Born in the Homewood neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she attended George Westinghouse High School and studied music at the Filion School of Music in Pittsburgh. Later she performed regularly in the Hill District, a jazz hotspot, as a vocalist with the Joe Westray Orchestra, a popular Pittsburgh orchestra. She next spent several years in the nightclub circuit in such cities as Detroit, Indianapolis, Cleveland and St. Louis. While in New York, she was noticed singing at a Harlem nightclub called the Baby Grand by Dave Cavanaugh, a producer for Capitol Records. She was signed and released several singles, her success leading her to win Down Beat magazine's "Most Promising Newcomer" award in 1955. In 1958, Staton wed Talib Dawud, a black Antigua-born Ahmadi Muslim trumpeter and noted critic of Elijah Muhammad. She subsequently converted to Islam and used the name Aliyah Rabia for some time. The marriage ultimately ended in divorce.
She released several critically acclaimed albums in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including: The Late, Late Show (1957), whose title track was her biggest hit, In the Night (1957), a collaboration with pianist George Shearing, Dynamic! (1958) and Dakota at Storyville (1961), a live album recorded at the Storyville jazz club in Boston. In the mid-1960s Staton moved to England, where she recorded the album Dakota ′67. Returning to the US in the early 1970s, she continued to record semi-regularly, her recordings taking an increasingly strong gospel and blues influence. She suffered a stroke in 1999, after which her health deteriorated. Staton died in New York City aged 76 in 2007.
Willow Weep for Me
Dakota Staton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Willow weep for me
Willow weep for me
Bend your branches green along the stream that runs to sea
Listen to my plea
Listen willow and weep for me
Yes,
Lovely summer dream
Gone and left me here to weep my tears into the stream
Sad as I can be
Hear me willow and weep for me
Oh,
Whisper to the wind
And say that love's a sin
Leave my heart a-breaking, and making a moan
Murmur to the night to hide her starry light
So none will find me sighing, crying all alone
Oh,
Willow weep tree
Weeping sympathy
Bend your branches down along the ground and cover me
When the shadows fall,
Bend over willow and weep for me
Whisper
To the wind and say that love is sin
Leave my heart a-breaking, and making a moan
Murmur to the night to hide her starry light
So none will find me sighing and crying all alone
Yes,
Willow weep tree
Weeping sympathy
Bend your branches down along
The ground and cover me
When the shadows fall,
Bend over willow and
Weep for me
Yes
The song "Willow Weep for Me" by Dakota Staton is a slow, mournful ballad that speaks of heartbreak and loss. The lyrics convey the singer's deep sadness and loneliness, as she asks the willow tree to weep for her and bend its branches down to cover her in her sorrow. The willow tree is personified as a sympathetic ear, listening to the singer's plea and weeping with her.
The first few lines of the song set the scene, with the singer addressing the willow tree and asking it to weep for her. She sings of the tree's green branches bending along a stream that runs to the sea, creating a vivid image of the natural world that surrounds her. The singer's voice is full of emotion as she implores the tree to listen to her plea and share in her sadness.
As the song progresses, the singer reveals that her lover has left her, leaving her to weep her tears into the stream. She asks the willow tree to bend over and weep for her, expressing the depth of her sorrow and loneliness. The lyrics use figurative language and poetic imagery to convey the singer's raw emotional state, with phrases like "love's a sin" and "making a moan" adding to the song's melancholy tone.
Overall, "Willow Weep for Me" is a powerful testament to the pain of lost love and the healing power of the natural world. The singer's voice is full of emotion as she pleads with the willow tree to join her in her grief, creating a haunting and unforgettable musical experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Yes,
Affirming the previous statement.
Willow weep for me
Asking the willow to cry in sympathy for the singer's pain.
Willow weep for me
Repeating the request for the willow to cry for the singer.
Bend your branches green along the stream that runs to sea
Asking the willow to lean over the water and cry into the stream.
Listen to my plea
Asking the willow to pay attention to the singer's request for sympathy.
Listen willow and weep for me
Reiterating the request for the willow to cry in sympathy for the singer.
Gone my lovers dream
Expressing the loss of the singer's romantic dreams.
Lovely summer dream
Describing the nature of the singer's romantic dreams.
Gone and left me here to weep my tears into the stream
Saying that the singer's lover has left and the singer is left to cry alone.
Sad as I can be
Expressing the extreme sadness the singer is experiencing.
Hear me willow and weep for me
Asking the willow to cry in sympathy for the singer's pain once again.
Oh,
Used to introduce a new request.
Whisper to the wind
Asking the willow to communicate something to the wind.
And say that love's a sin
Requesting that the willow communicate the idea that love is sinful.
Leave my heart a-breaking, and making a moan
Asking the willow to allow the singer to continue grieving over her lost love.
Murmur to the night to hide her starry light
Asking the willow to ask the night to conceal the stars so the singer can mourn undetected.
So none will find me sighing, crying all alone
Expressing the desire to grieve without anyone else knowing.
Willow weep tree
Using a different phrasing, this line repeats the request for the willow to cry.
Weeping sympathy
Describing the nature of the sympathetic tears the singer is requesting.
Bend your branches down along the ground and cover me
Asking the willow to shield the singer with its branches while she grieves.
When the shadows fall,
Referring to a specific time of day when the darkness can soothe the singer's grief.
Bend over willow and weep for me
Repeating the request for the willow to cry in sympathy for the singer.
Yes
Affirming the previous statement.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Ann Ronell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind