It was after relocating to New York City in the early '90s (to study at N.Y.U.'s film school) that Osborne began to take a singing career seriously after singing Billie Holiday's classic "God Bless the Child" at a local bar's "open mic night." In addition to Holiday, Osborne looked to such legendary vocalists as Etta James and Ray Charles as role models, as the up-and-coming singer decided not to cater to major record companies and formed her own label, Womanly Hips, which resulted in such releases as 1992's in-concert Soul Show, among others. But eventually, Osborne decided to sign on with a major label, Mercury, which in turn issued the singer's next release, 'Relish,' in March 1995. The album eventually racked up sales of three million copies and proved to have a long life, as almost a year after its initial release the track "One of Us" became a massive MTV and radio smash, camping out at the number-one spot on the U.S. singles chart for 2 weeks. Other tracks ("Right Hand Man" and "St. Teresa") failed to match the success of Osborne's first hit, but the singer still managed to connect with a large and appreciative audience, especially while touring as part of the 1997 edition of Sarah McLachlan's Lilith Fair tour. Osborne received numerous Grammy nominations in both 1996 and 1997.
Producing a worthy followup to Relish proved to be a time-consuming challenge for Osborne. Mercury tried to buy her some time by issuing a compilation release, 'Early Recordings' (which collected the early releases 'Live at Delta '88' and 'Blue Million Miles'). In the meantime, Osborne focused on supporting a few groups/causes she felt strongly about, such as Rock the Vote and Planned Parenthood (eventually being named an honorary member of Planned Parenthood's Board of Advocates), besides covering "I'm Just a Bill" as a duet with Isaac Hayes on the 1998 'Schoolhouse Rocks the Vote' benefit album. Osborne also studied briefly with the late Qawwali master Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and performed alongside such notables as Stevie Wonder, Melissa Etheridge, Taj Mahal, Luciano Pavarotti, Spearhead, Bob Dylan, and the Chieftains.
September 2000 finally saw the release of Osborne's second all-new studio album, titled 'Righteous Love'; but it failed to match its predecessor's commercial success and sank from sight shortly after its release. In 2002, Osborne bounced back with 'How Sweet It Is,' a collection of covers that leaned heavily on classic soul and R&B tunes from the 1960s and '70s. A career retrospective, 'One of Us,' came out in 2005.
Osborne played a prominent role in the 2002 film "Standing in the Shadows of Motown," performing with the legendary Motown house band the Funk Brothers in a concert performance segment, and appearing with several members of the group in an interview segment. She and her band accompanied the Dixie Chicks for a national tour in the summer of 2003, during which time she also joined veteran San Francisco jam-rockers the Dead as a vocalist, and released her fourth album, titled 'How Sweet It Is,' a collection of classic rock and soul covers.
During 2005 and 2006, she performed on numerous occasions with Phil Lesh and Friends. In February 2007, she appeared at the Grand Ole Opry.
In November 2006, Osborne released 'Pretty Little Stranger,' her self-described "Nashville album."
In May 2007, Osborne issued 'Breakfast in Bed,' a return to the soul music that she had covered on 'How Sweet It Is'. 'Breakfast in Bed' also featured the two songs ("Heatwave" and "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted") that she had covered for the film Standing in the Shadows of Motown.
She sings lead vocals on the cover of "Spoonful" on Vivian Campbell's solo album 'Two Sides Of If'.' Osborne also provided some vocals for "Wayfaring Stranger" on Spearhead's 1997 album 'Chocolate Supa Highway.' Joan is featured on The Holmes Brothers 2007 collection 'State of Grace' performing "Those Memories of You," an old Allan O'Bryant and Bill Monroe bluegrass tune.
Her album Bring It On Home was released on March 27, 2012. It is a collection of vintage blues and soul covers, and it received a 2013 Grammy Awards nomination for Best Blues Album.
Osborne was a member of Trigger Hippy from 2012 to 2018.
Osborne released the original album Love and Hate in 2014, and in 2017 the album Songs of Bob Dylan. A new album of original songs, Trouble and Strife, is due in September 2020.
Man in the Long Black Coat
Joan Osborne Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a soft cotton dress on the line hangin' dry
Window's wide open African trees
Bent over backwards in a hurricane breeze
Not a word a goodbye not even a note
She's gone with the man in the long black coat
Somebody seem him hangin' around
At the old dance hall on the outskirts of town
If he wanted to dance he had a face like a mask
Somebody said, from the Bible he quote
There was dust on the man in the long black coat
Preacher was talkin' there's a sermon he gave
He said every man's conscience is vile and depraved
You cannot depend on it to be your guide
When it's you who must keep it satisfied
It ain't easy to swallow, it sticks in the throat
She give her heart to the man in the long black coat
One, two
There are no mistakes in life some people say
It's true sometimes you can see it that way
People don't live or die, people just float
She give her heart to the man in the long black coat
There's smoke on the water, it's been there since June
Tree trunks uprooted in the high crescent moon
Hear the pulse and vibrations and the rumblin' force
Somebody's out there beating on a dead horse
She never said nothin', there was nothin' she wrote
She's gone with the man in the long black coat
The song "Man in the Long Black Coat" by Joan Osborne tells a story of a woman who disappears with a mysterious man wearing a black coat. The opening lyrics set the scene, with crickets chirping, high water, and a cotton dress hanging out to dry. The window is open and African trees bend in the wind, creating an eerie and foreboding atmosphere. The woman has vanished, leaving no goodbye or note, and the only clue is that she's gone with the man in the long black coat.
Later in the song, we hear about a dance hall on the outskirts of town and how the man with the black coat was seen hanging around there. He had a face like a mask, and somebody heard him quote from the Bible. There's a sense of danger and darkness surrounding the man in the black coat, and it seems like he may have played a role in the woman's disappearance.
The lyrics also touch on some deeper themes, like the nature of human conscience and the idea that there are no mistakes in life. The preacher gives a sermon about how every man's conscience is vile and depraved, and we can't depend on it to guide us. Meanwhile, some people believe that there are no mistakes in life, and that everything happens for a reason. It's a thought-provoking song that tells a haunting story while raising questions about the human experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Crickets are chirpin' the water is high
The atmosphere is peaceful, with the sound of crickets and high water.
There's a soft cotton dress on the line hangin' dry
There is a soft cotton dress hanging on the line drying in the breeze.
Window's wide open African trees
The window is wide open and there are African trees outside.
Bent over backwards in a hurricane breeze
The trees are bending in the strong breeze of a hurricane.
Not a word a goodbye not even a note
The woman left abruptly without a word or a note.
She's gone with the man in the long black coat
The woman has left with a mysterious man wearing a long black coat.
Somebody seem him hangin' around
Someone saw the man hanging around.
At the old dance hall on the outskirts of town
The man was seen at an old dance hall located on the outskirts of town.
He looked into her eyes when she stopped him to ask
The man looked into the woman's eyes when she asked him to dance.
If he wanted to dance he had a face like a mask
The man's face was emotionless and expressionless, like a mask.
Somebody said, from the Bible he quote
Someone said that the man quoted from the Bible.
There was dust on the man in the long black coat
The man's coat was covered in dust.
Preacher was talkin' there's a sermon he gave
A preacher was giving a sermon.
He said every man's conscience is vile and depraved
The preacher said that every man's conscience is wicked and morally corrupt.
You cannot depend on it to be your guide
You cannot rely on your conscience to guide you in life.
When it's you who must keep it satisfied
You are responsible for keeping your conscience satisfied.
It ain't easy to swallow, it sticks in the throat
This is a difficult concept to accept and it's hard to stomach.
She give her heart to the man in the long black coat
The woman gave her heart to the mysterious man in the long black coat.
There are no mistakes in life some people say
Some people believe that there are no mistakes in life.
It's true sometimes you can see it that way
There are times when this seems to be true.
People don't live or die, people just float
People don't really have control over their lives, they just go with the flow.
She give her heart to the man in the long black coat
The woman gave her heart to the mysterious man in the long black coat.
There's smoke on the water, it's been there since June
There is smoke on the water and it has been there since June.
Tree trunks uprooted in the high crescent moon
The image of uprooted trees in the crescent moon adds to the eerie atmosphere.
Hear the pulse and vibrations and the rumblin' force
There is a sense of impending danger with the rumbling force and vibrations.
Somebody's out there beating on a dead horse
Someone is wasting their time on a fruitless activity.
She never said nothin', there was nothin' she wrote
The woman didn't say anything before she left, nor did she leave a note.
She's gone with the man in the long black coat
The woman has left with the mysterious man in the long black coat.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
halleck3
Bob's a great writer, but it took Joan's voice to make this so incredible.
perkyman
A man in a long black coat really is a great metaphor for death if that is the intended meaning. Also, I have to agree with all who feel that this is the best possible rendition of this song. Joan didn't write it, but she owns it now!
wildmercuryfilms
She’s owned it for years
terrence bradford
Excellent moody version of Dylan's song. The musical arrangement and Joan's voice are perfectly in tune.
Gregory Hurst
One of Dylan’s best... Joan really nails it
picklez
just an incredible album... one of my top 20 easy...
Austin Barry
Mine also.
John Willis
nice energy in tihs cover, haven't heard this before. love the rawness of the guitar and the 'heartbeat' on the toms.
Lodge Forte
Her voice is like a morphine drip after a twenty hour kidney stone. It's like a baked potato stuffed with a sirloin steak. It's like cold orange juice when you've got a fever. It's like an unexpected kiss on the ear.
James P ‘Séamus’ Casey
she sings like the clarity of dawn bereft of your drug dazed dreams that you dream of being so take deep breaths and rise above your fears