Winchester was born in Bossier City, Louisiana, his father being stationed at Barksdale Field. He was raised both in the country (on farms owned by his parents) and in the city of Memphis, Tennessee, and attended Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, graduating in 1966. After touring Germany and upon receiving his draft notice in 1967, Winchester relocated to Montreal, Quebec. He became a Canadian citizen in 1973, and married his first wife Leslie. After many years in Montreal and after his divorce, he established his personal studio at Saint Georges de Beauce, Quebec, and resided there for some years before moving back to Memphis in 2002. Married to his wife Cindy, he lately resided in Charlottesville, Virginia. Winchester had three children from his first marriage, Alice Evangeline, James Ridout and Marcus Lee.
After playing with the Astronautes in Quebec, and while appearing as a solo performer in coffee houses throughout eastern Canada, he was introduced to Robbie Robertson (then of The Band ) and Albert Grossman (then manager of Bob Dylan). Winchester made his first album, the acclaimed "Jesse Winchester" (which included his classic 'Yankee Lady,' 'Brand New Tennessee Waltz,' and 'Biloxi') with Grossman as his manager and Robertson as producer, which was released on the Bearsville label. He subsequently toured in Canada as an opening act for The Band. Jesse went on his own road tour of Canada in 1973-74 along with drummer Butch McDade of the subsequently formed Amazing Rhythm Aces. He has completed tours of both Australia and Europe as a performing musician.
Winchester recorded sporadically on several labels since 1970. Unable to tour in the U.S. until the 1977 Carter amnesty, he subsequently became best known for his excellent songwriting, despite being an equally accomplished singer and guitar and Keyboard player.
Commonly referred to as 'legendary', and acknowledged as one of the premier tunesmiths of the late twentieth century, his songs include "Yankee Lady", "Rhumba Man", "The Brand New Tennessee Waltz", "Mississippi, You're on My Mind", "Defying Gravity", "Freewheeler" and "Biloxi." They have been recorded by numerous artists including Patti Page, Elvis Costello, Jimmy Buffett, Emmylou Harris, Joan Baez, Jerry Garcia, Jerry Jeff Walker, Wilson Pickett, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Reba McEntire, David Ball (country music), Bonnie Raitt, Everly Brothers and Brewer & Shipley but his self professed favorite rendition of any song covered is that of Ed Bruce in his rendition of "Evil Angel".
Winchester's song "Step by Step" from Let the Rough Side Drag was used in the final episode of HBO's 'The Wire's first season.
While there was grace and gentle humor in Winchester's writing, his body of work also reveals an undercurrent of darker forces. His vantage point is often that of the outsider, longing for the South, restless, and willing to betray those he loves for the freedom of the road. The protagonist in Yankee Lady callously abandons the woman who takes him in, just as the singer in Freewheeler warns that he "would ride rough-shod over lovers...time and time again." Temptation and the eternal struggle between good and evil converge in Evil Angel, "first you start 'em with a little...'til they just can't get enough."
Winchester studied German and philosophy as a young man, and his introspective nature was disclosed by his many references to life's essential dualism: "if you know you're weak...that's what makes you strong"(That's What makes You Strong); "if I were free...I'd run and lock myself away with you"(If I Were Free); "but one day the high must lay low" (Defying Gravity).
As a consequence of sporadic album releases, there was a high demand for his work leading to multiple releases of unauthorized recordings. Like many other artists, Winchester took a strong stance against the release of so called Bootlegs and actively urged his listeners to support only the "Original thing".
Winchester’s final CD, "A Reasonable Amount of Trouble", was released in September 2014, with liner notes by his friend Jimmy Buffett. The album was nominated for two Grammy awards.
Thanks to You
Jesse Winchester Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It would take a baby boy to know the way I feel
Oh my, floating in the blue
I would take the credit but it's thanks to you.
Oh yeah, I'm a sinner and I'm not some beginner
I'll uncork a pint of trouble
And sit down and drink a double
That'll get me even tighter and tighter
Until one day I think I hear angels play.
Goodness, is it really real
It would take a baby boy to know the way I feel
Oh my, floating in the blue
I would take the credit but it's thanks to you.
Well, someday up in glory
I'll weep and tell the story
To someone who will smile and say
"You're a mess, but you're my child."
Goodness, is it really real
It would take a baby boy to know the way I feel
Oh my, floating in the blue
I would take the credit but it's thanks to you.
Goodness, is it really real
It would take a baby boy to know the way I feel
Oh my, floating in the blue
I would take the credit but it's thanks to you.
The lyrics of Jesse Winchester's "Thanks To You" are filled with gratitude and reflection. The song's opening lines, "Goodness, is it really real / It would take a baby boy to know the way I feel," are an expression of wonder and amazement. The singer is clearly feeling something intense and life-changing, but he struggles to name it or fully comprehend it.
As the song progresses, we begin to realize that the source of the singer's redemption is someone else--perhaps a lover, or a friend, or even a higher power. The lines "I'm thirsty for something lighter / That'll get me even tighter and tighter / Until one day I think I hear angels play" suggest that the singer has been searching for meaning and purpose in his life. He's been drowning his sorrows in alcohol and other forms of escapism, but he's still searching for something more.
Finally, in the closing lines, the singer imagines himself arriving in "glory" and weeping as he tells "the story" of his life. This could be a religious reference, hinting at the idea of judgement day, or it could simply be a poetic way of saying that the singer will one day come to terms with his past and feel gratitude for everything that has brought him to where he is now.
Line by Line Meaning
Goodness, is it really real
Questioning the reality of the goodness in one's life
It would take a baby boy to know the way I feel
Only a new life can bring the same amount of joy as what's being experienced
Oh my, floating in the blue
Feeling of immense happiness and serenity beyond words
I would take the credit but it's thanks to you.
Acknowledging that the happiness and goodness in one's life is due to someone else's actions
Well, someday up in glory
Anticipation of a happy afterlife
I'll weep and tell the story
Sharing the story of how grateful and blessed one feels
To someone who will smile and say
Receiving positive affirmations from someone important
"You're a mess, but you're my child."
Despite one's flaws and shortcomings, they are still loved and cared for
Oh yeah, I'm a sinner and I'm not some beginner
Acknowledging one's mistakes and flaws as a human being
I'll uncork a pint of trouble
Indulging in bad habits or vices
And sit down and drink a double
Drinking alcohol to cope or escape
I'm thirsty for something lighter
Craving for something better or less harmful
That'll get me even tighter and tighter
Trying to achieve happiness and fulfillment through negative means
Until one day I think I hear angels play.
A sense of spiritual awakening or enlightenment
Contributed by Dylan H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.