Eva Cassidy was the third of four children born to Hugh and Barbara Cassidy. From an early age, she displayed artistic and musical talent. When she was nine years old, her father taught her to play the guitar, and she began to play and sing at family gatherings.
While a student at Bowie High School, she did sing with a local band, called Stonehenge, and received considerable praise.
At the age of eighteen, Cassidy began her professional career, singing and playing guitar in a Washington, D.C., area band, called Easy Street. This band performed in a variety of styles, at weddings, corporate parties, and pubs.
During the summer of 1983, Cassidy sang and played guitar, six days per week, at Wild World, in Maryland. Her brother Dan was also a member of this working band.
Throughout the 1980s, Cassidy worked with a number of other bands, including the soul and Motown-oriented band The Honeybees, and the techno-pop band Characters Without Names, later called Method Actor.
During this period, Cassidy also worked as a propagator at a plant nursery and as a furniture painter in Annapolis, Maryland. In 1986, she met (bassist and recording engineer) Chris Biondo, who encouraged her and helped her find work as a backup singer for various acts. In 1990, Biondo and Cassidy hired the so-called "Eva Cassidy Band", composed of Chris Biondo, Lenny Williams, Keith Grimes and Raice McLeod, and she began to perform frequently in the Washington area.
In 1992, Biondo played a tape of Cassidy's voice for Chuck Brown. Best known as the "Godfather of Go-go", Brown is also a jazz and blues vocalist. This led to the first commercial recording of Cassidy, the duet album with Chuck Brown, The Other Side; which featured performances of classic songs such as "Fever", Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child" and Cassidy's signature tune "Over the Rainbow". The album was released and distributed by Liaison Records, the label that also released Brown's Go-go albums. The duet CD attracted the attention of various record companies, but the offers all required Cassidy to pigeonhole herself within a single style (e.g., pop or jazz), something she adamantly refused to do.[citation needed]
In 1993 Eva Cassidy was first honored by the Washington area music community when she was awarded two Wammie awards for "Female Vocalist Roots/Traditional R&B" and "Vocalist Jazz/Traditional." The next year she was chosen to perform for the awards ceremony.
In January 1996, Cassidy recorded the album Live at Blues Alley, about which The Washington Post later commented that "she could sing anything and make it sound like the only music that mattered". [1] Cassidy was unhappy with her singing on the album, because she had a bad cold on the night of the recording; she began recording a studio album which was eventually released as Eva by Heart posthumously in 1997.
During a promotional event for the Live at Blues Alley CD in July 1996, Cassidy noticed an ache in her hips, which she attributed to stiffness from painting murals. The pain persisted, and, a few weeks later, Cassidy was diagnosed with melanoma. By the time of her diagnosis, the cancer had spread throughout her body. Cassidy's health rapidly deteriorated, and her final performance was in September 1996. At the performance, she had used a walker to reach the stage, sang "What a Wonderful World" in front of an audience of friends, and was subsequently admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital.[citation needed]
Eva Cassidy died on November 2, 1996, at the age of 33. She was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Washington Area Music Association.
Wayfaring Stranger
Eva Cassidy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
While journeying through this world of woe
Yet there's no sickness toil nor danger
In that bright land to which I go
I'm going there to see my father
I'm going there no more to roam
I'm only going over Jordan
I'm only going over home
I know dark clouds will gather over me
I know my way my way is rough and steep
Yet beautiful fields lie just before me
And God's redeemed their vigils keep
I'm going there to see my father
I'm going there no more to roam
I'm only going over Jordan
I'm only going over home
I'm going there oh to see my mother
I'm going there no more to roam
I'm only going over Jordan
I'm only going over home
I want to wear that crown of glory
When I get home to that good land
Well I want to shout salvation's story
In concert with the blood-washed band
I'm going there to see my Savior
Oh I'm going there no more to roam
I'm only going over Jordan
I'm only going over home
Well I'm only going over home
Yeah only going over home
I'm only going over home
The lyrics of Eva Cassidy's Wayfaring Stranger is about a journey towards the afterlife. The singer describes himself as a poor wayfaring stranger on a difficult journey through the darkness and hardships of life. However, he takes solace in the knowledge that he is headed towards a brighter place where he will no longer suffer sickness or danger. He talks about his desire to reunite with his father, mother, and Savior, highlighting the importance of familial bonds and faith in the afterlife.
The song's lyrics paint a picture of hope in the face of adversity and convey the message that even in moments of great suffering, one can find comfort in the knowledge that there is something better waiting beyond this life. Cassidy's soulful voice and gentle guitar playing add to the song's emotional resonance, making it a stirring tribute to the human spirit's resilience in the face of hardship.
Line by Line Meaning
I am a poor wayfaring stranger
I am an unimportant traveler, without a permanent home or belonging in this world.
While journeying through this world of woe
As I travel through this difficult and sorrowful world.
Yet there's no sickness toil nor danger
Despite the difficult journey, there will be no sickness, labor, or danger in the afterlife.
In that bright land to which I go
In the bright and peaceful afterlife that awaits me.
I'm going there to see my father
I am journeying to the afterlife to reunite with my deceased father.
I'm going there no more to roam
I will be at peace with my father in the afterlife, without any need to wander or search for home.
I'm only going over Jordan
I am only crossing the metaphorical river Jordan, which represents death, to reach the afterlife.
I know dark clouds will gather over me
I am aware that there will be difficulties and sadness in my life.
I know my way my way is rough and steep
I know that my road through life will be difficult and challenging.
Yet beautiful fields lie just before me
Despite the difficulties ahead, there are also beautiful and rewarding experiences to be had in life.
And God's redeemed their vigils keep
God's redeemed people are watching over me and offering guidance and protection on my life journey.
I'm going there oh to see my mother
I am traveling to the afterlife to be reunited with my deceased mother.
I want to wear that crown of glory
I aspire to achieve great things and be recognized for my achievements in the afterlife.
When I get home to that good land
When I reach the peaceful and rewarding afterlife.
Well I want to shout salvation's story
I want to share the story of salvation with others in the afterlife.
In concert with the blood-washed band
Together with other redeemed souls.
I'm going there to see my Savior
I am journeying to the afterlife to meet my Savior, Jesus Christ.
Oh I'm going there no more to roam
I will have found my permanent home in the afterlife, without any need to wander or search for fulfillment.
Well I'm only going over home
I am simply traveling to my real and eternal home in the afterlife.
Yeah only going over home
My only destination is home, the afterlife.
I'm only going over home
I am traveling only to my eternal afterlife home.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, Hipgnosis Songs Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Traditional
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind