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.
tears
Jimmy LaFave Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tears they may fall
Oh baby
This old world has seen them all
Love, love
Love may come and go
Oh baby
So if you're feeling so sad tonight
Because things just really
Haven't worked out right
Remember this
There's a guiding light
It'll help you through
It'll be all right
And see, you'll see
See what faith can do
Oh baby
It's something that we all go through
So if you're all alone tonight
Because something, it just
Didn't turn out right
Remember this
There's a guiding light
It'll get you through
It'll be all right
And tears, tears
Tears they may fall
Oh baby
The old world has seen them all
The lyrics of Jimmy Lafave's song "Tears" deal with the subjects of love, loss, and emotional turmoil. Lafave begins the song by acknowledging the universality of sadness, saying that "tears they may fall" and "this old world has seen them all." He then turns to the theme of love, acknowledging that it can be fleeting and impermanent, but that "your heart will always know." Lafave urges listeners who may be feeling down to remember that there is a "guiding light" that can help them through tough times.
There is a sense of hope and reassurance in the song's lyrics, as Lafave emphasizes that "it'll be all right." He acknowledges that everyone goes through difficult times, but that faith and perseverance can help us weather the storm. The repeated refrain of "tears, tears" serves as a reminder of the human struggle, but the song's overall message is one of hope and resilience.
In terms of musical style, "Tears" is a classic example of Lafave's signature folk and rock sound. The acoustic guitar is the main instrument, providing a simple but effective accompaniment to Lafave's emotive vocals. The song also features subtle harmonies and a gentle rhythm that emphasizes the song's hopeful message.
Line by Line Meaning
Tears, tears
Emphasizing the importance of the theme of the song by repeating it
Tears they may fall
Acknowledging the inevitability of tears
Oh baby
Addressing the listener in a personal and empathetic way
This old world has seen them all
Highlighting the universal experience of tears throughout history
Love, love
Shifting the focus of the song to love
Love may come and go
Acknowledging the impermanence of love
Your heart will always know
Affirming the intuitive wisdom of the heart
So if you're feeling so sad tonight
Addressing the listener directly with empathy
Because things just really
Explaining the cause of the listener's sadness
Haven't worked out right
Suggesting disappointment or failure
Remember this
Introducing a message of hope or reassurance
There's a guiding light
Metaphorically referring to a source of hope
It'll help you through
Encouraging the listener to trust in the guiding light
It'll be all right
Assuring the listener that things will improve
And see, you'll see
Encouraging the listener to keep faith
See what faith can do
Challenging the listener to find strength in faith
It's something that we all go through
Normalizing the experience of difficulty and struggle
So if you're all alone tonight
Addressing the listener again with empathy
Because something, it just
Explaining the cause of the listener's loneliness or isolation
Didn't turn out right
Suggesting disappointment or failure
Remember this
Reiterating the message of hope or reassurance
There's a guiding light
Reiterating the source of hope
It'll get you through
Reaffirming the efficacy of the guiding light
It'll be all right
Reaffirming the eventual improvement of the situation
And tears, tears
Repeating the importance of the theme
Tears they may fall
Repeating the acknowledgement of tears
Oh baby
Repeating the empathetic address to the listener
The old world has seen them all
Repeating the universal experience of tears throughout history
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb, Robin Gibb
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind