Linden is primarily a blues guitarist although he frequently collaborates with country and folk performers. He is also a member, with Stephen Fearing and Tom Wilson, of the group Blackie and the Rodeo Kings.
Born in Toronto, Canada, and raised in White Plains, New York, Colin Linden returned to Canada in 1970. He was already a guitar prodigy at 11 years old, and when most kids that age are playing sports, Colin was meeting and being mentored by one of his musical heroes, the great bluesman Howlin’ Wolf, which helped set the youngster on a course to pursue the sounds of his dreams. That encounter helped fuel a career that has featured his work on literally hundreds of albums. At last count, the total of recordings on which he has played approaches 400, while over 100 albums bear the “Produced by Colin Linden” credit.
As a testament to his roots music acumen and early devotion to the idiom, Colin - at the tender age of 15 and accompanied by fellow Canadian musician Doc MacLean – embarked on a summer blues odyssey of the USA, working down from the border and hitting Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Atlanta, Memphis and other points south in the Mississippi Delta. Along the way, they met up with and performed on numerous occasions with a “who’s-who” of blues legends, including Sippie Wallace, Buddy Moss, Little Brother Montgomery, Sunnyland Slim, Tampa Red, Henry Townsend, Robert Wilkins, Sleepy John Estes, Son House and Sam Chatmon.
Colin Linden is a genuine renaissance man of roots music. He’s a singer and songwriter of great skill, an in-demand and prolific record producer (Bruce Cockburn, Tom Wilson, Colin James), a sideman to the stars as guitarist for the likes of Bruce Cockburn, Emmylou Harris, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, and, for the past decade-plus, a member of the highly successful trio, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings.
Colin’s songs have been covered by The Band, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Keb’ Mo’, and Colin James, and his well-stocked trophy case includes eight JUNO Awards (the Canadian Grammy), multiple Maple Blues Awards, and a Toronto Arts Award. He was nominated for a Grammy Award for the star-studded A Tribute to Howlin’ Wolf CD, and was nominated in 2002 for Lucinda Williams’ track on the Timeless (Hank Williams tribute) album, which won for Country Album of The Year. That same year his involvement in the O Brother, Where Art Thou project was rewarded, as “O Brother” won for Best Album and the Down From The Mountain soundtrack won for Folk Album of The Year (Linden and Chris Thomas King had a song credited together on that one). Linden has a well-deserved reputation as a slide guitar virtuoso of true originality and his riveting slide work can be heard both on albums from numerous artists as well as on his own sizeable solo catalogue.
His previous studio album, From the Water, was viewed as an homage of sorts to his long-time musical collaborator and closest friend, legendary keyboardist Richard Bell, who passed away in 2007. Bell’s accomplishments included being a member of Janis Joplin’s Full Tilt Boogie Band. Linden and Bell played on over 100 albums together (more than 40 of them Linden productions), including records by The Band, Bruce Cockburn, Lucinda Williams, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings and Colin James. The new record Rich in Love marks a return to the same label that released Colin’s first studio album, The Immortals (1986) and also represents his first new studio recording since From The Water (2009).
“I felt like so much has changed since my last studio album,” says Linden. “It was as if I was writing from a different place for these songs. At some point I even began to suffer from insomnia, and several of the songs were composed literally in the middle of the night, such as ‘Date with the Stars’.”
Website: Colin Linden
Wasn't That Enough
Colin Linden Lyrics
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I saw how easy I could fall
I chased you down and I gave you the rest
Because I wanted you to have it all
[Chorus]
Wasn't that enough love, baby
When I gave you everything I had?
For you to give me just a little bit back?
Every little thing that you asked of me
You know I'd do it just for you
And if you didn't like my loving ways
Darling, I would change that too
[Chorus]
I pledge myself to you alone
Didn't want anyone else
But you weren't ever going love no one
Much as you loved yourself
Now I'm down on my knees at your table, baby
Just waiting for one little crumb
Got to find my sugar somewhere else
'Cause all of my begging's been done
[Chorus]
The lyrics of Colin Linden's song "Wasn't That Enough" portray a man who has given everything in a relationship and has received nothing in return. The song begins by describing how the man fell deeply in love with his partner, to the point where he gave her every inch of his heart. He chased her, giving her the rest of his heart because he believed she deserved it all, but unfortunately, things did not go as planned.
The song proceeds by stating that the man was willing to do everything his partner asked of him, just to make her happy. Even when she didn't like his ways of loving, he was still ready to change for her. The first chorus is a question asked by the man to his partner, questioning whether the love he gave was not enough for her to give him just a little bit back.
The second verse states that the man pledged his life to his partner alone, but she never loved anyone as much as she loved herself. The final verse portrays how the man is kneeling at his partner's table, waiting for her to show even the slightest sign of affection toward him, but all his begging has been done in vain. He goes on to say that he must find his sweetness somewhere else since all his efforts to get love from his partner have failed.
In conclusion, "Wasn't That Enough" is a song about a love relationship where one partner gave everything and did not get anything in return. It portrays how love can be one-sided, and how people can be blinded by their affection for someone else, leading them to give too much and lose themselves in the process.
Line by Line Meaning
You took a piece of my heart one night
You hurt me deeply one night
I saw how easy I could fall
I realized how vulnerable I was with you
I chased you down and I gave you the rest
I pursued you and gave you everything I had left
Because I wanted you to have it all
Because I wanted you to have everything I could possibly give
Wasn't that enough love, baby
Didn't I love you enough?
When I gave you everything I had?
When I gave you my all?
Wasn't that enough love, darling
Wasn't my love sufficient?
For you to give me just a little bit back?
Can't you give me some love in return?
Every little thing that you asked of me
Anything you wanted me to do
You know I'd do it just for you
I would do it willingly for your love
And if you didn't like my loving ways
If my way of loving you wasn't enough
Darling, I would change that too
I would change it to suit what you wanted
I pledge myself to you alone
I dedicated myself only to you
Didn't want anyone else
I didn't want anyone else but you
But you weren't ever going love no one
But you were never going to love anyone
Much as you loved yourself
As much as you love yourself
Now I'm down on my knees at your table, baby
Now I'm begging for your love
Just waiting for one little crumb
Waiting for any little bit of love
Got to find my sugar somewhere else
I have to find love from someone else
'Cause all of my begging's been done
Because I'm tired of begging for your love
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: COLIN KENDALL LINDEN, GARY NICHOLSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind