John Weldon Cale (5 December 1938 – 26 July 2013), known as JJ Cale or J.… Read Full Bio ↴John Weldon Cale (5 December 1938 – 26 July 2013), known as JJ Cale or J.J. Cale, was a Grammy Award-winning American singer, musician, and songwriter. Cale was one of the originators of the Tulsa Sound, a loose genre drawing on blues, rockabilly, country, and jazz influences. Cale's personal style has often been described as "laid back".

His songs have been performed by a number of other musicians including "After Midnight" and "Cocaine" by Eric Clapton,"Cajun Moon" by Randy Crawford, "Clyde" and "Louisiana Women" by Waylon Jennings, "Magnolia" by Jai, "Bringing It Back" by Kansas, "Call Me the Breeze" and "I Got the Same Old Blues" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, "I'd Like to Love You, Baby" by Tom Petty, "Travelin' Light" and "Ride Me High" by Widespread Panic, "Tijuana" by Harry Manx, "Sensitive Kind" by Carlos Santana, "Cajun Moon" by Herbie Mann with Cissy Houston, and "Same Old Blues" by Captain Beefheart.

Cale was born on December 5, 1938, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was raised in Tulsa and graduated from Tulsa Central High School in 1956. Along with a number of other young Tulsa musicians, Cale moved to Los Angeles in the early 1960s, where he first worked as a studio engineer.
The Leathercoated Minds was a 1966-67 psychedelic studio-based band masterminded largely by Snuff Garrett and J J Cale. The band produced one album, A Trip down the Sunset Strip, co-produced by Cale and Garrett
Finding little success as a recording artist, he later returned to Tulsa and was considering giving up the music business until Clapton recorded "After Midnight" in 1970. His first album, Naturally, established his style, described by Los Angeles Times writer Richard Cromelin as a "unique hybrid of blues, folk and jazz, marked by relaxed grooves and Cale's fluid guitar and laconic vocals. His early use of drum machines and his unconventional mixes lend a distinctive and timeless quality to his work and set him apart from the pack of Americana roots-music purists."

Some sources incorrectly give his real name as "Jean-Jacques Cale". In the 2006 documentary, To Tulsa and Back: On Tour with J.J. Cale, Cale talks about Elmer Valentine, co-owner of the Sunset Strip nightclub Whisky à GoGo, who employed him in the mid-1960s, being the one that came up with the "JJ" moniker to avoid confusion with the Velvet Underground's John Cale. Rocky Frisco tells the same version of the story mentioning the other John Cale but without further detail.

His biggest U.S. hit single, Crazy Mama, peaked at #22 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1972. During the 2006 documentary film To Tulsa and Back Cale recounts the story of being offered the opportunity to appear on Dick Clark's American Bandstand to promote the song, which would have moved the song higher on the charts. Cale declined when told he could not bring his band to the taping and would be required to lip-sync the words to the song.

Cale died on Friday, July 26, 2013, at Scripps Hospital in La Jolla, California, after suffering a heart attack.

Rose In The Garden
J.J. Cale Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'll find my way back to the rose in the garden
I'll find my way back to her sweet arms
I'll find my way back to the rose in the garden
I'll find my way back to her little charms
Wasting my life, just dreaming away
No never again will I ever stray

I'll find my way back to the rose in the garden

I'll find my way back to her sweet arms
Wasting my life, just dreaming away
No never again will I ever stray

I'll find my way back to the rose in the garden
I'll find my way back to her sweet arms

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of J.J. Cale's song "Rose in the Garden" express a yearning to return to a loved one after a long period of time spent wandering aimlessly. The repeated refrain "I'll find my way back to the rose in the garden" refers to the singer's desire to find their way back to the person who represents love and stability in their life. The "rose in the garden" serves as a metaphor for this person, who is beautiful, delicate and grounded in nature, much like a rose.

The song highlights the theme of losing oneself and the need to find something stable and constant to anchor oneself to. The singer admits that they have been "wasting my life, just dreaming away" but vow never to stray again. This implies that they have been lost and unsure of their place in life, but they have now found someone who makes them feel secure and loved.

Overall, the lyrics of "Rose in the Garden" speak to the human desire for love, stability, and belonging. The rose in the garden represents a beacon of hope and the possibility of rekindling a relationship that has been lost or forgotten.

Line by Line Meaning

I'll find my way back to the rose in the garden
I am determined to return to the person I love most.

I'll find my way back to her sweet arms
I yearn to be held by her, and experience her love and warmth once again.

I'll find my way back to the rose in the garden
My heart will lead me back to my beloved, no matter the distance or obstacles.

I'll find my way back to her little charms
I am drawn to her unique qualities and captivating personality.

Wasting my life, just dreaming away
I realize that I've been unproductive, lost in thought, rather than living in the present.

No never again will I ever stray
I vow to put my beloved first, and not be tempted by distractions or other romantic interests.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: J. J. CALE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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