Judie Tzuke (born Judie Myers, 3 April 1956, in London) is an English singe… Read Full Bio ↴Judie Tzuke (born Judie Myers, 3 April 1956, in London) is an English singer/songwriter. She is most well known for her 1979 hit "Stay With Me Till Dawn", which reached no.16 on the UK Singles Chart.

After an education in the arts, music and drama, by the age of 15, Tzuke spent most of her time writing poems which she turned into songs and playing folk clubs, accompanying herself on acoustic guitar. She went to Island Records to try and get a record deal and after she'd played two songs was asked if she had any more. She replied that she had twenty, which she didn't, and they asked her to come back and record them the following week. She didn't return, but their interest made her realise that she could have a career in music.

In 1977 Tzuke went to see managing director David Croker at Elton John's label 'Rocket Records' as their motto was "a label for artists". She played them a few songs, one of which was "Stay with Me Till Dawn" and was immediately signed to the new label. Judie and collaborator Mike Paxman spent the next six months or so recording her first album Welcome to the Cruise at Air Studios in London, with producer John Punter.

The first single was released in the summer of 1978, entitled "For You" and was greeted with great critical acclaim and substantial air-play but only reached the top 40.

This was to all change with the release of the Welcome to the Cruise album and the single "Stay with Me Till Dawn". The song stayed in the UK charts for 16 weeks, and she made three live appearances on Top of the Pops. The song became a firm favourite and is still played regularly on radio in the U.K. It has appeared on dozens of compilation albums and regularly appears in lists of all time most popular songs.

With the success of her debut album, Judie and Mike put together the first Judie Tzuke band. Paul Muggleton on guitar and backing vocals and Bob Noble on keyboards, along with bass player John Edwards and drummer Jeff Rich.

Tzuke and her band then toured for the next 18 months and made her second album Sportscar at Virgin's Manor studios, in Oxfordshire.

In 1980, Tzuke and her band toured America for three months as support to Elton John. The tour was well received, but during the tour Elton John decided to change the US distribution for his Rocket label from MCA to the new Geffin label. MCA consequently decided to stop all tour support and promotion for the acts on the Rocket label, which meant that Judie was playing to huge audiences, including 450,000 people in New York's Central Park, but no-one knew who she was and her records were not available in the shops.

She recorded her third album I Am the Phoenix, followed by another lengthy UK tour which culminated in appearances headlining the Glastonbury CND Festival and some summer festivals in Europe. She then made the decision to leave Rocket and to sign with Chrysalis Records.

Judie was by this time selling out halls all over the UK and in parts of Europe. Her next album Shoot the Moon was recorded mainly at Rockfield studios in Wales and was released in 1982.

During the spring tour two sell out shows at the Hammersmith Odeon (now The Carling Apollo) were recorded and later that year the acclaimed live album Roadnoise was released.

Judie, Mike and Paul wrote new songs and went to Mayfair studios in London to record her fifth album, augmenting her stage band with a number of other musicians.

Throughout the late 80s and 90s, Judie has continued to record and tour, and has set up her own record label. In addition, she is now successfully writing songs for other artists.
www.tzuke.com

Boots
Judie Tzuke Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Some mornings find me wishing I’d not wake up
Those days when nothing comes out right
And when I shout everyone turns their back
And I don’t blame them,
I’d do the same if I could get away I know I would

But there’s someone with their boots
Firmly pressing down on me

And I can’t escape this mirror,
’Cause it’s not who I want to see
Looking back at me

There’s times when I can’t put a foot right,
I’m stuck here in the wrong for too long,
And I can’t for the life of me figure out what it is that I’ve done

But there’s someone with their boots
Firmly pressing down on me
And I can’t escape this mirror,
’Cause it’s not who I want to see
Looking back at me

It’s a face that I don’t recognize
A reflection of my tired eyes saying
„Please, let me be“

But there’s someone with their boots
Firmly pressing down on me
And I can’t escape this mirror,
’Cause it’s not who I want to see

But there’s someone with their boots
Firmly pressing down on me

And I can’t escape this mirror,
’Cause it’s not who I want to see

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Judie Tzuke's song Boots are filled with sadness and despair. It talks about the times when everything seems to go wrong in life, where one feels stuck and unable to move forward. The line “Some mornings find me wishing I’d not wake up” suggests that the person in the song is experiencing depression, and is struggling to find hope in their life. The line “And when I shout everyone turns their back” further highlights the person’s isolation and loneliness, where no one seems to be there for them when they need them the most.

The lyrics also reveal the presence of an oppressive force in the person’s life, referred to as “someone with their boots”. This suggests that the person is being held down and unable to escape from their current situation. The use of the metaphorical reference to “boots” signifies that the force is powerful and forceful, and can’t be avoided easily. The person in the song is aware of their situation, but they can’t find any solution or help, as they feel trapped, helpless and unable to escape. The line “And I can’t escape this mirror, ’Cause it’s not who I want to see” implies that the person is dissatisfied with who they are and the life they currently have.

Overall, this is a powerful song that captures the feelings of hopelessness, despair, and depression that many people experience at some point in their lives.

Line by Line Meaning

Some mornings find me wishing I’d not wake up
There are days when waking up brings no joy or excitement, and I would rather not face the day.

Those days when nothing comes out right
In these moments, everything seems to be going wrong and nothing seems to be going right.

And when I shout everyone turns their back
When I seek help, those around me turn their backs, and I'm left feeling alone and helpless.

And I don’t blame them,
I understand why people are not willing to help me, as I am not helping myself either.

I’d do the same if I could get away I know I would
In the same situation, I would probably do the same and run away from the problem or ignore it.

But there’s someone with their boots Firmly pressing down on me And I can’t escape this mirror, ’Cause it’s not who I want to see Looking back at me
Despite my desire to escape and forget my troubles, they continue to weigh me down, and I am faced with a reflection of myself that feels unrecognizable and unchangeable.

There’s times when I can’t put a foot right, I’m stuck here in the wrong for too long, And I can’t for the life of me figure out what it is that I’ve done
There are moments when I find myself consistently making mistakes and feeling stuck in a negative pattern, but I cannot identify the root cause of my misfortune.

It’s a face that I don’t recognize A reflection of my tired eyes saying „Please, let me be“
As I look at myself in the mirror, I no longer recognize the face staring back at me, and my tired eyes plead for a way to escape my current situation.

But there’s someone with their boots Firmly pressing down on me And I can’t escape this mirror, ’Cause it’s not who I want to see
No matter how much I wish to escape or forget the person staring back at me, the weight of my troubles and the way they have changed me continues to haunt me.

But there’s someone with their boots Firmly pressing down on me And I can’t escape this mirror, ’Cause it’s not who I want to see
Despite my desire to leave everything behind and start anew, I continue to be weighed down by my struggles and the person I have become as a result.

Contributed by Maya T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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