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
Black Crow
Cassandra Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Black and ragged
Tree to tree
He's black as the highway that's leading me
Now he's diving down
To pick up on something shiny
I feel like that black crow
Flying
I took a ferry to the highway
Then I drove to a pontoon plane
I took a plane to a taxi
And a taxi to a train
I've been traveling so long
How'm I ever going to know my home
When I see it again
I'm like a black crow flying
In a blue, blue sky
In search of love and music
My whole life has been
Illumination
Corruption
And diving, diving, diving, diving.
Diving down to pick up on every shiny thing
Just like that black crow flying
In a blue sky
I looked at the morning
After being up all night
I looked at my haggard face in the bathroom light
I looked out the window
And I saw that ragged soul take flight
I saw a back crow flying
In a blue sky
Oh I'm like a black crow flying
In a blue sky
Cassandra Wilson's song "Black Crow" is a reflection on the experience of being lost in life, unsure of one's place and searching for fulfillment. The metaphor of the black crow is used to represent the singer's journey, as she is lead by her instincts to follow her desires and find her way. The first stanza sets the tone with imagery of the black crow flying tree to tree, searching for something shiny. This represents the singer's own journey for love and happiness, which she sees as a shiny object to be discovered. The second stanza reinforces the theme of being lost and unsure of what to do next. The singer has been traveling for so long, she's not sure how she will know when she has found her true home. The repetition of the line "I'm like a black crow flying in a blue, blue sky" emphasizes again the feeling of being lost, as the singer has no clear path forward.
In the final stanza, the singer reflects on the journey thus far. She sees her own haggard reflection in the bathroom light, and looks out the window to see the black crow take flight. This final moment reinforces the idea of seeing oneself in the world, as the singer sees herself reflected in the flight of the crow. The song ends with the repetition of the central metaphor, and the singer recognizing that she is indeed like the black crow, lost in the vast expanse of the blue sky.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a crow flying
The singer sees a crow flying
Black and ragged
The crow is black and looks rough
Tree to tree
The crow is flying from one tree to another
He's black as the highway that's leading me
The crow is completely black, like the road the singer is traveling on
Now he's diving down
The crow is descending
To pick up on something shiny
The crow is attracted to something that sparkles on the ground
I feel like that black crow
The singer identifies with the crow
Flying
The singer is also in flight
In a blue sky
The sky is blue
I took a ferry to the highway
The singer took a boat to the road
Then I drove to a pontoon plane
The singer drove to a plane that lands on water
I took a plane to a taxi
The singer flew to a car service
And a taxi to a train
The singer's next mode of transportation is a train
I've been traveling so long
The singer has been on the move for a while
How'm I ever going to know my home
The singer is unsure if they will recognize their home
When I see it again
The singer will eventually see their home again
In search of love and music
The singer is looking for love and musical inspiration
My whole life has been
The singer's entire life has been characterized by
Illumination
Enlightenment and insight
Corruption
Moral decay and dishonesty
And diving, diving, diving, diving.
And taking risks to uncover hidden rewards
Diving down to pick up on every shiny thing
Taking chances to find valuable treasures
Just like that black crow flying
The singer is still like the crow, always on the lookout for something valuable
I looked at the morning
The singer is reflecting on the new day
After being up all night
The singer was awake through the night
I looked at my haggard face in the bathroom light
The singer sees their tired and worn-out face in the bathroom mirror
I looked out the window
The singer looks outside
And I saw that ragged soul take flight
The singer sees the crow, which they view as having a rough exterior but complex interior, fly away
I saw a back crow flying
The singer again sees the crow
In a blue sky
The sky is still blue
Oh I'm like a black crow flying
The singer compares themselves to the crow again
In a blue sky
The sky is still blue
Contributed by Nora J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.