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.
The Frozen Man
James Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is the freezing cold water
Reaching up just to swallow me whole.
Ice in the rigging and howling wind,
Shock to my body
As we tumbled in, mercy from God.
My brothers and the others
I alone am returned to tell thee.
Hidden in ice for a century to walk
The world again, Lord have mercy
On the frozen man.
Next words that were spoken to me,
Nurse asked me what my name might be.
She was all in white
At the foot of my bed,
I said angel of mercy
I'm alive or am I dead?
My name is William James McPhee,
I was born in 1843.
Raised in Liverpool by the sea
But that ain't who I am,
Lord have mercy
On the frozen man.
It took a lot of money
To start my heart,
To peg my leg and to buy my eye.
The newspapers call me
The state of the art,
And the children,
When they see me, cry.
I thought it would be nice
Just to visit my grave,
See what kind of tombstone I might have.
I saw my wife and my daughter
And it seemed so strange,
Both of them dead and gone
From extreme old age.
See here, when I die
Make sure I'm gone,
Don't leave 'em nothing to work on.
You can raise your arm,
You can wiggle your hand,
Not unlike myself,
And you can wave goodbye
To the frozen man.
I know what it means
To freeze to death,
To lose a little life
With every breath.
To say goodbye to
Life on earth
And come around again,
Lord have mercy
On the frozen man,
Lord have mercy
On the frozen man.
The Frozen Man tells the story of William James McPhee, a sailor who was lost at sea with his crewmates during a whaling expedition in the 19th century. McPhee was the only survivor, found frozen in ice by a group of scientists a century later. The song describes his harrowing experience of being plunged into the icy water, the shock of the cold on his body, and the mercy of God that allowed him to survive.
The lyrics then shift to McPhee's experience after being rescued, waking up in a hospital with amputated limbs and a false eye. He struggles to come to terms with the passage of time, seeing his wife and daughter's graves and realizing how much he has missed. The song touches on the human condition and the fear of death, as McPhee grapples with the realization that he will eventually leave the world again.
Taylor's haunting melody and poignant lyrics draw the listener into McPhee's journey, evoking a sense of longing and melancholy. The Frozen Man highlights the fragility of life and the courage it takes to face our mortality, and ultimately leaves the listener with a message of hope and mercy.
Line by Line Meaning
Last thing I remember
I cannot recall what happened after the freezing water began to surround me.
Is the freezing cold water
I was submerged in icy water up to my neck.
Reaching up just to swallow me whole.
It felt like the water was trying to consume me.
Ice in the rigging and howling wind,
The weather was freezing, and the wind was loud.
Shock to my body
My body was shaking and trembling.
As we tumbled in, mercy from God.
As I fell into the water, I prayed for God’s help.
My brothers and the others
The rest of the people with me in the water.
Are lost at sea,
They all drowned and were never found.
I alone am returned to tell thee.
I am the only surviving member and have come back to share my experience.
Hidden in ice for a century to walk
I was frozen and hidden for a hundred years before being revived.
The world again, Lord have mercy
I am amazed to be alive again and pray for mercy.
On the frozen man.
I am the 'frozen man' and grateful to be alive.
Next words that were spoken to me,
The first thing I heard after being revived.
Nurse asked me what my name might be.
The nurse proceeded to ask my name.
She was all in white
The nurse was wearing all white clothing.
At the foot of my bed,
The nurse was standing at the end of the bed.
I said angel of mercy
I thought the nurse was an angel sent to help me.
I'm alive or am I dead?
I was unsure if I had survived or passed away.
My name is William James McPhee,
I introduced myself to the nurse by name.
I was born in 1843.
I shared my birth year with the nurse.
Raised in Liverpool by the sea
I spent most of my life living in Liverpool, near the coast.
But that ain't who I am,
While my life began in Liverpool, my identity has been shaped by my experiences.
Lord have mercy
I still pray for mercy and safety.
On the frozen man.
As the frozen man, my story is unique and incredible.
It took a lot of money
Many resources were required to restore my body to health.
To start my heart,
My heart needed to be restarted after such a long period of inactivity.
To peg my leg and to buy my eye.
I had to have a prosthetic leg and eye installed.
The newspapers call me
News outlets refer to me as something specific.
The state of the art,
They describe me as the most advanced or cutting-edge individual.
And the children,
Kids are particularly astounded by my unusual appearance.
When they see me, cry.
The sight of me often causes children to cry.
I thought it would be nice
I felt it would be a good idea.
Just to visit my grave,
I wanted to visit my own grave and see how I had been honored.
See what kind of tombstone I might have.
I wanted to view the type of gravestone that would commemorate my life.
I saw my wife and my daughter
During my visit to my own grave, I also saw my family.
And it seemed so strange,
The experience was surreal and difficult to grasp.
Both of them dead and gone
My wife and daughter have both passed away.
From extreme old age.
The two of them lived for a very long time.
See here, when I die
In the future, when I ultimately pass away...
Make sure I'm gone,
...be sure that I have truly passed on.
Don't leave 'em nothing to work on.
I do not want any part of my body or identity to be preserved after I pass.
You can raise your arm,
If you want to understand what I am like...
You can wiggle your hand,
...you can try replicating my movements.
Not unlike myself,
You may find that you can move like I do.
And you can wave goodbye
In fact, you can use these movements to break a connection...
To the frozen man.
...with me, the 'frozen man.'
I know what it means
As someone who has frozen and come back to life...
To freeze to death,
...I am intimately aware of the chilling process of death.
To lose a little life
I experienced a feeling of losing part of myself with each frozen moment...
With every breath.
...and with each breath I took.
To say goodbye to
I have had to bid farewell to...
Life on earth
...life here on earth...
And come around again,
...and then come back to the world once more!
Lord have mercy
I still know how much I need God's mercy.
On the frozen man,
My story continues to be characterized by my time as 'the frozen man.'
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAMES TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
84moondance
Hi, I don't know if James reads these, but is it possible to ask him if he could release a performance of "The Water Is Wide" from the time of it's original release? It's always been one of my favorite songs of his. Thanks.
White Pelican’s are Real
Hi, I saw your comment and thought I would tell you. The Water is Wide, came out in September, 1991 (New Moonshine Album) 😊❤
Cat Haecker
yeah, that's a great idea
Cat Haecker
I wanna hear Water is wide
EagleRayRob
What a fantastic song, I love it. The version JT does from Spanish TV, playing the Requinto Whitebook is wonderful. I look forward to this rendition.
Patrick Sullivan
James could sing the phone book and it would win a Grammy - such a treasure. Would love to hear “Baby Boom Baby” this way
David Johnston
That would be a true medical miracle! Kinda makes one wonder if the field of cryogenics has any merit, no? It’s a marvelous song and a fantasy/ mental tickler. Several “frozen men” exist: the hunter prehistoric man found in melting ice, expeditioners on Mt. Everest, probably some in Antarctica, and a cryogenic storage facility. None that I have heard of have actually been resurrected - can’t be done without reanimation by their soul. But fascinating to consider.
William Morris
Alas, not yet. The freezing process does enormous damage to internal organs that no one yet knows how to repair.
Jim Shelledy
Damn I love this guy.
Mark Perschke
Thank you, James, for sharing your beautiful talent. You have been an integral "tune" in the soundtrack of my life. Your music has, quite literally, made my life easier when it was hard, and expanded the beauty & happiness when all was well. A minstrels work completely fulfilled, I would think. Your work, in my opinion, is just another of those "little things" that seems to confirm the existence of an "overseer" that loves us, and wishes us to be happy.
Live long, and prosper.