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
Blackbird
Cassandra Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise.
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
Blackbird fly Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.
Blackbird fly Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
The song Blackbird by Cassandra Wilson is about personal liberation and freedom. The lyrics metaphorically refer to a blackbird that is singing in the dead of night, trying to break free from its limitations. The singer urges the bird to take its broken wings and learn to fly, and to take its sunken eyes and learn to see. The bird has been waiting its entire life for this moment to arise and seize its freedom.
The lyrics suggest that the blackbird is a symbol of the singer's own struggles and personal evolution. The repeated plea for the bird to fly into the light of the dark black night is an encouragement for the singer and the listener to face their fears and embrace change, even in the midst of darkness and uncertainty. The message is one of hope and perseverance, reminding us that no matter how broken or lost we may feel, we have the power within us to transform and soar.
Line by Line Meaning
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
The blackbird's song is heard despite the darkness of the night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
Use your struggles in life to develop strength and soar higher
All your life
Throughout your entire existence
You were only waiting for this moment to arise.
You were anticipating a significant moment that would propel you forward.
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
Overcome your struggles and develop a new perspective on life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free.
Your struggles have held you back, but now you're ready to break free and move forward.
Blackbird fly Blackbird fly
Keep moving forward despite any obstacles in your path.
Into the light of the dark black night.
Navigate through challenges and emerge victorious.
All your life
Throughout your entire existence
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were anticipating a significant moment that would propel you forward.
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were anticipating a significant moment that would propel you forward.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind