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.
Not Dark Yet
Jimmy LaFave Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's too hot to sleep time is running away
Feel like my soul has turned into steel
I've still got the scars that the sun didn't heal
There's not even room enough to be anywhere
It's not dark yet but it's getting there
Well, my sense of humanity has gone down the drain
Behind every beautiful thing there's been some kind of pain
She put down in writing what was in her mind
I just don't see why I should even care
It's not dark yet but it's getting there
Well, I've been to London and I've been to gay Paree
I've followed the river and I got to the sea
I've been down on the bottom of a world full of lies
I ain't looking for nothing in anyone's eyes
Sometimes my burden seems more than I can bear
It's not dark yet but it's getting there
I was born here and I'll die here against my will
I know it looks like I'm moving but I'm standing still
Every nerve in my body is so vacant and numb
I can't even remember what it was I came here to get away from
Don't even hear a murmur of a prayer
It's not dark yet, but it's getting there
The song "Not Dark Yet" by Jimmy LaFave is a melancholic reflection on the disillusionment and sadness felt by the singer. They complain that shadows are falling and that they have been up all day even though it is too hot to sleep. The singer's soul has become like steel with scars that even the sun cannot heal. They feel trapped, with no room to be anywhere, and despite the fact that it is not dark yet, the feeling is that they are getting there. The singer's sense of humanity has gone down the drain, and they feel like behind every beautiful thing, there has been some sort of pain that they cannot ignore.
The singer received a letter from someone who wrote it very kindly, but they do not see the point of caring about it. They lament that they have been to London, Paris, the river, and even the sea, but they are still searching for something that they cannot find in anyone's eyes. The burden seems too much to bear, and their nerves are vacant and numb. They do not remember why they came here or even hear a murmur of prayer. Death is inevitable, and they know they will die where they were born, although it looks like they are moving, they are standing still.
Line by Line Meaning
Shadows are falling and I've been here all day
The day is coming to an end and I have been here all day without any notable achievements.
It's too hot to sleep time is running away
The heat is too much and I can't sleep. Time is moving too fast without any significant events.
Feel like my soul has turned into steel
I feel emotionally and mentally hardened to the point that my soul has turned into steel.
I've still got the scars that the sun didn't heal
I still have emotional and physical scars that have not been healed by time and the sun.
There's not even room enough to be anywhere
I feel trapped and suffocated with no space to move around or do anything meaningful.
It's not dark yet but it's getting there
Although it's not completely dark yet, things are slowly becoming unbearable and unbearable.
Well, my sense of humanity has gone down the drain
I have lost all faith in humanity and what it represents, and feel disillusioned.
Behind every beautiful thing there's been some kind of pain
Everything beautiful is often accompanied by some pain, sacrifice, or suffering.
She wrote me a letter and she wrote it so kind
She wrote me a letter in a kind and compassionate tone.
She put down in writing what was in her mind
She expressed her genuine thoughts and emotions in the letter.
I just don't see why I should even care
I can't find a reason to care about anything anymore.
Well, I've been to London and I've been to gay Paree
I have traveled to various places including London and Paris.
I've followed the river and I got to the sea
I have followed a river to its endpoint and reached the sea.
I've been down on the bottom of a world full of lies
I have experienced the depths of a world filled with lies and deceit.
I ain't looking for nothing in anyone's eyes
I am not seeking anything from anyone or relying on anyone's opinions or validation.
Sometimes my burden seems more than I can bear
Sometimes my challenges and burdens feel impossible to handle or overcome.
It's not dark yet but it's getting there
Although it's not completely dark yet, things are slowly becoming unbearable and unbearable.
I was born here and I'll die here against my will
I was born here and will die here without having control over my situation or fate.
I know it looks like I'm moving but I'm standing still
Although I may appear to be progressing, I feel as though I'm not making any progress and stuck in one place.
Every nerve in my body is so vacant and numb
I feel emotionally and physically numb to the point that every nerve in my body is empty.
I can't even remember what it was I came here to get away from
I no longer remember what motivated me to leave and come here.
Don't even hear a murmur of a prayer
I don't hear any prayers or hope, and feel completely alone.
It's not dark yet, but it's getting there
Although the day is not over, things are progressively becoming bleak and hopeless.
Contributed by Isabelle F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.