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.
Vertical Desert
Chris Whitley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where angels fall;
Too late to tell thetime -
Yours or mine
Now the landscape sestures questions -
How does your body climb
The latitudes beyond me?
Weigh the evenings
The wreckage and the prize -
Behind your eyes two could have tasted
Visions raised on vacancy and lies
And a vertical desert;
Where you stand now,
Where i will be measured
Until we finally field
The stations, nations, civilizations
Underground
Cause now i know the lay of land -
Living with the law will come apart
If i care enough i will break your heart
Under the weight of pleasure until
Where we stand aloft
At a vertical desert
I come back here sometimes
Angels fall fireflies ascend out
Beyond the aching skyline
Reckless distances erupt in intoxication
Between the hard
And soft of our evaporations.
Where we stand aloft
At the vertical desert
In the curved air of collapse
And creation
The ballast of chaos and
Gravity's liberations
The song "Vertical Desert" by Chris Whitley is a poetic and thought-provoking piece that deals with themes of time, nature, and personal introspection. The opening lines draw the listener in with a vivid image of the singer leaning back on a sundial, where angels fall. The imagery of the sundial suggests the passage of time, further emphasized by the line, "Too late to tell the time – Yours or mine." This could speak to the singer's feeling of being stuck in a moment or unable to move forward.
As the song progresses, questions arise about the body's ability to climb beyond the present, and the silence, science, and secrets that weigh on the singer's mind. The lines, "Behind your eyes two could have tasted / Visions raised on vacancy and lies," suggest a sense of regret or missed opportunity. Throughout the song, the "vertical desert" serves as a metaphor for a place of great height or depth, where the singer and the listener stand aloft and contemplate their place in the world.
The concluding lines of the song, "In the curved air of collapse / And creation / The ballast of chaos and / Gravity's liberations," suggest a sense of movement and transformation, both personal and universal. In the end, the song is a deeply introspective piece that connects the individual to a wider context of time and nature, and encourages listeners to explore their own inner landscapes.
Line by Line Meaning
I lean back on the sundial
I relax and contemplate my surroundings
Where angels fall;
This place is significant and meaningful
Too late to tell the time -
It doesn't matter what time it is because it's already passed
Yours or mine
It's unclear who the time mattered to
Now the landscape gestures questions -
The scenery makes me curious and contemplative
How does your body climb
I wonder how you're able to reach higher places
The latitudes beyond me?
I'm unable to reach certain places and I wonder about them
Weigh the evenings
Reflect on the past
Silence, science, secrets;
This place is full of unanswered questions and unknowns
The wreckage and the prize -
There are both negative and positive aspects to this place
Behind your eyes two could have tasted
We could have shared experiences and emotions
Visions raised on vacancy and lies
Our imagined experiences were based on empty and untrue ideas
And a vertical desert;
This place is a metaphorical desert, full of harsh conditions and little growth
Where you stand now,
You are in this place right now
Where i will be measured
I will be judged by how I interact with this place
Until we finally field
We will continue to exist in this place
The stations, nations, civilizations
All forms of human society and organization
Underground
Below the surface, hidden from sight
Cause now i know the lay of land -
I am familiar with this place and understand it better
Living with the law will come apart
Abiding by rules and regulations will eventually fail
If i care enough i will break your heart
I know that caring deeply for someone can lead to heartbreak
Under the weight of pleasure until
In the midst of enjoyment and satisfaction lies the possibility of pain
Where we stand aloft
We are elevated in this place
At a vertical desert
In a metaphorical desert with harsh conditions and little growth
I come back here sometimes
I return to this place on occasion
Angels fall fireflies ascend out
There is both darkness and light in this place
Beyond the aching skyline
Past the painful horizon
Reckless distances erupt in intoxication
The long distances can be overwhelming and disorienting
Between the hard
Amid difficult choices and struggles
And soft of our evaporations.
And the fleeting nature of our existence
In the curved air of collapse
In a place where things are falling apart
And creation
And yet, there is still the potential for new beginnings
The ballast of chaos and
The weight of disorder and confusion
Gravity's liberations
And the freedom that comes from letting go
Writer(s): Chris Whitley
Contributed by Daniel B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.