I Will Wait for You
Clinch Mountain Boys; Jim Lauderdale; Ralph Stanley Lyrics


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I've been waiting by the way
Chill of night and heat of day
I can't even count the hours
Wasted in these ivory tower

When in doubt and deep despair
Call for me, I will be there
If I cannot come myself
Please, don't call on no one else

I will wait for you in the morning
I will wait for you in the dawn
I will wait for you, my darling
I will wait for you 'till I'm gone

Blood red birds sing in the sky
Sun is spinning, my oh my
Stuck up on this barren hill
Pray for rain, it never will

I will tell you once again
Case you didn't hear before
You won't find a better ride
No one else will love you more

I will wait for you in the morning
I will wait for you in the dawn
I will wait for you, my darling
I will wait for you 'till I'm gone

If how I love you is a crime
I will gladly do my time
Count the days until parole
With silver chalk marks on my soul

I will wait on burning sand
Wade to you through rivers and
Make your every dream come true
If that is given me to do

I will wait for you in the morning
I will wait for you in the dawn
I will wait for you, my darling
I will wait for you 'till I'm gone

Seven horses dressed in gray
Come to bear my heart away
Nothing ventured, nothing lost
I would rather pay the cost

Set my reason on the line
Wreck my health and lose my mind
Grit my teeth, ignore the pain
Smile at loss and count it gain

I will wait for you in the morning
I will wait for you in the dawn
I will wait for you, my darling
I will wait for you 'till I'm gone

When I first saw you long ago
There was nothing else to know
I was yours, you were mine
Whatever else came down the line

Once upon a wintertime
Sun broke through the clouds to shine
Summers come and summers go
Can't say where but this I know

I will wait for you in the morning
I will wait for you in the dawn
I will wait for you, my darling
I will wait for you 'till I'm gone

I will wait for you in the morning
I will wait for you in the dawn
I will wait for you, my darling




I will wait for you 'till I'm gone
I will wait for you 'till I'm gone

Overall Meaning

"I Will Wait for You" is a song about loyalty and perseverance written by Jim Lauderdale and performed by Ralph Stanley with the Clinch Mountain Boys. The song expresses the singer's commitment to standing by his loved one through all the ups and downs of life. He speaks of waiting patiently through night and day, drought and rain, and undying love that will survive even the most difficult of times. He assures his beloved that he will always be there when needed, and that he is willing to make any sacrifice to keep the relationship intact.


The lyrics also show a profound level of devotion, dedication, and commitment to the relationship, even if society tries to tell us otherwise. The singer is so sure of his love, that he is willing to sacrifice his health and sanity for it. He also seems to view his love as a crime, which makes it even more precious to him, and he is willing to "do his time" for his love's sake. He promises to make all of his beloved's dreams come true, even if it means waiting till the end of his life.


Overall, the song is a reaffirmation of the old-fashioned virtues of love, loyalty and commitment. It delivers its message with subtlety, without treading on sentimentality or saccharine emotions. The music, with its roots in bluegrass and Americana, perfectly complements the rural themes of the lyrics.


Line by Line Meaning

I've been waiting by the way
I have been waiting for you to come to me and cross my way


Chill of night and heat of day
I have been waiting for you regardless of the time of day or night


I can't even count the hours
I have been waiting for you for a long time, and I have lost count of how many hours have passed


Wasted in these ivory tower
I have been waiting for you in isolation and loneliness in the hope of seeing you again


When in doubt and deep despair
Whenever you are unsure and facing difficult situations, you can rely on me


Call for me, I will be there
Just give me a call, and I will come to you without any hesitation


If I cannot come myself
If I'm not available physically, mentally or emotionally, and cannot come to you myself


Please, don't call on no one else
Don't call anyone else, as no one can love you more than I do


I will wait for you in the morning
I will keep waiting for you tomorrow morning


I will wait for you in the dawn
I will wait for you during the early hours of the morning


I will wait for you, my darling
No matter what happens, I will keep waiting for you, my love


I will wait for you 'till I'm gone
I will continue waiting for you till the end of my life


Blood red birds sing in the sky
The birds in the sky look like they are singing in the color of blood


Sun is spinning, my oh my
The sun is rotating, and it's mesmerizing


Stuck up on this barren hill
I feel trapped on this lonely, empty place


Pray for rain, it never will
I hope for rain to alleviate my loneliness, but it never comes


I will tell you once again
I will remind you once more, in case you have forgotten


Case you didn't hear before
In the event you have not heard this from me previously


You won't find a better ride
There isn't anyone who can offer you a better companionship than what I can give you


No one else will love you more
I love you more than anyone else ever could


If how I love you is a crime
If loving you becomes a crime


I will gladly do my time
I would willingly suffer any consequences for you


Count the days until parole
I will count and wait for the days to pass until I can be with you again


With silver chalk marks on my soul
I will bear the memories of you on my soul with grace and honor


I will wait on burning sand
I can wait for you even on the hottest of sands


Wade to you through rivers and
I will go through every difficulty and obstacle to get to you


Make your every dream come true
I will do everything I can to make all your dreams come true


Seven horses dressed in gray
Seven grey horses symbolizing death taking my heart with them


Come to bear my heart away
These horses will take my heart away from me


Nothing ventured, nothing lost
I have nothing left to lose, so I'm willing to take any risk for you


I would rather pay the cost
I would choose to pay any price than to lose you


Set my reason on the line
I am willing to put my sanity at risk for you


Wreck my health and lose my mind
I am willing to sacrifice my well-being for you


Grit my teeth, ignore the pain
I will bear the most excruciating pain for you


Smile at loss and count it gain
I will embrace all the hardships and losses as opportunities to gain a life with you


When I first saw you long ago
When I initially laid my eyes on you


There was nothing else to know
I immediately knew that you were the one for me


I was yours, you were mine
We were meant to be together and belonged to one another


Whatever else came down the line
Describing the up and downs that they have been through, but their love remains the same


Once upon a wintertime
At some point, the story of their love started during winter


Sun broke through the clouds to shine
Comes as a turning point or an unexpected ray of hope for the couple's love story


Summers come and summers go
Time passes by quickly, and summer goes by just like their life


Can't say where but this I know
Describing the uncertainty of their future, but the one thing they know for sure is that their love will stay forever


I will wait for you in the morning
I will remain steadfast and wait for you every morning


I will wait for you in the dawn
I am determined to wait for you during the early hours of the morning


I will wait for you, my darling
No matter what happens, I will keep waiting for you, my love


I will wait for you 'till I'm gone
I am willing to wait for you till the end of my life




Lyrics © Bluewater Music Corp., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ROBERT C. HUNTER, JIM LAUDERDALE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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