With fellow student musician, Malcolm McKinney, he formed the eclectic rock band St James Doorknob. Later, Edwards and McKinney met guitarist and blues harp player, Joe Dolce, and formed a band that was to become the most popular blues-rock band in Southern Ohio, The Headstone Circus (later to change its name to Sugar Creek in 1967, after recording its only album, Please Tell a Friend.) Shortly afterwards, Edwards left the band to do solo acoustic music. He recorded "Sunshine" after having accidentally erased another song intended for a solo self-titled album. "Sunshine" ultimately became a Billboard #4 pop hit during the early-1970s period of anti-war protests and rejection of authority.
After taking a turn into mainstream country music, Edwards left the business and moved to Nova Scotia, where he bought a farm. By 1976, however, he was back in the music scene, singing backup on Emmylou Harris's second album, Elite Hotel. After three more solo albums and another break, he joined bluegrass band The Seldom Scene, recording a single album with them before trying his hand at children's music with Little Hands.
Returning to country music in 1989, he released The Natural Thing, which provided his biggest country hit to date, "We Need to Be Locked Away". He continues to record albums and, as of June 2007, is still touring. He has also produced albums for Cheryl Wheeler.
released Cd's-
1971 Jonathan Edwards Atco
1972 Honky-Tonk Stardust Cowboy Collector's Choice
1973 Have a Good Time for Me Collector's Choice
1974 Lucky Day (live) Wounded Bird Records
1976 Rockin' Chair Wounded Bird Records
1977 Sailboat Wounded Bird Records
1980 Live! (live) Wounded Bird Records
1985 Blue Ridge (Jonathan Edwards & The Seldom Scene) Sugarhill
1987 Little Hands American Melody
1989 Natural Thing MCA
November 21, 1994 One Day Closer Rising Records
1998 Man on the Moon Rising Records
May 1, 2001 Crusing America's Waterways (live)
Note that "Jonathan Edwards" is also an alias used by Paul Weston when recording (with his wife, Jo Stafford, as "Darlene Edwards") novelty records. See Jonathan & Darlene Edwards.
Emma
Jonathan Edwards Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She was above me in a dream
And she throwed her arms around me
And off we flew it seemed
Like an airplane
Moving up and down
Through the country town
Passing oe'are the cities so slow
But Emma comes to see me
About 8 o'clock each night
And she throws her arms around me
And off we go in flight
Like an airplane
Moving up and down
Through the country town
Passing over the cites so slow
Slowly
but Emma's late
Emma's late
Oh and I
I can't wait
My dinners served by half past eight and I
Can't wait
I can't wait til 9
The last time I saw my Emma
She made me love her til I died
And we walked through clouds together
Searching open skies
For air plane
Moving up and down though the country town
Passing over the cites so slow
Slowly
But Emma's late, Emma's late, Emma's late
And I
I can't wait
My dinners served by half past 8 and I
Can't wait
I can't wait til 9 oh no no no
The lyrics of Jonathan Edwards’s song Emma are full of dreamy imagery and romantic longing. The song seems to be about a man who dreams of a woman named Emma who takes him on flights through the countryside and over cities. The dreams are so vivid that the man eagerly awaits them each night, but is also frustrated when Emma is late, as he is waiting for dinner to be served.
The song can be read in a number of ways, perhaps as a metaphor for the power of imagination or the pull of romantic desire. The dream-like quality of the lyrics conjures up a sense of otherworldliness and the feeling of being transported somewhere else, beyond the mundane world of everyday life. The repetition of the airplane imagery also gives the song a sense of motion and momentum, as if the man and Emma are flying towards something new and exciting.
Overall, Emma is a beautifully written and evocative song that captures the yearning and longing that often accompanies romantic love. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a dream world where anything is possible, and where the boundaries between reality and imagination blur.
Line by Line Meaning
The first time I saw Emma
Jonathan Edwards recalls when he first met Emma
She was above me in a dream
Jonathan Edwards saw Emma for the first time in his dream, she was above him
And she throwed her arms around me
Emma, whom Jonathan Edwards saw in his dream, embraced him tightly
And off we flew it seemed
Jonathan Edwards felt like they flew away together
Like an airplane
The flight that Jonathan Edwards and Emma shared was like that of an airplane's
Moving up and down
Throughout their flight, they moved up and down
Through the country town
They flew over a countryside town
Passing oe'are the cities so slow
They cruised above the cities at a sluggish pace
Slowly
The flight proceeded unhurriedly
But Emma comes to see me
Emma visits Jonathan Edwards regularly
About 8 o'clock each night
Emma's visits always take place around 8 PM
And she throws her arms around me
Just like in the dream, Emma embraces Jonathan Edwards
And off we go in flight
Emma and Jonathan Edwards feel like they are taking flight
Like an airplane
The flight is similar to an airplane's
Moving up and down
They move up and down during their flight
Through the country town
They fly over a countryside town
Passing over the cites so slow
As they pass over cities, they do so slowly
Slowly
Their flight is slow and measured
But Emma's late
This time, Emma is late
Emma's late
Jonathan Edwards repeats that Emma is late
Oh and I
Jonathan Edwards expresses his disappointment
I can't wait
Jonathan Edwards is impatient
My dinners served by half past eight and I
Jonathan Edwards needs to be finished with his dinner by 8:30
Can't wait
Jonathan Edwards repeats his impatience
I can't wait til 9
Jonathan Edwards is looking forward to 9:00 when he expects Emma to arrive
The last time I saw my Emma
Jonathan Edwards recalls the previous time he saw Emma
She made me love her til I died
Emma's presence was so powerful that Jonathan Edwards felt like he would die for her
And we walked through clouds together
Jonathan Edwards and Emma walked together among the clouds
Searching open skies
They looked for something in the open skies
For air plane
Perhaps they were looking for an airplane
Moving up and down though the country town
Just like before, they flew over the countryside town together
Passing over the cites so slow
As they passed over cites, it was again in a leisurely manner
Slowly
Their flight remained slow
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: BOB BRANNON, JAMES COLLIER, JONATHAN EDWARDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind