LaFave began school down the road from Wills Point in Mesquite and by Junior High was making music perched behind his Sears & Roebuck drum kit. It was in this landscape that he began to define his sound and soak up a combination of his experiences among authentic songwriters from the tradition of Woody Guthrie. Before leaving Oklahoma for Austin, Jimmy did some independent recording and toured the southwest with the first version of his band Night Tribe.
In an article published in The Austin Chronicle in April 2017, LaFave announced publicly that he was battling myxofibrosarcoma, a rare form of cancer that had been diagnosed one year earlier. After various treatments failed, doctors advised LaFave that there was nothing else the medical profession could provide. During the course of his illness leading up to this announcement, LaFave continued to perform – not cancelling even one show. In addition, he continued to record new songs that he hoped would add to his legacy.
At the time of the public announcement, The Austin Statesman announced that a concert to honor LaFave would be held at the Paramount Theater in Austin, Texas on May 18, 2017. LaFave helped in the selection of friends and musicians who would perform that night. LaFave also selected charities that would benefit from a crowdfunding effort set up in his honor. A crowdfunding effort "Celebrating Jimmy LaFave" was set up via GoFundMe and received about $55,000 in donations.
LaFave died of cancer at his home in Austin, Texas, at the age of 61. His death came just three days after making an appearance at the Paramount Theater tribute show in Austin. According to The Austin Statesman: "A sold-out audience heard artists ranging from Austin artists including Eliza Gilkyson, Slaid Cleaves and Ruthie Foster, plus some from out-of-state including Nashville’s Gretchen Peters, Boston’s Ellis Paul and Woody Guthrie’s granddaughter Sarah Lee Guthrie, primarily playing songs that LaFave wrote or were part of his repertoire."
Within 24 hours, LaFave's death was reported in numerous newspapers throughout Texas and Oklahoma, in The New York Times and as far away as England, where he often performed
He moved to Austin in 1986, where he continued to write songs and to develop his musical ideas. Shortly after arriving he was asked to help launch the songwriter nights at the new performance venue Chicago House. In 1988 he recorded his self–produced tape, Highway Angels...Full Moon Rain, which won the Austin Chronicle Reader’s Poll Tape of the Year Award. This led to a recording contract with a small independent label and allowed LaFave the opportunity to work with Bob Johnston, producer of several of LaFave’s favorite albums including Bob Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde and Nashville Skyline.
His second album, Highway Trance was released in 1994 followed by his third CD, Buffalo Return to the Plains, in 1995.
The grass roots demand and critical acclaim for LaFave’s music, which led to extensive touring in the United States and Europe, was recognized in 1996 when he was asked to tape a performance for the PBS musical series Austin City Limits, and was invited by Nora Guthrie to appear in Cleveland at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tribute to Woody Guthrie. That same year LaFave won his second consecutive Austin Music Award for Best Singer–Songwriter. His fourth CD, Road Novel, which was released in early 1997, received many glowing reviews. That year he was asked by Nora Guthrie to speak and perform at the induction of Woody Guthrie into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.
In 2001, LaFave released Texoma, a celebration of the Americana spirit with a heartfelt valentine to the heartland. KGSR Program Director, Jody Denberg called it a “phenomenon.” Denberg said, “the phones lit up immediately after it was added to the playlist, and they stayed lit.” Since the release of Texoma, Jimmy combined his solo dates with the Woody Guthrie tribute tour titled “The Ribbon of Highway – Endless Skyway,” featuring a rotating cast of Americana musicians that has included such notables as Eliza Gilkyson, Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion, Tom Russell and Slaid Cleaves. The two–disc live album Ribbon of Highway Endless Skyway is a collection of the tour’s live performances that features some of Jimmy’s interpretations of Woody Guthrie classics.
Encouraged by his friend, fellow Austin artist Eliza Gilkyson, LaFave signed with indie label Red House records, and in 2005 released Blue Nightfall. This stunningly soulful album was LaFave’s first in 4 years and won him much critical attention. LaFave’s album Cimarron Manifesto finds LaFave taking a more country road, with sweet and mournful songs about life and loss and special guest appearances by Carrie Rodriguez, Ruthie Foster and Kacy Crowley. Following the release of this album, LaFave toured across North America.
Lucky Man
Jimmy LaFave Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Here you come again for a little while
Here you come again with your deep brown eyes
Here you come again and I realize
What a lucky man I must be
What a lucky man to have you here with me
What a lucky man just to see your face
Your mom cried tears of joy when you were born
You were the rose among our thorns
And though I was so far away
I'll make it up to you some day
What a lucky man I must be
What a lucky man to have you here with me
What a lucky man just to see your face
There ain't nothing about you that's ever out of place
Here you come again, each passing day
I watch you grow along the way
I thought that you should have this song
I hope some day you will sing along
What a lucky man I must be
What a lucky man to have you here with me
What a lucky man just to see your face
There ain't nothing about you that's ever out of place
The song "Lucky Man" by Jimmy LaFave is a heartwarming tribute to a father's love for his daughter. The song talks about the joy and happiness that the daughter brings into her father's life every time she appears, with her sweet smile and deep brown eyes. The father feels lucky to have her with him, to witness her growth, and to see her every day.
The song also reflects on the father's regret of not being there with his daughter during her early years. The lines "Your mom cried tears of joy when you were born, you were the rose among our thorns, and though I was so far away, I'll make it up to you someday" signify the father's remorse for not being there for his daughter during her childhood. However, the father vows to make it up to her and cherishes every moment he spends with her now.
Line by Line Meaning
Here you come again with your sweet sweet smile
The singer is pleased to see the person they are addressing, who has an infectious and heartwarming smile.
Here you come again for a little while
The person the singer is addressing does not stay long, but their presence is always appreciated even if it is brief.
Here you come again with your deep brown eyes
The singer is drawn into the gaze of the person they are addressing, acknowledging their beautiful eyes.
Here you come again and I realize
The artist has an epiphany in the presence of the person they are addressing, recognizing the love and value they bring to the artist's life.
What a lucky man I must be
The artist is grateful for the positive impact the person they are addressing has had on their life, expressing thankfulness for their good fortune.
What a lucky man to have you here with me
The singer acknowledges the high level of gratitude they feel for the presence of the person they are addressing in their life.
What a lucky man just to see your face
The singer is content and appreciates the visual of the person they are addressing, expressing satisfaction and admiration.
There ain't nothing about you ever out of place
The artist expresses that the person they are addressing is flawless, with no negative characteristics to be pointed out.
Your mom cried tears of joy when you were born
The artist acknowledges the positive reception and emotion that the mother of the person they are addressing experienced upon their birth.
You were the rose among our thorns
The person being spoken to is described as an exceptional individual who adds a bright presence to a group of otherwise unremarkable people.
And though I was so far away
The singer expresses being physically distant from the person they are addressing at some time in the past.
I'll make it up to you someday
The artist expresses the hope and desire to do something to repay or make amends for previously being distant from the person addressed.
Here you come again, each passing day
The person the singer is addressing returns frequently, with their presence becoming more appreciated with each encounter.
I watch you grow along the way
The singer is observant of the positive development and progress of the person they are addressing.
I thought that you should have this song
The singer offers a token of appreciation and admiration in the form of a song to the person they are addressing.
I hope someday you will sing along
The artist expresses the desire that the person they are addressing will appreciate the song and enjoy it enough to sing along.
Contributed by Alexandra O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.