Taylor has toured Europe with the supergroup D.U.P. with fellow band members Dave Stewart (Eurythmics), Candy Dulfer (Prince), Mudbone Cooper (Parliment-Funkadelic) and Jimmy Cliff. If you can imagine the love child of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Dusty Springfield then you are beginning to get a feel for Taylor's mixture of fiery guitar playing, sultry vocals and 100% pure soul. But unlike many other young phenoms, she has quickly developed a resumé to back up the hype. Born and raised amidst the coal mines of Britain's Black Country, she picked up a guitar and got turned on to the blues as a very young teenager.
Dave Stewart first discovered Joanne when he saw her play at the tender age of 16. He describes his reaction as follows. 'I have played with all sorts of blues musicians all over the world, such as R.L. Burnside and Jesse-Mae Hemphill. I heard something I thought I would never hear, a British white girl playing blues guitar so deep and passionately it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end! Not only was I in total shock but it took me a good few minutes to ask her how long she had been playing like that. "A few years," she replied. "How old are you now?" "Sixteen." I woke up a few seconds later on the floor.'
Taylor has toured the U.K. with her own band since she was 14, headlining top clubs such as Ronnie Scott's and the Marquee; she has also performed at several of the top European festivals, playing alongside many of her heroes like B.B. King. It is a safe bet that Taylor is the only teenage girl invited to sit in on one of Bill Wymans recording sessions.
Her own writing has led her to something beyond the blues, a soulful mix of roots and pop influences sung in a haunting smoky voice. Taylor has written with Bruce McCabe (Jonny Lang) and grammy winning songwriter/producer Kevin Bowe (Jonny Lang, Etta James, Paul Westerberg).
Can't Keep Living Like This
Joanne Shaw Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
WITH HEAVY HEARTED BREATH
DRAGGING THROUGH MY DAYS
WITH GIN SOAKED STEPS
SHOOTING AT SUVIVAL
BUT AIMING AT SUCCESS
JUST ANOTHER MAGIC MOMENT
I'LL NEVER KNOW I'VE MISSED
I JUST CAN'T KEEP LIVING LIKE THIS
HANGING ON A WIRE
SUSPENDED BY A THREAT
THAT I'M REACHING FOR AN OUTCOME
THATS WELL AND TRUELY DEAD
DRINKING IN THE MEMORIES
BUT SEEPING OUT REGRETS
WITH MY WHOLE HEART I HIT IT HARD
TO A RECKLESS FINESSE
AND I'VE LOST MORE LOVE
THAN I CARED TO EXPECT
BUT I CAN'T KEEP LIVING LIKE THIS
COUNTING DOWN MY CHANCES
ONE AT A TIME
MY HEART KNOWS ME BETTER
THAN TO SEEK THE REASONS
IN THESE RHYMES
NO-ONES ASKING HOW
NO-ONES ASKING WHY
NO-ONES SAYING FIGHT
NO-ONE EVEN SAID TO TRY
JUST ANOTHER CHANCE I'LL
I'LL BE QUICK TO DISMISS
BUT I CAN'T KEEP LIVING LIKE THIS
In the first verse of Joanne Shaw Taylor's "Can't Keep Living Like This," the singer is expressing her struggle to continue living a life filled with heavy drinking and constantly being in a state of survival. She feels as though she is missing out on moments that could be magical due to her alcoholism and inability to aim for true success. However, she clarifies that it is not that she doesn't care about living, she just can't keep living like this.
In the second verse, the singer says she is hanging on a wire and suspended by a threat because she is reaching for something that is already dead. She drinks to remember memories but only ends up with regrets as she gives her all to live life recklessly. Although she has lost a lot of love, she still can't continue living the way she is.
In the final verse, she shares how she is counting down her chances and her heart knows she shouldn't be seeking reasons in these situations. She expresses that no one is encouraging her to fight or even try, so she dismisses every chance that comes her way because she can't keep living like this. The song, in essence, is a lamenting confession of someone struggling with addiction and the inability to change despite wanting to.
Line by Line Meaning
SMOKING TO THE FILTER
Smoking my cigarette till it reaches the last bit of filter
WITH HEAVY HEARTED BREATH
Breathing heavily due to heartache and despair
DRAGGING THROUGH MY DAYS
Going through life without enthusiasm or motivation
WITH GIN SOAKED STEPS
Walking with unsteadiness due to the excessive intake of alcohol
SHOOTING AT SURVIVAL BUT AIMING AT SUCCESS
Trying to survive but simultaneously trying to achieve great things
JUST ANOTHER MAGIC MOMENT I'LL NEVER KNOW I'VE MISSED
Another chance or opportunity that might have been magical but was missed due to unawareness
AND IT'S NOT THAT I DON'T CARE FOR LIVING I JUST CAN'T KEEP LIVING LIKE THIS
Acknowledging that life is precious but not being able to continue living like this any longer
HANGING ON A WIRE SUSPENDED BY A THREAT
Living life on the edge, with danger constantly present
THAT I'M REACHING FOR AN OUTCOME THATS WELL AND TRULY DEAD
Still aiming for a goal that is no longer realistic or achievable
DRINKING IN THE MEMORIES BUT SEEPING OUT REGRETS
Trying to relive memories, but only feeling the pain of regrets
WITH MY WHOLE HEART I HIT IT HARD TO A RECKLESS FINESSE
Putting all efforts into something with reckless abandon
AND I'VE LOST MORE LOVE THAN I CARED TO EXPECT
Experiencing more heartbreaks than anticipated
BUT I CAN'T KEEP LIVING LIKE THIS
Unable to carry on living in the same manner
COUNTING DOWN MY CHANCES ONE AT A TIME
Realizing that opportunities sometimes come once in a lifetime, and dwindling chances by the day
MY HEART KNOWS ME BETTER THAN TO SEEK THE REASONS IN THESE RHYMES
Understanding that deep down, the heart knows what is needed, and not always finding answers in these lyrics
NO-ONES ASKING HOW NO-ONES ASKING WHY NO-ONES SAYING FIGHT NO-ONE EVEN SAID TO TRY
Feeling unsupported, with no one encouraging to fight or even try
JUST ANOTHER CHANCE I'LL I'LL BE QUICK TO DISMISS
Not having faith in another chance and quickly giving up
BUT I CAN'T KEEP LIVING LIKE THIS
Reiterating the inability to carry on living in such a manner
Contributed by Jordan F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.