
Blue Skies (1988, JMT)
Jumpworld (1989, JMT)
She Who Weeps (1990, JMT)
Live (1991, JMT)
After the Beginning Again (1992, JMT)
Dance to the Drums Again (1992, DIW/Columbia)
Blue Light 'til Dawn (1993, Blue Note)
New Moon Daughter (1995, Blue Note)
Rendezvous (with Jacky Terrasson) (1998, Blue Note)
Traveling Miles (1999, Blue Note)
Belly of the Sun (2002, Blue Note)
Glamoured (2003, Blue Note)
Thunderbird (2006, Blue Note)
Loverly (2008, Blue Note)
Silver Pony (2010, Blue Note)
Another Country (2012, eOne)
Official website: www.cassandrawilson.com
07 I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
Cassandra Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He sounds too blue to fly
The midnight train is whining low
I'm so lonesome I could cry
Did you ever see a robin weep
When leaves began to die
That means he's lost the will to live
The silence of a falling star
Lights up a purple sky
And as I wonder where you are
I'm so lonesome I could cry
I'm so lonesome I could cry
Cassandra Wilson's song "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" is a heartbreaking rendition of Hank Williams' classic. The song is an expression of loneliness and sadness, and Wilson's performance perfectly captures the emotional weight of the lyrics. In the first stanza, Wilson talks about a lonely winter bird singing a melancholic tune that seems too sad to even fly. The imagery of the bird struggling to take flight represents the heavy burden of loneliness that can weigh us down and prevent us from moving forward.
In the second stanza, she sings about a robin weeping when the leaves begin to die, a metaphor for someone losing the will to live. The song's melancholic tone is captured perfectly with the lines, "That means he's lost the will to live, I'm so lonesome I could cry." In the final stanza, Wilson talks about the silence of a falling star lighting up a purple sky. This line represents the emptiness and longing that come with loneliness. As she wonders where her love is, she can't help but feel the weight of her loneliness.
Overall, "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" is a beautiful yet mournful song that speaks to the heart of loneliness and emotional pain.
Line by Line Meaning
Hear that lonesome winter bird
Listen to that sad bird of winter
He sounds too blue to fly
He sounds so sad he can't even fly
The midnight train is whining low
The train in the middle of the night is making a sorrowful sound
I'm so lonesome I could cry
I am extremely lonely and sad that I could cry
Did you ever see a robin weep
Have you ever seen a robin cry
When leaves began to die
When the leaves start to fall off the trees
That means he's lost the will to live
That indicates that the robin has lost its desire to live
I'm so lonesome I could cry
I am extremely lonely and sad that I could cry
The silence of a falling star
The quietness that accompanies a shooting star
Lights up a purple sky
It brightens up the sky and turns it purple
And as I wonder where you are
And while I question your whereabouts
I'm so lonesome I could cry
I am extremely lonely and sad that I could cry
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kevin Ten
~ Silent Silver Moon ~
Sometimes I see the moon
Coming between the trees
And wish that it were you
Softly coming for me
Like a maiden on the moor
In a silk and flowing gown
And in the middle distance
I'd dearly hear the sound
Your sweetly scented voice
Clear as the winter moon:
"I come for you, poet
Yes, and come I will soon."
But there is no sweet voice
Soaking between the trees
Silent silver moonlight
Is all that comes for me.
--Misery
MrBuffalo2
Hi from Bristol England Bob.
Im impressed! & what a buzz for a 16year old?
I'm just about 72 and we loved Hank in Ireland where I grew up..a pal bought what he thought was his album and came home with Buddy Greco sings Hank Williams! This version by Norah J has it I recall, similar chord changes as Buddy Gs version.
of course we weren't impressed back then as Buddy Gs version was too "sophisticated" for our ears..but I now like it..esp Norah Js rendition..
and totally love Hanks.
BTW was practising You Win Again today with a singing buddy.
Using Jerry Lee Lewis's arrangement..
That guy simply cant sing out of tune&one of best country singers ever..
Hope youre still getting that ol guitar out these days?
Regards
Pete
sfdint
Dang. She just sits down at an ordinary piano in an ordinary house dressed like an ordinary mom and turns out pure gold.
RonJohn63
@Rick Perez Whether or not it's unique to her is irrelevant to OP's post and my rebuttal.
Rick Perez
@RonJohn63 And still she made it uniquely hers. Imagine that.
Antonio Santorini
She's human , how else do you want her to be
Tone Toner
I really enjoyed listening to this. Thanks Norah. I hope you enjoyed performing it
Grand Prime
@Emílio Rodrigues everyone is special, with special talents and amazing souls. Few actually develop these in a positive way
Laurie Duncan
This needs a love button. The thumbs up just doesn’t cut it.
Bruce Tennyson
Can you use an emoji heart ? ❤️🌈
Gérard Thivolle
I agree !
Dave Tilden
Her voice is so smokey my eyes burn. Love, love, love her voice.