Born: 1960s
Origin: Kansas City, Missouri
Genres: a… Read Full Bio ↴Jeff Black
Born: 1960s
Origin: Kansas City, Missouri
Genres: alternative, folk, singer-songwriter
Instruments: vocals, guitar, banjo, piano, harmonica
Years active 1990s - present
Label: Lotos Nile Music
Website: jeffblack.com
Jeff Black is an American singer-songwriter. After critically acclaimed commercial releases on label homes, fan favorite independent releases on his own Lotos Nile Music imprint, song placement on numerous independent films, thirty plus years of celebrated live performing and songs covered by artists as diverse as Alison Krauss, Waylon Jennings, Sam Bush, Blackhawk, Jerry Douglas, John Oates and Dierks Bentley, Jeff Black is recognized as a pioneer in the modern music industry. As an influential independent artist, Boston’s WUMB listeners voted Jeff Black as one of the top 100 most important Folk artists of the last 25 years. Continuing to evolve as a master songwriter and performer in the tradition of the great storytellers, his passionate, soul driven live performances of songs from his vast catalog are not to be missed.
Biography
Jeff Black was born circa 1960 and grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. Black received his first guitar as a present for his tenth birthday. In his twenties Black began performing at Blayney's, a Kansas City blues club where he also worked as a bouncer. Soon Black began touring and eventually relocated to Nashville, Tennessee after receiving a letter from Iris DeMent (Black lends some backing vocals on DeMent's 1992 debut album, Infamous Angel).
Black's own first album, Birmingham Road, was recorded with the members of the band Wilco, minus lead singer, Jeff Tweedy. The songs have been described as "fine portraits of American life without the sappiness or self-consciousness often attributed to the singer/songwriter genre. In 2007 Boston's WUMB listeners voted Jeff Black as one of the top 100 most important Folk artists of the last 25 years.
Discography
* Birmingham Road | Arista 1998
* Honey And Salt | Lotos Nile Music Released 2003
* B-Sides And Confessions Vol. I | Lotos Nile Music Released 2003
* Tin Lily | Lotos Nile Music Released 2003
* Mining | Lotos Nile Music Released 2007
* Sleepy Town | Lotos Nile Music Released 2008
* Christmas Sunshine | Lotos Nile Music Released 2009
* Plow Through The Mystic | Lotos Nile Music Released 2011
* B-Sides and Confessions Vol. 2 | Lotos Nile Music Released 2013
* Folklore | Lotos Nile Music Released 2014
1. Ronnie Lankford, Jr. "Review: Tin Lily", Allmusic 3.5/5 stars
2. Melissa Block, "Singer as DJ: Jeff Black's Podcasts", All Things Considered,
National Public Radio, August 9, 2005
3. Arthur Wood, "From Missouri to Nashville", FolkWax (link requires free subscription)
4. Charlotte Dillon, "Jeff Black: Biography", Allmusic
5. James Chrispell, "Review: Birmingham Road", Allmusic 4/5 stars
6. Arthur Wood, "Review: Honey and Salt, FolkWax, June 11, 2003 (8 out of 10)
7. Arthur Wood, "Review: B Sides and Confessions" , FolkWax, March 26, 2003 (9 out of 10)
8. Arthur Wood, "Another Winner from Jeff Black" (Review of Tin Lily), FolkWax, July 28, 2005
Sunday Best
Jeff Black Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like we never stop to rest
Saturday was beautiful
All dressed in our Sunday best
People came from miles away
Just to say goodbye
Little Sara was so afraid
She hid behind a smile
We drove down to the liquor store
For a mask and a trampoline
I'd been there a thousand times before
But it did not seem the same
The house was full of people
All day then they were gone
All the rooms seemed smaller than
They did when I was young
What are we gonna do was never said out loud
We'll get up in the morning
And we work all day
We'll come home in the evening sun
There's nothing more to say
Except for thank you man
For the gifts you bring
The Lord respects me when I'm working hard
But he loves me when I sing
I dreamt about him for six nights in a row
Little pictures of him smiling down
On our lives in a flash of gold
He looked so young and strong
All tan brown from the sun
A red and black checkered flannel shirt
But his watch and his ring were gone
What are we going to do was never said out loud
Jeff Black's song Sunday Best tells the story of a funeral and the aftermath from the perspective of the singer. The first verse describes the day of the funeral, expressing the feeling of never stopping to rest, with the wheels of life constantly turning. The line "Saturday was beautiful all dressed in our Sunday best" suggests that the funeral was a celebration of life, with everyone in their finest clothes paying their respects. However, the singer notes that the little girl, Sara, was hiding her fears behind a smile. The line "what are we going to do was never said out loud" implies that everyone was dealing with their grief in their own way and not openly expressing their emotions.
In the second verse, the singer reflects on the aftermath of the funeral. The line "We drove down to the liquor store for a mask and a trampoline" suggests that the singer is trying to distract themselves from their pain by buying trivial things. The house is crowded with people all day, but then everyone leaves, making the rooms seem smaller and empty. The same line from the first verse is repeated, emphasizing the unspoken nature of their grief.
The final verse speaks to the singer's perception of a higher power. They attribute their respect and love from the divine to their hard work and their ability to sing. The line "I dreamt about him for six nights in a row, little pictures of him smiling down on our lives in a flash of gold" suggests that the singer is finding peace in their dreams, and the image of gold symbolizes the idea of something precious and valuable. The final line, "what are we going to do was never said out loud," emphasizes the cyclical nature of grief that the singer is experiencing.
Line by Line Meaning
Wheels go round and round it seems
Life keeps moving constantly without any pause.
Like we never stop to rest
We are always busy, and there is no time to relax.
Saturday was beautiful
The day before was a great day.
All dressed in our Sunday best
Everyone was dressed up nicely as if it was a special occasion.
People came from miles away
A lot of people came a long distance to be there.
Just to say goodbye
They came to say farewell.
Little Sara was so afraid
A little girl named Sara was scared.
She hid behind a smile
She tried to look happy, but she was really scared.
What are we going to do was never said out loud
No one talked about what they were going to do after the event; it was left unspoken.
We drove down to the liquor store
They went to the liquor store by car.
For a mask and a trampoline
They bought a mask and a trampoline from the liquor store.
I'd been there a thousand times before
The artist had visited the liquor store many times previously.
But it did not seem the same
The liquor store felt different from how it was before.
The house was full of people
There were many visitors in the house.
All day then they were gone
The visitors only stayed for a short time and then left.
All the rooms seemed smaller than they did when I was young
The artist felt like the rooms were smaller than how they appeared when they were young.
We'll get up in the morning
We will wake up early in the morning.
And we work all day
We will work throughout the day.
We'll come home in the evening sun
We will return home in the evening when the sun is setting.
There's nothing more to say
There is nothing left to talk about.
Except for thank you man
Except for saying thanks.
For the gifts you bring
For the things that you gave us.
The Lord respects me when I'm working hard
God honors humans when they work hard.
But he loves me when I sing
But through music, humans can feel God's love.
I dreamt about him for six nights in a row
The singer had six consecutive dreams about someone they knew.
Little pictures of him smiling down
In the dreams, that person was smiling.
On our lives in a flash of gold
In the dreams, the person was smiling at the singer's life.
He looked so young and strong
In the dreams, the person appeared youthful and robust.
All tan brown from the sun
In the dreams, the person had a sun-kissed tan.
A red and black checkered flannel shirt
The person in the dreams wore a flannel shirt with red and black patterns.
But his watch and his ring were gone
However, the person in the dreams was missing a watch and a ring that they usually wore.
What are we going to do was never said out loud
No one talked about what they were going to do after the event; it was left unspoken.
Contributed by Nora L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@diogesesmore9874
One of the finest broken hymns ever written by anyone in this lonely old world
@reaperkollyns6495
Amazing song 💔
@StaybreezyURSIN
Jeff, I’ve heard this song recorded and live on YouTube. None of these versions beats your non recorded playing of it in 2003 in Kevin Chopsin’s 11th grade English class. I’m sure, at the time, you had no idea that your visit would have the impact it did. I appreciate you and what you taught me about crafting art that day.
@FransvanBeers
Op zijn zondags.... en dan zie ik me lang geleden weer in een mooie pakkie met mijn zusje en vader en moeder naar de kerk lopen op zondagochtend!
@rcs5150
Beautiful song; it says it all.
@12symon
another Great Jeff Black song :)
@saojhonatan3441
Muito esse som..