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.
Down In The Hole
James Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Got to let your eyes adjust.
I'm sorry about your suit,
Can't do nothing about the dust.
Welcome down underground,
Hunker down a spell.
Gets to feel like home to me
Though I know it looks like hell.
Down in the hole, Lord,
It's deep and the sides are steep.
And the nights are long and cold,
Down in the hole.
Light and love and the world above
Mean nothing to the mole.
(Don't mean nothing to the mole.)
Never gets real hot down here,
Fifty five degrees.
It's always a little bit damp, I fear
But I've never seem to freeze.
Mushrooms and earthworms,
Fancy stuff to eat.
A world of quiet contemplation, oh, yes,
Just below the street.
Down in the hole, Lord,
It's deep and the sides are steep.
And the nights are long and cold,
Down in the hole.
Light and love and the world above
Mean nothing to the mole.
(Don't mean nothing to the mole.)
I'm in a hole since I lost my baby,
Living in a hole since I lost my girl.
Would you play in the moonlight,
Would you dance in the dirt,
come home way past daybreak,
Cockleburs all stuck in your shirt?
Come back home to twilight,
Come back home to me,
Subterranean river you are
Meets the molten sea.
Down in the hole, Lord,
It's deep and the sides are steep.
And the nights are long and cold,
Down in the hole.
Light and love and the world above
Mean nothing to the mole.
(Don't mean nothing to the mole.)
The lyrics to James Taylor's song Down In The Hole paint a picture of being in a dark, underground space. The opening lyrics suggest that the singer and the listener are descending into this hole, entering a new environment that may be uncomfortable or unfamiliar. The singer apologizes for the dust and warns the listener to watch for obstacles like roots. Despite this, the singer seems to find comfort in this underground space and tells the listener to "hunker down a spell" and make themselves at home.
The chorus repeats the phrase "Down in the hole" and emphasizes the depth and steep sides of this underground space. We also learn that the nights are long and cold, reinforcing the idea that this is not a pleasant place to be. The final lines of the chorus, "Light and love and the world above / Mean nothing to the mole," suggest that the singer has become accustomed to this environment and is disconnected from the larger world above ground. Finally, the last verse introduces a new layer of meaning to the song. The singer explains that they have been living in a hole since they lost their baby or girl, suggesting that this underground environment is a metaphor for grief or emotional isolation.
Overall, Down In The Hole is a song about finding refuge in an unlikely place. The singer embraces their new surroundings and encourages the listener to do the same, despite the cold and darkness that surrounds them. However, the final verse adds complexity to the song by introducing a deeper emotional context to the lyrics, suggesting that this hole represents a personal or emotional struggle rather than a physical one.
Line by Line Meaning
Watch your head on that root,
Be careful of the obstacles that might block your path.
Got to let your eyes adjust.
Take some time to get used to the environment you're in.
I'm sorry about your suit,
I regret that you might get a little dirty down here.
Can't do nothing about the dust.
I can't help the fact that everything down here is covered in dust.
Welcome down underground,
I'm glad you've decided to join me down here.
Hunker down a spell.
Stay here with me for a little while.
Gets to feel like home to me
I've become accustomed to this place and it almost feels like home.
Though I know it looks like hell.
Even though this place might look terrible to you.
Never gets real hot down here,
It's always been cool in this place.
Fifty five degrees.
The temperature down here is usually around 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
It's always a little bit damp, I fear
It's constantly a bit moist down here, which makes me worried sometimes.
But I've never seem to freeze.
Despite the cold temperature, I've never been cold enough to freeze.
Mushrooms and earthworms,
The only source of food I have down here are mushrooms and earthworms.
Fancy stuff to eat.
I don't have much to eat, but these things suffice.
A world of quiet contemplation, oh, yes,
This is a place where I can think without any distraction.
Just below the street.
This place is lying just beneath the street.
I'm in a hole since I lost my baby,
I've been stuck in this place ever since I lost my girlfriend.
Living in a hole since I lost my girl.
This place has become my dwelling place since I lost my love.
Would you play in the moonlight,
Would you enjoy the night sky with me?
Would you dance in the dirt,
Would you be willing to dance with me in the dirt?
Come home way past daybreak,
I want to stay out all night and come back only after sunrise.
Cockleburs all stuck in your shirt?
Do you mind if we come back home with plants clinging to our clothes?
Come back home to twilight,
Let's return to our home when the day is about to end.
Come back home to me,
Return to me safe and sound.
Subterranean river you are
The underground river here is another thing that makes this cave unique.
Meets the molten sea.
The river merges with the molten sea and creates the wonders of this place.
Down in the hole, Lord,
This place is so deep that it feels like being in a hole.
It's deep and the sides are steep.
The steep walls of this place make it almost impossible to escape.
And the nights are long and cold,
The nights in this place are really long and cold.
Light and love and the world above
Things like light, love and the world up there have no significance here.
Mean nothing to the mole.
To someone who spends their days and nights underground, these things mean nothing.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAMES TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind