Welch and Rawlings have collaborated on seven critically acclaimed albums, five released under her name, and two released under the name Dave Rawlings Machine. Her 1996 debut, Revival, and the 2001 release Time (The Revelator), received nominations for the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. Her 2003 album, Soul Journey, introduced electric guitar, drums, and a more upbeat sound to their body of work. After a gap of eight years, she released a fifth studio album, The Harrow & The Harvest, in 2011, which was also nominated for a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album.
Welch was an associate producer and performed on two songs of the soundtrack of the Coen brothers 2000 film O Brother, Where Art Thou?, a platinum album that won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 2002. She also appeared in the film attempting to buy a Soggy Bottom Boys record. Welch, while not one of the principal actors, did sing and provide additional lyrics to the Sirens song "Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby." In 2018 she and Rawlings wrote the song "When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings" for the Coens' The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, for which they received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Welch has collaborated and recorded with Alison Krauss, Ryan Adams, Jay Farrar, Emmylou Harris, the Decemberists, Sam Phillips, Conor Oberst, Ani DiFranco, and Robyn Hitchcock.
Gillian Howard Welch was born on October 2, 1967 in New York City, and was adopted by Mitzie Welch (née Marilyn Cottle) and Ken Welch, comedy and music entertainers. Her biological mother was a freshman in college, and her father was a musician visiting New York City. Welch has speculated that her biological father could have been one of her favorite musicians, and she later discovered from her adoptive parents that he was a drummer. Alec Wilkinson of The New Yorker stated that "from an address they had been given, it appeared that her mother ... may have grown up in the mountains of North Carolina". When Welch was three, her adoptive parents moved to Los Angeles to write music for The Carol Burnett Show. They also appeared on The Tonight Show.
As a child, Welch was introduced to the music of American folk singers Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, and the Carter Family. She performed folk songs with her peers at the Westland Elementary School in Los Angeles. Welch later attended Crossroads School, a high school in Santa Monica, California. While in high school, a local television program featured her as a student who "excelled at everything she did."
Welch and Rawlings incorporate elements of early twentieth century music such as old time, classic country, gospel and traditional bluegrass with modern elements of rhythm and blues, rock 'n' roll, jazz, and punk rock. The New Yorker's Alec Wilkinson maintained their musical style is "not easily classified—it is at once innovative and obliquely reminiscent of past rural forms".
The instrumentation on their songs is usually a simple arrangement, with Welch and Rawlings accompanying their own vocals with acoustic guitars, banjos, or a mandolin. Welch plays rhythm guitar with a 1956 Gibson J-50 (or banjo), while Rawlings plays lead on a 1935 Epiphone Olympic Guitar.The New Yorker's Wilkinson described Rawlings as a "strikingly inventive guitarist" who plays solos that are "daring melodic leaps". A review in No Depression by Andy Moore observed that Rawlings "squeezes, strokes, chokes and does just about everything but blow into" his guitar.
Many songs performed by Welch and Rawlings contain dark themes about social outcasts struggling against such elements as poverty, drug addiction, death, a disconnection from their family, and an unresponsive God. Despite Welch being the lead singer, several of these characters are male. Welch has commented, "To be commercial, everybody wants happy love songs. People would flat-out ask me, 'Don't you have any happy love songs?' Well, as a matter of fact, I don't. I've got songs about orphans and morphine addicts." To reflect these themes, Welch and Rawlings often employ a slow pace to their songs. Their tempo is compared to a "slow heartbeat", and Cowperthwait of Rolling Stone observed that their songs "can lull you into near-hypnosis and then make your jaw drop with one final revelation".
I Had A Real Good Mother And Father
Gillian Welch Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I had a real good mother and father
And they surely stood the test
And now they're in bright glory
And are sleeping on the saviors breast
They set a good example for me
And they taught me how to pray
And walkin' on the narrow way
I know that if I can not meet them on high
Then how lonely I will be
For what good is my journey
If I miss out on eternity
[chorus]
The song "I Had A Real Good Mother And Father" by Gillian Welch is a tribute to the singer's parents who have passed away. The first verse expresses the singer's gratitude for having had a loving and supportive mother and father who were unwavering in their faith. They led by example and taught her how to pray, paving the way for her to ultimately find her faith and walk on the narrow way, in keeping with their teachings.
The chorus serves as a reminder that her parents are now in heaven, resting in the warm embrace of the Savior. She knows that her ultimate goal is to join them there, and she strives to live her life in a way that would make them proud. The final verse underscores the importance of a journey that leads to eternal life, and emphasizes the value of having someone to share that journey with, even if only in spirit.
The song is a touching and heartfelt tribute to the singer's parents, and celebrates the values of love, faith, and family that were instilled in her from a young age.
Line by Line Meaning
I had a real good mother and father
My parents were truly good people who raised me well.
And they surely stood the test
They faced challenges in life and overcame them.
And now they're in bright glory
My parents have passed away and are in heaven.
And are sleeping on the saviors breast
They are at peace and resting in the arms of Jesus.
They set a good example for me
They showed me how to be a good person by their actions.
And they taught me how to pray
They instilled in me the importance of faith and prayer.
Now I truly converted
I have embraced faith fully and passionately.
And walkin' on the narrow way
I am striving to follow the path of righteousness.
I know that if I can not meet them on high
If I am not reunited with them in heaven, I will be very lonely.
Then how lonely I will be
Without them, my life will lack the joy and comfort they provided.
For what good is my journey
What meaning does my life have if I cannot be with them in the afterlife?
If I miss out on eternity
If I am not able to be with my loved ones in heaven, my life will lack purpose and fulfillment.
I had a real good mother and father
My parents' love and guidance had a profound impact on my life.
And they surely stood the test
Their strength and character helped them overcome adversity.
And now they're in bright glory
My parents are at peace and happiness in heaven.
And are sleeping on the saviors breast
They are resting in the comforting embrace of Jesus.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GILLIAN HOWARD WELCH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind