Barber won the Female Artist Recording of the Year award for her debut album "Oh Heart" at the 2005 Music Nova Scotia Awards. In 2007, Barber earned her fourth win as Best Female Local Solo Artist in The Coast’s annual "Best of Music Reader’s Poll", and her first win as Best Canadian Female Solo Artist for "For All Time".
Barber studied at Queen's University before pursuing her musical career full time. Her breakthrough "For All Time" was recorded & produced in Toronto by Les Cooper (who also performs as a multi-instrumentalist on the album), and features a number of Canada’s musicians; Bazil Donovan (Blue Rodeo) on bass and Blake Manning (Sarah Slean, Kim Stockwood) on drums. Guest appearances include a vocal performance by Jim Cuddy (Blue Rodeo) on Don’t Go Easy, guitar by singer/songwriter Luke Doucet, piano and clarinet performances by Spencer Evans (Sarah Harmer) and a duet with her brother Matthew Barber. The album was mixed by Andre Wahl (Hawksley Workman, Anne Murray) and mastered by Chris Potter (Sarah McLachlan, Rufus Wainwright). Further albums include "A Note to Follow So", "Oh Heart", and "For All Time".
In 2008, Barber released "Chances", a jazz album with full orchestral arrangements which was partially co-written with her producer Les Cooper, while also collaborating on several songs with Canadian musician Ron Sexsmith.
She followed up with the album ""Mischievous Moon", released through Outside Music in 2011. Barber won the SiriusXM 2012 Jazz Artist of the Year award, as well as the 2013 Western Canadian Francophone Album of the Year for ""Chansons".
Her solo album, ""Metaphora", was released in June 2018. She followed up with another French-language album, ""Entre nous", in 2020, and with ""Homemaker" in 2023.
Official site: http://www.jillbarber.com
Wishing Well
Jill Barber Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I’m wishing that my well does not run dry
Because if it does then it won’t matter
How many tears I cry
I’m wishing that my well does not run dry
Because if it does I couldn’t bear the loss
If it does I couldn’t bear the loss
So I’m spending my last dollar
I am wishing that my well does not run dry
Then one day I dug a deeper hole
I dug a deeper hole in the ground
Oh and someday I will show you
Exactly what I found
The day I dug so deep inside my soul
So long as my soul does not run dry
So long as my soul does not run dry
You’ll know I’ll be drawing from it
Until the day I die
And I’ll be wishing that my well does not run dry
In Jill Barber's song Wishing Well, the lyrics speak to the theme of perseverance and the ability to continue on in the face of adversity. The metaphor of a wishing well symbolizes the hope that, no matter what challenges one may face in life, there will always be a reserve of strength and resilience to tap into. The repetition of the phrase "I'm wishing that my well does not run dry" underscores the importance of this reserve, and the fear of losing it.
The second verse takes a slightly different turn, with the singer digging deeper into themselves in order to find that reserve. This echoes the familiar notion that sometimes, the answer lies within - that we have the resources we need inside of us if we are willing to look for them. The final lines of the song tie the two ideas together, emphasizing that as long as the soul remains intact, the singer will continue to draw from it.
Overall, Wishing Well is a song that speaks to the importance of resilience and hope in the face of challenges, and suggests that if we are willing to dig deep and tap into our own inner resources, we can find the strength to overcome any obstacle.
Line by Line Meaning
I’m wishing that my well does not run dry
I hope that I will always have the resources I need to get by.
Because if it does then it won’t matter
If I run out of resources, nothing else will be important.
How many tears I cry
No amount of crying will help me if my well runs dry.
Because if it does I couldn’t bear the loss
I wouldn't be able to handle the consequences of running out of resources.
So I’m spending my last dollar
I'm using up all the resources I have in the hopes of keeping my well full.
With every coin I toss
I'm investing everything I have in order to keep my well full.
Then one day I dug a deeper hole
I decided to search deeper within myself for the resources I needed.
I dug a deeper hole in the ground
I looked for more resources within myself, even though it was uncomfortable or difficult.
Oh and someday I will show you
One day, I'll share what I found with others.
Exactly what I found
I'll explain how I discovered the resources I needed, so others can learn from my experience.
So long as my soul does not run dry
As long as I have inner resources, I'll be okay.
You’ll know I’ll be drawing from it
If you see me using my inner resources, you'll know I'm doing okay.
Until the day I die
I'll always need to draw on my inner resources for as long as I'm alive.
And I’ll be wishing that my well does not run dry
I'll always hope that I have enough resources to get by.
Contributed by Sarah G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.