Whirlwind Soldier
Cassandra Wilson Lyrics


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We speak in separate words
We love in different colors
Our love is madness
How can it be?
This is a mystery to me

You broke into my world
Shattering all the lies that I'd heard all my life
You were a whirlwind bending the trees, bending the trees
I am a summer breeze

Can I ride with you?
I know that the road is long
Can I ride with you?
I know I will be strong

Until the journey's end
We are forever friends, you and I




You were a whirlwind bending the trees, bending the trees
I'll be a summer breeze

Overall Meaning

The song "Whirlwind Soldier" by Cassandra Wilson is a ballad that speaks to the power and the mystery of love. The lyrics reveal a deep sense of wonder and awe that arises when two people with vastly different experiences and perspectives come together in a relationship. The singer describes how she and her lover speak in "separate words" and love in "different colors," indicating that their backgrounds and personalities are vastly different from one another. Despite these differences, they are drawn together by a love that is so intense and all-consuming that it feels like madness. The singer is amazed by this feeling and regards it as a great mystery.


The second half of the song speaks to the transformative power of love. The Whirlwind is the singer's lover, who has burst into her world and shattered all the lies she had come to believe about herself and about love. The Whirlwind is so powerful that he bends trees, while the singer is compared to a summer breeze, which is gentle and pleasant but not particularly forceful. Despite this difference in power, the singer wants to ride with the Whirlwind on his journey, even though she knows it will be long and difficult. She believes that their friendship will last forever, and it will bring out the best in each other. The song is a beautiful tribute to the mysteries and the wonders of love, and it speaks to the transformative power of a close and strong relationship.


Line by Line Meaning

We speak in separate words
We communicate using different expressions and ideas


We love in different colors
We experience love in diverse ways and forms


Our love is madness
Our love is intense and unpredictable


How can it be?
I am amazed and confused by our relationship


This is a mystery to me
I cannot fully understand or explain our connection


You broke into my world
You disrupted my established way of living


Shattering all the lies that I'd heard all my life
You exposed and destroyed the misconceptions I had been taught


You were a whirlwind bending the trees, bending the trees
You were a powerful and transformative force in my life


I am a summer breeze
I am gentle and light compared to your strong presence


Can I ride with you?
Can I join you on your journey through life?


I know that the road is long
I acknowledge that the path ahead is challenging and uncertain


I know I will be strong
I am confident in my ability to endure and overcome difficulties


Until the journey's end
For as long as we are together on this journey


We are forever friends, you and I
Our bond will last a lifetime, no matter what happens


I'll be a summer breeze
I may not be as powerful as you, but I have my own unique qualities to offer




Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CASSANDRA WILSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Keith Dubois

One of my favorite songs by her. To bad she didn't explore this style some more. Absolutely gorgeous.

Frank Jones

Cassandra Wilson's vocals the songs background Jazz accompliment is for me, is the essence of sublime.

Tonya Houston

Wonderful, exuberant! !

legend goat

Love this song...

Keith Dubois

Sublime

Isawthis Wow

This has to be her masterpiece album. Was all over WBGO NYC back then. I never came across anything else as original and ambitious as Jumpworld. The rest are too cover. And does not express the AMAZING potential and power CW can supply.
Maybe she can sing some of my material one day. I wonder if there was some personal change in her life after Jumpworld. . Something changed. I think She should get back to her songwriting roots which are original and otherworldly

Tierney Malone

I totally agree! I was somewhat disappointed with here blues exploration. Her early albums before this were also serious before Blue Skies

Rod Williams

Cassandra Wilson- composer and vocals
Rod Williams, piano
Lonnie Plaxico, bass
Mark Johnson, drums

Isawthis Wow

My absolute Fave!! Freshman year College back when portable C D players were hot!!

Zippy

Rod Williams , piano Lonnie Plaxico, bass Mark Johnson, drums

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