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
Drunk As Cooter Brown
Cassandra Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Words fell from his tongue
With a slurring silver sound
He come this way from the other side of town
He was drunk as Cooter Brown
And his coat hung 'round his shoulders
With a gangster's tone
He blamed the warmth of the evening
I blamed the circle 'round the moon
We spoke as if in solitude
While the world was spinning around us
And people started to stare
But I just didn't care
I just couldn't move
I was was floating on air
I knew
We two
Were drunk as Cooter Brown
Sooo...
He blamed the warmth of the evening
I blamed the circle 'round the moon
We spoke as if in solitude
While the world was spreading around us
And people started to sing
I just didn't care
I couldn't move
We were floating on air
Yes...
I knew
I too
Was drunk as Cooter Brown
I was just one step away
From that drunk to the floor sound
A lady's grace
I claimed to hold my ground
But I was drunk as Cooter Brown
While he poured the cup of his hand
Fell my old beau just to be sure
I wouldn't fall for a man like him in June
I blamed the warmth of the evening
And he blamed the circle 'round the moon
We spoke as if in solitude
While the world was spinning around us
And people started to sing
But i just didn't care
I just couldn't move
I was floating on air
I knew
We two
Were drunk as Cooter Brown
Yes, we were drunk as Cooter Brown
Crazy!
'Cause...so warm...so warm tonight...
Drunk as cooter brown...I'm high on life...
Excuse me sir...
Humming...
Hey!
The song “Drunk As Cooter Brown” is a jazzy ballad by Cassandra Wilson about being swept away by a charming stranger who is intoxicated. The lyrics describe the stranger as being “drunk as Cooter Brown” and having a “gangster's tone”. The phrase "drunk as Cooter Brown" is a Southern expression which refers to a man who is constantly drunk and implies that it is not always apparent when he is sober. As the two strangers converse, they speak as if they are in solitude, seemingly unaware of their surroundings. The singer confesses to being as drunk as the stranger and is “floating on air”. The song has a dreamy pace that mimics the feeling of being intoxicated and about to lose your footing.
The song uses poetic language to romanticize the idea of losing oneself in the moment with a stranger, either because of the warmth of the evening or the circle around the moon. Symbolically, both are representing the emotional and physical pull between the singer and the stranger. As they continue to talk despite the world spinning around them, they don’t care about the people staring because they are so engrossed with each other. The song ends by returning to the phrase "drunk as Cooter Brown", suggesting that the singer has let go of control and given herself over to the moment.
Line by Line Meaning
He was drunk as Cooter Brown
A man was extremely intoxicated
Words fell from his tongue
He spoke carelessly and slurred his words
With a slurring silver sound
His voice was slurred and sounded metallic
He come this way from the other side of town
He came from a different part of town
And his coat hung 'round his shoulders
His coat draped over his shoulders
With a gangster's tone
He spoke in a rough tone
A stylish man no woman leaves alone
He was suave and attractive to women
He blamed the warmth of the evening
He used the heat as an excuse for his behavior
I blamed the circle 'round the moon
She used the lunar phenomenon as a reason for their behavior
We spoke as if in solitude
They spoke as if alone, ignoring their surroundings
While the world was spinning around us
The world was moving and functioning normally
And people started to stare
Onlookers began observing their odd behavior
But I just didn't care
She was unconcerned with others' opinions
I just couldn't move
She was immobile due to her drunken state
I was floating on air
She felt light and carefree despite being drunk
We were floating on air
They both felt light and carefree due to being drunk
I too
She was also drunk
Was drunk as Cooter Brown
She was extremely intoxicated
I was just one step away
She was close to falling due to her intoxication
From that drunk to the floor sound
She was close to falling to the ground
A lady's grace
She tried to maintain her dignity and poise
I claimed to hold my ground
She tried to stand firmly despite being drunk
While he poured the cup of his hand
He extended his hand as if to offer assistance
Fell my old beau just to be sure
She fell into her ex's arms to avoid falling to the ground
I wouldn't fall for a man like him in June
She didn't want to rekindle a romantic relationship with her ex
And people started to sing
Onlookers began to sing or make noise
We two
Both of them
Yes, we were drunk as Cooter Brown
They both were extremely intoxicated
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: CASSANDRA WILSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind