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
A Day In The Life Of A Fool
Cassandra Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A sad and a long, lonely day
I walk the avenue hoping I'll run into
The lovely sight of you coming my way
I stop right across from your door
But you don't see me anymore
So back to my room I go with a gloom
A day in the life of a fool
A sad and a long, lonely day
I walk the avenue hoping that I'll run into
The lovely sight of you coming my way
And I stop just across from your door
But you don't see me anymore
So back to my room I go with a gloom
And I cry tears of goodbye
Tears of goodbye
This song tells a story of a person who is sad and lonely, hopelessly waiting to catch a glimpse of someone they love. They walk down the avenue each day, yearning to see that person coming their way. However, when they finally stop in front of the person's door, the object of their affection doesn't even notice them. The singer is left heartbroken and returns to their room feeling doomed, shedding tears of goodbye.
The lyrics of this song convey a deep sense of longing and the pain of unrequited love. The storyteller wants nothing more than to see the person they love, but that hope is never realized. Even when they finally reach the person's doorstep, they are invisible to the one they desire, which reinforces the futility of their efforts. The tears of goodbye that they cry perfectly capture the sense of finality and despair that comes with unrequited love.
Line by Line Meaning
A day in the life of a fool
Describing the experience of a foolish person's day
A sad and a long, lonely day
The day is filled with sadness and loneliness
I walk the avenue hoping I'll run into
The lovely sight of you coming my way
The person walks with the hope of meeting their loved one on the way
I stop right across from your door
But you don't see me anymore
The person stops near the loved one's door, but they are no longer noticed
So back to my room I go with a gloom
And I cry tears of goodbye
The person returns to a gloomy room and cries tears of farewell
A day in the life of a fool
Reiterating the foolish person's unhappy day
A sad and a long, lonely day
Continuing to emphasize the sadness and loneliness of the day
I walk the avenue hoping that I'll run into
The lovely sight of you coming my way
Repeating the hope of finding the loved one on the way
And I stop just across from your door
But you don't see me anymore
Again mentioning the person stopping near the loved one's door but not being noticed
So back to my room I go with a gloom
And I cry tears of goodbye
Repeating the sad scene of the person returning to their room and crying tears of farewell
Tears of goodbye
Describing the tears as a way of saying farewell
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CARL SIGMAN, LUIZ BONFA, ANTONIO MARIA ARAUJO DE MORAES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind