Williams grew up in Santa Cruz, CA. At 17, she signed a recording contract with PLG/SonyBMG and moved to the friendly, muggy town of Nashville, TN. She co-wrote and recorded several albums and realized after 7 years of being on the road full time that it was song-writing that kept tugging at her heart. Williams is now signed as a full-time writer with Judy Stakee at Warner/Chappell in LA and is with ASCAP. She writes for various projects daily with a team of very talented people from around the globe. She has the chance to work with American Idol finalists, rock bands, pop acts, indie artists, tv/film projects, CCM, country and more. Williams has also recently formed a new record label with her husband Nate Yetton, called Sensibility Music LLC, to facilitate recording and releasing new Joy Williams music in the future.
Since starting Sensibility Music Williams has had several of her songs featured prominently in hit TV shows. "Charmed Life", "Speaking a Dead Language" and "Sunny Day" have been in episodes of the hit ABC drama Grey's Anatomy; "If You Wanna Go" and "One of Those Days" in Lifetime's breakout drama Drop Dead Diva; "Sunny Day" in the CW's 90210, and "tightrope" was featured on The WB's "One Tree Hill".
In 2010 Oscar Mayer settled on Doesn't Get Better Than This from Joy to be their new add campaign song. According to Mayers "[Joy] wrote what ended up being the tag line for the whole campaign, “It doesn’t get better than this.”
In May of 2010, Williams recorded and released two brand new songs whose profits went towards Nashville's flood relief efforts. The first song was called "We Are" and was avalible for download via NoiseTrade's download widget. The second flood relief song was titled "Let's Jump" and was released on Ten Out of Tenn's Nashville benefit compilation, "We Are All In This Together".
In addition to her solo endeavors, Williams has recently begun a new band with fellow singer and songwriter, John Paul White, called The Civil Wars. "Poison & Wine", The Civil Wars' debut studio single, has been featured in Grey's Anatomy, episode 609, "New History".
Front Porch
Joy Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And no window stays closed
And love is always sad when it fades
The glass is better stained anyways
If never you find what you're looking for
Come on back to the front porch
Say my name through the screen door
Whatever you've done, it doesn't matter
'Cause darling we're all a little splintered and battered
But the light is on, what you waiting for?
Come on back, come on back to the front porch
We carved a story in these boards
Watching life go back and forth
You take it all for granted, then you leave
And then it takes a while to realize what you need
If never you find what you're looking for
Come on back to the front porch
Say my name through the screen door
Come on back to the front porch
Whatever you've done, it doesn't matter
'Cause darling we're all a little splintered and battered
But the light is on, what you waiting for?
Come on back, come on back
I took the long way
Looking for the shortcut
To find out that this place
Was made of the best stuff
If never you find what you're looking for
Come on back to the front porch
Say my name through the screen door, oh
Come on back to the front porch
Whatever you've done, it doesn't matter
'Cause darling we're all a little splintered and battered
But the light is on, what you waiting for?
Come on back, come on back, oh
Come on back
Come on back to the front porch
In "Front Porch," Joy Williams reflects on the comforting familiarity and unconditional love of returning home. She sings, "There are no wrong roads / And no window stays closed / And love is always sad when it fades / The glass is better stained anyways." These lyrics suggest that life takes unpredictable turns, but there are no truly bad paths to take, and it's better to embrace the beauty in the cracks and imperfections of life rather than try to hide them.
The chorus serves as a call-back to the warmth and acceptance of home, even if one has strayed from the safe haven for a while. Williams sings, "If never you find what you're looking for / Come on back to the front porch / Say my name through the screen door / Come on back to the front porch." The porch represents a place of belonging and familiarity; the sense of comfort that comes from knowing one's way around and being surrounded by loved ones. Even if we feel lost or alone, this song encourages us to remember those who have loved us unconditionally and to seek solace in their embrace.
Overall, "Front Porch" is a tender reminder to cherish the simple moments and relationships in life, to embrace our imperfections, and to never forget the love and warmth of our roots.
Line by Line Meaning
There are no wrong roads
Every path we take in life leads us to where we are supposed to be.
And no window stays closed
Opportunities are always present, even if we cannot see them at first glance.
And love is always sad when it fades
The end of a relationship can be difficult and painful, even if it was once filled with love.
The glass is better stained anyways
Things are often more beautiful when they are imperfect or unique in some way.
If never you find what you're looking for
If you do not find what you are searching for on your journey,
Come on back to the front porch
Return to where you began to rest and reflect.
Say my name through the screen door
Call out to those who will welcome you back with open arms.
Whatever you've done, it doesn't matter
No matter what you have been through or done, you are loved and accepted.
'Cause darling we're all a little splintered and battered
Everyone has experienced pain and hardship in life, but we can find comfort in each other's company.
But the light is on, what you waiting for?
The door is always open, so why hesitate to come home?
We carved a story in these boards
We have made memories in this place that are a part of us forever.
Watching life go back and forth
Observing the ebb and flow of life's changes around us.
You take it all for granted, then you leave
It's easy to forget the importance of the things we have until they are no longer within our reach.
And then it takes a while to realize what you need
We often do not appreciate what we have until it is gone, and it may take time to understand what truly matters.
I took the long way
I wandered off the path I was supposed to be on.
Looking for the shortcut
I hoped to find an easier way to get where I needed to go.
To find out that this place
Only to realize that where I started was the place I needed to be all along.
Was made of the best stuff
My home is filled with love and memories, making it the best place I could be.
Come on back, come on back, oh
Return home, where you belong.
Come on back
You do not have to wander alone.
Come on back to the front porch
Come home, where love and comfort await you.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Spirit Music Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Emily Shackelton, Joy Williams, Liz Rose
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ilaydayener
There are no wrong roads
And no window stays closed
And love is always sad when it fades
The glass is better stained anyways
If never you find what you're looking for
Come on back to the front porch
Say my name through the screen door
Come on back to the front porch
Whatever you've done, it doesn't matter
'Cause darling we're all a little splintered and battered
But the light is on, what you waiting for?
Come on back, come on back to the front porch
We carved a story in these boards
Watching life go back and forth
You take it all for granted, then you leave
And then it takes a while to realize what you need
If never you find what you're looking for
Come on back to the front porch
Say my name through the screen door
Come on back to the front porch
Whatever you've done, it doesn't matter
'Cause darling we're all a little splintered and battered
But the light is on, what you waiting for?
Come on back, come on back
I took the long way
Looking for the shortcut
To find out that this place
Was made of the best stuff
If never you find what you're looking for
Come on back to the front porch
Say my name through the screen door, oh
Come on back to the front porch
Whatever you've done, it doesn't matter
'Cause darling we're all a little splintered and battered
But the light is on, what you waiting for?
Come on back, come on back, oh
Come on back
Come on back to the front porch
@michaelamusic
No words can can explain how beautifully executed this was.
@benjaminallen2
Joy Williams....Oh, don't let me forget where I was without you
Don't let me forget the pain that you went through
Don't let me forget that I became yours
When you spread out your arms for me
@CarlasCorner62
Such a beautiful voice...just miss the Civil Wars
@michelle.pearl.
But Joy is thriving as a solo artist
@lovejuliet4969
I wish the Civil Wars would come back together...what rare talent😍💖😥
@jnw405
Miss them too
@KcPanther96
@@michelle.pearl. John Paul is as well. Their voices just did a dance like only theirs could. I'll miss their harmony for the rest of my life.
@ShayCat
Their voices were truly a marriage but also happy Joy came into her own power and nailing it!
@GrifterUno
I'm a Black Latino who recently lost the love of his life. Yes, a lovely white lady. I just stumbled on this song & video and now I can't stop crying. This shit is like someone just stabbed me in the heart and keeps twisting it in an excruciatingly sweet way...I'll tell you this tho': there's no pain like knowing you love someone and they love you back and, at the same time, knowing it could never be. It's Hell.
@auroraboraas
<3