1. Jim White, a… Read Full Bio ↴There are several artists with this name, including:
1. Jim White, a drummer in several bands: Xylouris White, a duo with lute player Giorgos Xylouris and Dirty Three; he has also played on records and toured with Marisa Anderson, Cat Power, Smog, P. J. Harvey, and Nina Nastasia (Nina Nastasia And Jim White).
https://www.xylouriswhite.com/
2. Jim White is a Southern Gothic alt-country singer-songwriter. He has released seven albums as a solo artist. While his music is based in Americana, he borrows elements from rock, rhythm and blues, and even electronica, often piecing sounds together in the lo-fi cut-and-paste fashion of artists like Tom Waits. His albums have featured a wide variety of collaborators, such as Victoria Williams, Morcheeba, Aimee Mann, Barenaked Ladies, and Joe Henry. He is signed to David Byrne's Luaka Bop label and appeared in the BBC documentary, Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus, which looks at musicians inspired by the culture of the American South.
http://www.jimwhite.net/
http://www.myspace.com/officialjimwhite
Take Me Away
Jim White Lyrics
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He was howling at the moon
He's sitting right there on the railway tracks
And the train was coming
There was a string of wild flowers
Draped around his collar
And when he saw the men were coming for him
He cried, "Take me away, take me away"
But the men could not be sure
If he was talking to them or talking to the oncoming train
Now his mama she watched religion on the TV
Each day from dawn to dusk
And at night when she'd hear him howling
Well, she'd cried to Jesus
For years she begged the Sweet Redeemer
To heal her crazy son
Until finally she just gave up on miracles
And called the men to come
She told them, "Take him away, take my son away
'Cause after 20 long years
I've simply run out prayers to pray"
But as he stood to fight the men
From the other side of the railway bed
He thought he heard the calling voice
Of an old friend he thought long dead
But when he turned away from the men
He found it was a stranger calling him
And as if he knew that man
He smiled and raised his hand
As he stepped into the golden sun
Of the headlight of the oncoming train
And as he did he locked eyes with that stranger
He cried out one last time
He cried, "Take me away, please, take me away"
And to this day in this little town
Not a soul knows what he was trying to say
All them years of shouting take me away
No, no one knows what he was trying to say
Or who that stranger was
The lyrics of Jim White's song Take Me Away revolve around the life of a man who seems to have lost touch with reality. The man is found sitting on the railway tracks, howling at the moon. When a group of men comes to take him away, he pleads with them to take him away, but they can't tell whether he wants them to take him away or if he wants the oncoming train to take him away. The man's mother is a religious person who has been praying for her son's well-being for years, but to no avail. She eventually gives up and calls the men to take him away.
The key theme of the song is the concept of escape, be it from reality or the pain that engulfs us. The man in the song finds solace in the act of shouting "Take me away," hoping that someone or something would take him away from his troubles. Even when the men came to take him away, he still cried out to be taken away. The stranger that he sees before stepping into the train's headlights is symbolic of his search for an escape, someone who can lead him away from his pain. However, the true meaning of his message remains a mystery.
Through the use of vivid imagery and symbolism, Jim White has managed to create a poignant song that resonates with anyone who has ever felt trapped or lost in their own lives.
Line by Line Meaning
That's how they found him
He was discovered in the state described in the following lines
He was howling at the moon
He was making loud, mournful cries towards the sky
He's sitting right there on the railway tracks
And the train was coming
He was physically located on the railroad tracks and a train was approaching
There was a string of wild flowers
Draped around his collar
He was wearing a necklace made of flowers
And when he saw the men were coming for him
Well, he began to holler
Upon seeing the approaching group, he began to shout loudly and fearfully
He cried, "Take me away, take me away"
But the men could not be sure
If he was talking to them or talking to the oncoming train
He shouted for someone to remove him from his current situation, but it was unclear whether he was referring to the oncoming train or the group approaching him
Now his mama she watched religion on the TV
Each day from dawn to dusk
And at night when she'd hear him howling
Well, she'd cried to Jesus
His mother spent much of her time watching religious programming, and when she heard her son's cries, she prayed to Jesus for help
For years she begged the Sweet Redeemer
To heal her crazy son
Until finally she just gave up on miracles
And called the men to come
She spent years pleading with God to cure her son's mental illness but eventually lost faith in miracles and called for someone to take him away
She told them, "Take him away, take my son away
'Cause after 20 long years
I've simply run out prayers to pray"
She instructed those present to remove her son from her care because she had exhausted all of her prayers and attempts to help him
But as he stood to fight the men
From the other side of the railway bed
He thought he heard the calling voice
Of an old friend he thought long dead
When he attempted to resist the people trying to take him away, he believed he heard the voice of a previously departed friend from the other side of the railroad tracks
But when he turned away from the men
He found it was a stranger calling him
And as if he knew that man
He smiled and raised his hand
He saw that the voice did not belong to his deceased friend but instead a stranger, yet he still smiled and acknowledged the man
As he stepped into the golden sun
Of the headlight of the oncoming train
And as he did he locked eyes with that stranger
He cried out one last time
He cried, "Take me away, please, take me away"
He walked into the light created by the train's headlight and locked eyes with the stranger before beseeching someone to take him away one final time
And to this day in this little town
Not a soul knows what he was trying to say
All them years of shouting take me away
No, no one knows what he was trying to say
Or who that stranger was
Even now, no one in the small town understands what he meant by 'take me away' despite years of shouting it, nor do they know who the stranger was
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JIM WHITE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind