Death Letter
Cassandra Wilson Lyrics


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I got a letter this mornin'
What do you reckin'it read?
It said the gal you love is dead
I got a letter this mornin'
What do you reckin'it read?

Said, "Hurry,Hurry because the guy you love is dead"
Well I packed up my suitcase
I took off down the road
When I got there he was layin' on the coolin' board
I packed up my suitcase
And I took off down the road
When I got there he was layin' on the coolin' board

It looked like ten thousand people standin' around the burryin' ground
I didn't know I loved him 'till they began to let him down
Looked like ten thousand people standin' on the burryin' ground
I didn't know that I loved him 'till they began to let him down

You know it's so hard to love
Someone that don't love you
Wont get satisfaction
Don't care what you do
So hard to love
Someone that don't love you

Don't look like satisfaction
Don't care what you do

Well I got up this mornin'
The break of day
Just huggin' the pillows
He used to lay

Got up this mornin'
The break of day




Just huggin' the pillows
Where my baby used to lay

Overall Meaning

The song "Death Letter" by Cassandra Wilson is a blues tune that tells the story of a woman who receives a letter informing her of the death of the man she loves. The opening lines of the song depict the moment when the singer receives the letter, and the second stanza shows her packing her bags to see the man she loves for one last time. When she arrives, she finds him dead, and there is a large crowd gathered around the burial ground to mourn him. The final verse of the song is a lament on the difficulty of loving someone who doesn't love you in return.


The song's lyrics capture the pain and grief of losing a loved one and the realization of how much one loves them only after they have passed away. The singer's journey from receiving the letter to the man's burial ground is an emotional one, and the song's slow tempo and mournful melody help to enhance its mood.


Line by Line Meaning

I got a letter this mornin'
Received a letter earlier today


What do you reckin' it read?
Curious about the content of the letter


It said the gal you love is dead
The letter informed of the death of the person she loves


Said, "Hurry, Hurry because the guy you love is dead"
The letter conveyed urgency since the man she loves is dead


Well I packed up my suitcase
Prepared to go on a trip


I took off down the road
Started traveling to the mentioned destination


When I got there he was layin' on the coolin' board
Upon arrival, the man she loves had already died and his body was being preserved


It looked like ten thousand people standin' around the burryin' ground
The funeral had a large turnout


I didn't know I loved him 'till they began to let him down
Realized the depth of her feelings only after seeing his coffin being lowered


Looked like ten thousand people standin' on the burryin' ground
Many people were present at the funeral


Don't look like satisfaction
She cannot find happiness and fulfillment


Don't care what you do
The person she loves seems indifferent, no matter what she does


You know it's so hard to love
Loving someone can be difficult and challenging


Someone that don't love you
It's even harder when the love is unrequited


So hard to love
Being in love can be painful


Well I got up this mornin'
Started a new day


The break of day
Morning time


Just huggin' the pillows
She woke up with the painful memory of her loved one who's no longer around


He used to lay
He used to sleep next to her




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: EDDIE SON HOUSE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@AndresDavid88

I got a letter this mornin'
What do you reckin'it read?
It said the gal you love is dead
I got a letter this mornin'
What do you reckin'it read?

Said, "Hurry, Hurry because the guy you love is dead"
Well I packed up my suitcase
I took off down the road
When I got there he was layin' on the coolin' board
I packed up my suitcase
And I took off down the road
When I got there he was layin' on the coolin' board

It looked like ten thousand people standin' around the burryin' ground
I didn't know I loved him 'till they began to let him down
Looked like ten thousand people standin' on the burryin' ground
I didn't know that I loved him 'till they began to let him down

You know it's so hard to love
Someone that don't love you
Wont get satisfaction
Don't care what you do
So hard to love
Someone that don't love you

Don't look like satisfaction
Don't care what you do

Well I got up this mornin'
The break of day
Just huggin' the pillows
He used to lay

Got up this mornin'
The break of day
Just huggin' the pillows
Where my baby used to lay



All comments from YouTube:

@tomrb2297

Mahershala Ali, one of the best actors alive today.

@RAGNAR_LOTHBROK_

hell yes!

@jtblb1385

You are not wrong!

@blackPeopleAreGarbag

@@emmaterlecky6515 lol Go rob a liquor store, Sharqueshia.

@blackPeopleAreGarbag

I'm a pretty big racist, but ngl he was pretty good in the show.

@fabianverduzcomejia660

No

6 More Replies...

@alanlujan4595

Man.
Her voice is beautiful and the blues take me way back.
Reminiscing memories here.

@reconstructionmanifest7349

This is when the blues pours directly from the soul

@antheairenedevilliers1657

The Blues... Such beautiful thing... so difficult to sing... she's just got it perfectly...

@YourBoyEobard

Just finished season 3. Wow! Loved it.

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