James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter … Read Full Bio ↴James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 100 million records worldwide.

Taylor achieved his breakthrough in 1970 with the No. 3 single "Fire and Rain" and had his first No. 1 hit the following year with "You've Got a Friend", a recording of Carole King's classic song. His 1976 Greatest Hits album was certified Diamond and has sold 12 million US copies. Following his 1977 album, JT, he has retained a large audience over the decades. Every album that he released from 1977 to 2007 sold over 1 million copies. He enjoyed a resurgence in chart performance during the late 1990s and 2000s, when he recorded some of his most-awarded work (including Hourglass, October Road, and Covers). He achieved his first number-one album in the US in 2015 with his recording Before This World.

He is known for his popular covers of other people's songs, such as "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" and the aforementioned "You've Got A Friend", as well as originals such as "Fire and Rain".

Taylor's four siblings (Alex, Livingston, Hugh, and Kate) have also been musicians with recorded albums. Livingston is still an active musician; Kate was active in the 1970s but did not record another album until 2003; Hugh operates a bed-and-breakfast with his wife, The Outermost Inn in Aquinnah on Martha's Vineyard; and Alex died in 1993 on James's birthday.

After his divorce from Carly Simon in 1983, Taylor married actress Kathryn Walker on December 14, 1985 at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. She had helped him get off heroin, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1996.

On February 18, 2001, at the Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Boston, Taylor wed for the third time, marrying Caroline ("Kim") Smedvig, the director of public relations and marketing for the Boston Symphony Orchestra.[81] They had begun dating in 1995, when they met as he appeared with John Williams and the Boston Pops Orchestra. Part of their relationship was worked into the album October Road, on the song "On the 4th of July". The couple reside in the town of Washington, Massachusetts, with their twin boys, Rufus and Henry, born in April 2001. Henry shares James' intrest and talents.

Sally and Ben, his children with Carly Simon, have also embarked on musical careers. After they were born, Taylor moved with his family to Lenox, Massachusetts.

140 Line 'Em Up
James Taylor Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I remember Richard Nixon back in '74
And the final scene at the White House door
And the staff lined up to say good-bye
Tiny tear in his shifty little eye
He said nobody knows me
Nobody understands
These little people were good to me
Oh I'm gonna shake some hands

CHORUS:
Somebody line 'em up
Line 'em all up
Line 'em up
Line 'em all up
Line 'em up
Line 'em all up
Line 'em up
Line 'em all up

At that time my heart was all broke
I looked like ashes and smelled like smoke
And I turned away from my loving kind
Try to leave my body and live in my mind
But it's much too much emotion
To hold it in your hand
They've got waves out on the ocean
They're gonna wear away the land

- Chorus -

Oh I've seen corn in Kansas
And I've seen picket fences
And certain cowboy dances
I've gone lining up for shows
I've been safely placed in rows
Sure I know how it goes

Another day goes by
Little time machine
I'm breaking my brain
Over what it might mean
Just to claim the time
And to turn away
To make today today

Who waits for you
Lonely tired old toad
It's your life laid out before you
Like the broken white line down the center of the doggone road

- Chorus -

Yeah, big moon landing
People all standing up
Smiles for the loved ones
They go walking on down the aisles
Each re-engages stepping into the sun
I watch them turn like pages
One by one by one

- Chorus -

Overall Meaning

"Line 'Em Up" by James Taylor is a song that features reminiscences and reflections on life, love, politics, and time passing. The song opens with a reference to former President Nixon's resignation and the scene of him leaving the White House. The narration implies that despite Nixon's controversial and divisive rule, he remains somewhat sentimental about his staff and the perceived loyalty of his supporters. The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "line 'em up" as if to suggest the idea of organizing or categorizing people in some way.

As the song progresses, James Taylor offers his own reflections on life: the pain of heartbreak, the futility of trying to escape emotion, and the realization that time continues to march on regardless of one's wishes or plans. He speaks of traveling and experiencing diverse facets of American culture such as cowboy folk traditions and Kansas cornfields.

One of the most poignant lines of the song comes towards the end, as Taylor asks the listener, "Who waits for you, lonely tired old toad? It's your life laid out before you like the broken white line down the center of the road." The image of the road and the center line serves as a metaphor for the linear and inevitable trajectory of life, with its highs and lows, its victories and defeats, and the recognition that even as time moves forward, it is up to each individual to make the most of the present moment.

Line by Line Meaning

I remember Richard Nixon back in '74
Reminiscing about when Richard Nixon was in office in 1974

And the final scene at the White House door
When Nixon resigned in disgrace and left the White House

And the staff lined up to say good-bye,
Nixon saying goodbye to his White House staff

Tiny tear in his shifty little eye,
Nixon shedding a small tear with his dishonest appearance and reputation

He said, "nobody knows me, nobody understands.
Nixon feeling like nobody truly knew or understood him

These little people were good to me,
Nixon acknowledging the White House staff who were good to him

Oh I'm gonna shake some hands."
Nixon wanting to shake hands with people before leaving office

Somebody line 'em up, line 'em all up,
Asking someone to line people up

Line 'em up, line 'em all up.
Repeating the request to line people up

At that time my heart was all broke,
Reflecting on a past time when the artist's heart was broken

I looked like ashes and smelled like smoke
The singer in a state of emotional turmoil

And I turned away from my loving kind,
Pushing away love and affection from others

Try to leave my body and live in my mind
Wanting to escape reality by living in thoughts

But it's much too much emotion
The emotional weight of the situation is too much

To hold it in your hand.
You can't physically hold or control emotions

They've got waves out on the ocean,
Referring to the unpredictable nature of life and the world

They're gonna wear away the land,
Life will wear away at people just as the ocean erodes the land

Want you to line 'em up, line 'em all up,
Asking someone to line people up

Line 'em up, line 'em all up.
Repeating the request to line people up

Oh, I've seen corn in Kansas and I've seen
The artist has seen various places and things

Picket fences and certain cowboy dances.
Specific things the artist has seen

I've gone lining up for shows, I've been safely placed in rows,
The artist has been in situations where they were lined up or placed in rows for shows and events

Sure I know how it goes.
Understanding how these types of situations work

Another day goes by, little time machine,
Time passes by quickly

I'm raking my brain over what it might mean
Pondering what the future might hold

Just to claim the time and to turn away,
Wanting to make the most of each day and avoid wasting time

To make today today.
Emphasizing the importance of living in the present

Who waits for you, lonely tired old toad?
A rhetorical question asking who will be there for the artist in the future

It's your life laid out before you like
The future is uncertain and unknown

The broken white line
A metaphor for the path of life and its uncertainties

Down the center of the road.
The main path of life

Yeah, big moon landing, people are standing up,
The excitement and unity of events like the moon landing

Smiles for the loved ones, they go walking on down the aisles.
People celebrating and walking away hand-in-hand

Each re-engages stepping into the sun,
People stepping into a bright new future