After Be-Bop-A-Lula had become a huge hit in 1956 (peaking at #7 and spending 20 weeks in the Billboard Pop Chart), Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps (often mis-named as 'the' Blue Caps) were unable to follow it up with the same level of commercial success, but released critically acclaimed songs like Race With The Devil (#96 in Billboard) and Bluejean Bop (#49).
Following a visit to Europe in 1959, Vincent managed to attract a new huge and discerning audience there, especially in England and France. By that time his career had mostly ended in the US. In 1960, while on tour in Britain, Vincent and songwriter Sharon Sheeley were seriously injured in a high-speed traffic accident. Vincent broke his ribs, collarbone, and added further damage to his already weak leg which he had injured in a motorcycle accident in 1955 and refused to have amputated, and Sheeley suffered a broken pelvis. Both Vincent and Sheeley survived, but the accident killed Vincent's tourmate and Sheeley's fiancé, Eddie Cochran.
Vincent subsequently moved to England in 1963. His stage shows became "must see" events and his bands through those years were to spawn some of the most respected players in the world today. It was during his early tours of Britain that he adopted the trademark leather outfit, at the suggestion of British Rock 'n' Roll impressario, Jack Good.
Weeping Willow
Gene Vincent Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You weep
Dear willow
Why do?
Your branches hang so slow
Is it cause you know
A secret that no other tree told me?
I′ve lost my love
Have you lost your love too?
Is that what you cry to me?
Willow, are you saying: you're lonesome?
Lonesome too?
I lost my love
You lost your love
I′ve lost my love
You've lost your love
Why do you weep?
Dear willow
Cause that's why your branches hang so slow?
Oh oh oh wow
Gene Vincent's song "Weeping Willow" is a heartbreakingly beautiful lament about lost love and the universal experience of loneliness. The song personifies the willow tree and imagines it weeping along with the singer in their shared sorrow. The lyrics pose several questions to the willow tree as if it might hold some answers or solace for the singer. Through this metaphorical conversation with the willow, Vincent evokes a sense of empathy and connection to the natural world and the collective human experience of pain and loss.
The opening lines of the song ask, "Why do you weep, dear willow? Why do your branches hang so slow?" These lines capture the melancholy image of a drooping willow tree, whose thin branches seem to be bowing in grief. Vincent then wonders if the willow tree is privy to some secret that the other trees have not shared with him, asking, "Is it cause you know a secret that no other tree told me?" Through this line, Vincent highlights the idea that the natural world might have its own language and way of communicating with each other that humans can't understand.
As the song continues, Vincent reveals that he is also grieving - the loss of his love. He asks the willow, "Have you lost your love too? Is that what you cry to me?" He wonders if the tree's tears are a mirror of his own, that they both share in this feeling of profound loneliness. The repetition of the lines "I lost my love, you lost your love, I've lost my love, you've lost your love," underscore the universality of loss and heartbreak, reminding listeners that these experiences are a fundamental part of the human condition. The song ends on a haunting note, with Vincent's falsetto exclamation of "Oh oh oh wow," a visceral expression of the depth of his grief.
Line by Line Meaning
Why do?
Gene Vincent wonders about the reason behind the weeping of Willow
You weep
Gene Vincent notices that Willow tree is crying
Dear willow
Gene Vincent addresses the willow tree sympathetically
Why do?
Gene Vincent repeats his concern about the reason behind Willow's weeping
Your branches hang so slow
Gene Vincent observes that Willow's branches are drooping
Is it cause you know
Gene Vincent wonders if there is any specific reason behind Willow's agony
A secret that no other tree told me?
Gene Vincent speculates that there might be a secret behind Willow's sorrow which he doesn't know about
I've lost my love
Gene Vincent shares with the willow tree that he has also lost his love
Dear willow
Gene Vincent addresses the willow tree once again empathetically
Have you lost your love too?
Gene Vincent inquires if Willow has also suffered a similar loss
Is that what you cry to me?
Gene Vincent wonders if Willow is expressing her pain to him
Willow, are you saying: you're lonesome?
Gene Vincent interprets Willow's sorrow as a sign of her loneliness
Lonesome too?
Gene Vincent asks Willow if she is also feeling lonely like him
I lost my love
Gene Vincent repeats that he has lost his love
You lost your love
Gene Vincent assumes that Willow has also lost someone she loved
I've lost my love
Gene Vincent repeats that he has lost his love once again
You've lost your love
Gene Vincent restates that Willow has also experienced the pain of losing her love
Why do you weep?
Gene Vincent repeats his inquiry about the reason for Willow's weeping
Dear willow
Gene Vincent addresses the willow tree affectionately for the final time
Cause that's why your branches hang so slow?
Gene Vincent speculates that Willow's weeping may be the cause of the drooping of her branches
Oh oh oh wow
Gene Vincent expresses his amazement with an expression of exclamation
Writer(s): Dp, Yannick Singery
Contributed by Nicholas E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@patricethomas6736
Très belle chanson
@genyridonate4418
My sweet GENE forever and ever
@carolemclarty2036
Love ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️😘 sweet Gene ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
@karlbillinger9945
Gene Vincent, at his very best. Exceptional and beyond Joy. Pretty.
@enertrebor7456
Immense chanteur
@karlbillinger9945
Probably the best Vincent track ever projected and devised, pure bliss.
@didierchevalier9137
super chanson de notre gegene
@christianpicard6245
POUR VOUS (EDDYMITCHELL°) à écouter!!!
@tonyfarmer157
Why do?
You weep
Dear willow
Why do?
Your branches hang so slow
Is it cause you know
A secret that no other tree told me?
I've lost my love
Dear willow
Have you lost your love too?
Is that what you cry to me?
Willow, are you saying: you're lonesome?
Lonesome too?
I lost my love
You lost your love
I've lost my love
You've lost your love
Why do you weep?
Dear willow
Cause that's why your branches hang so slow?
Oh oh oh wow