Frank Lemon, is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is a former member of Old Crow Medicine Show.
Take a pinch of the shuttered French Quarter, a dash of shack distilled brew, mix it with the alleyways of Les Halles, throw in equal measures of wrong side of the tracks bars and whisky driven night sweats. Fire it up with songs of loss, of dashed dreams, of devils in dresses and a twist of bitters. Shake it. Bottle it. And sell it out of an old battered cardboard suitcase. These are the ingredients of Gill Landry’s debut album. The songs veer from the rural to ruined streets, from the bottle to the graveyard, from a murder of ravens to hymns. These songs read like a book. A collection of stories, of narratives charting the restless wanderings of a itinerant musician. These are not songs about Main Street. These are way back. They are an alternative soundtrack to the American nightmare. Southern gothic meets Noir.
Years ago, Landry began performing as a busker on the streets of New Orleans, a town that knows a thing or two about decadence. He took the name Frank Lemon and created the Kitchen Syncopators, inspired by the old country blues, jazz and songster music of the 20’s and 30’s he was hearing around New Orleans. More recently, he’s played banjo and steel guitar for the Old Crow Medicine Show. His 2007 debut album was The Ballad of Lawless Soirez
Waiting for Your Love
Gill Landry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In a cold embrace
And all your southern charm
Full of northern grace
You find yourself on bended knees
Praying down on Robson Street
In an old hotel
A ghost of you used to be
Before you fell
Waiting for your love to take you home
From your old Montana home
You travel down until
From the pavement of your sorrow roads
The flowers of your wealth
You cross the line and seldom speak
Kissing bluebirds on the cheek
In the morning rain
The pictures sing to a callused spell
Every time you lose yourself
The stranger you became
Waiting for your love to take you home
After all these crooked miles
With sorrow deep and wide
We're here for just a while
I'll see you on the other side
Underneath some piece of roof
Down on Culfax Avenue
We'll walk alone
We'll talk of things that never die
With your filthy hand in mine
Cold as a stone
Waiting for our love to take us home
The lyrics of Gill Landry's "Waiting For Your Love" are ripe with imagery and emotion. Through a series of vivid scenes, the songwriter paints a picture of a person who is lost and searching for something to bring them back to their roots.
The opening lines of the song set the stage for the story: "With the future in your arms / In a cold embrace / And all your southern charm / Full of northern grace." The image of the future being held in a cold embrace speaks to the uncertainty and fear that this person is experiencing. They may be holding onto hope, but they are also aware of the many challenges that lie ahead. The reference to southern charm and northern grace is also interesting as it suggests that the person is struggling to reconcile different parts of their identity.
As the song continues, the person finds themselves on their knees, praying in an old hotel on Robson Street. They are haunted by a ghost of who they used to be, before they fell. They are waiting for love to take them home, to bring them back to a place of safety and comfort.
The song culminates with the two people coming together under a piece of roof on Culfax Avenue. They are alone, but they have each other. They talk of things that never die and hold hands, waiting for their love to take them home.
Overall, the lyrics of "Waiting For Your Love" are a haunting and beautiful exploration of what it means to feel lost and to long for a sense of home and belonging.
Line by Line Meaning
With the future in your arms
You hold onto hope for a better future
In a cold embrace
But the present feels lonely and unwelcoming
And all your southern charm
You maintain your charm despite your struggles
Full of northern grace
And you carry yourself with a reserved dignity
You find yourself on bended knees
You're brought to your knees in desperation
Praying down on Robson Street
You look for solace in an urban setting
In an old hotel
You seek shelter but feel haunted by the past
You wear your hands just like a thief
You feel guilt and shame for your struggles
A ghost of you used to be
You feel disconnected from your past self
Before you fell
Before your life took a downward turn
Waiting for your love to take you home
You long for love to guide you back to a better place
From your old Montana home
Your past is tied to a physical place
You travel down until
You've come a long way from home
From the pavement of your sorrow roads
You carry the weight of your pain with you
The flowers of your wealth
But you find beauty in the little things
You cross the line and seldom speak
You feel like you don't quite fit in
Kissing bluebirds on the cheek
But you try to find joy where you can
In the morning rain
Even in the dreary moments
The pictures sing to a callused spell
Your memories still have an effect on you
Every time you lose yourself
But you keep getting lost in your troubles
The stranger you became
And you feel like you don't recognize yourself
Waiting for your love to take you home
You still yearn for love to guide you
After all these crooked miles
You've been through a lot
With sorrow deep and wide
And your pain runs deep
We're here for just a while
But life is so short
I'll see you on the other side
But we'll meet again someday
Underneath some piece of roof
We'll find some shelter
Down on Culfax Avenue
In a place where we feel like we belong
We'll walk alone
But we can support each other
We'll talk of things that never die
And find solace in things that endure
With your filthy hand in mine
We'll stick together through thick and thin
Cold as a stone
Even when times are tough
Waiting for our love to take us home
Love can guide us back to a better place, together
Contributed by London N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
1964erinne
He saw it coming, btw, it's one awesome song 😍
dandilollo
This here is the man — all of his solo work is peppered with spectacular songwriting and imagery and some real sweet fingerstyle guitar.
The Martin guitar he’s playing here sounds beautiful, too.
Thun Fish
With all the empty seats it feels like 2020