A man of rare poetic honesty, Whitleymaintained a resolute musical integrity throughout his career. His more than a dozen albums range from raw-boned folk-rock to lush electro-blues.
Whitley was born in Houston, Texas. Though relatively unknown to the mainstream, he worked with many top named musicians throughout his career. In 1991, U2/Peter Gabriel producer Daniel Lanois and his protégé, Malcolm Burn, recorded Whitley's debut album Living With the Law (Malcolm Burn also produced 2005's Soft Dangerous Shores). In 2000, Whitley worked with Chris Wood and Billy Martin from the famed trio of Medeski, Martin and Wood, on the Perfect Day album. Others like Dave Matthews and Bruce Hornsby also appeared on 2001's Rocket House.
Whitley played a unique brand of confessional acoustic and electric blues, mixed with inspired modern rock. His lyrics often contained overt sexual references and sometimes bordered on the surreal. An avid fan of jazz saxophone legend John Coltrane, Whitley was a master of the National / Dobro, made famous by many of the great Mississippi delta blues players of the 1930's. Whitley also appeared in the concert documentary Hellhounds on my Trail - The Afterlife of Robert Johnson, with Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir, Fleetwood Mac co-founder Peter Green, jam band Gov't Mule, and blues guitarist Keb' Mo. In addition to recording his original material, Whitley has also guested on albums by Mike Watt, Rob Wasserman, Cassandra Wilson, Dave Pirner (of Soul Asylum) and Shawn Colvin.
"The notable constant has been the quality of craftmanship, and the consistent question of how Whitley's combination of super songs, muscular-but-poetic lyrics, athletic voice and rock-god guitar work hasn't earned him a wider audience." - Detroit Free Press
"The post-Hendrix explosion of whammybar wankers hasn't produced a single axeman who can compare to Chris Whitley. His eerie, bluesy voice and American gothic tunes frequently draw attention from the fact that he picks like a pissed off Doc Watson jacked through a Marshall stack" - RollingStone.com
Health and death
In fall 2005, Chris Whitley cancelled his tour due to health issues. Dan Whitley, his brother, revealed on November 11, 2005 that he was "in a comfortable warm home with hospice care at his disposal". Later that week it was revealed that he was terminally ill with lung cancer. On November 20, 2005, his death (at the age of 45) was announced by Dan Whitley and Chris' daughter, Trixie Whitley.
Say Goodbye
Chris Whitley Lyrics
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You knew where you belonged
But time slips away
Now there's no return
Say goodbye to yesterday
You can kiss the past so long
(Nothing matters anyway)
Don't let these changes run you round
Who could know tomorrow
Say goodbye and don't look back down
Just say goodbye to yesterday
All will be released
Yesterday deceased
All will be revealed
Let yourself to feel
In these lyrics, Chris Whitley is urging his listeners to let go of the past and move on. He talks about how once upon a time, we knew where we belonged, but time slips away, and we can't go back. He advises us to say goodbye to yesterday and kiss the past goodbye because nothing matters anyway. Whitley asks us not to let the changes in our lives get the best of us and to look forward to tomorrow, without looking back down. He acknowledges that it's difficult to let go of the past, but all that we need to do is let ourselves feel, and everything will be revealed.
In summary, this song is about accepting change and moving on from the past. Whitley believes that we should let go of yesterday and not let the changes around us run us round. Instead, we should be ready to embrace tomorrow without holding onto the past.
Line by Line Meaning
Once upon a time
In the past, there was a time
You knew where you belonged
You had a sense of belonging
But time slips away
Time passes quickly
Now there's no return
It's too late to go back to the way things were
Say goodbye to yesterday
Let go of the past
You can kiss the past so long
Bid farewell to the past
(Nothing matters anyway)
The past doesn't matter anymore
Say goodbye, it's already gone
Accept that the past is gone
Don't let these changes run you round
Don't let change control you
Who could know tomorrow
Nobody knows what the future holds
Say goodbye and don't look back down
Let go of the past and move forward
Just say goodbye to yesterday
Let go of the past
All will be released
Everything will be free and open
Yesterday deceased
The past is dead and gone
All will be revealed
Everything will become clear
Let yourself to feel
Allow yourself to experience your emotions
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHRIS WHITLEY, TONY MANGURIAN, TONY S. MANGURIAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind