After learning to play the guitar, the fiddle, and the piano, as well as to sing, Rusby played at many local folk festivals as a child and adolescent. She came to wider attention through her duets with her friend and fellow Barnsley folk singer Kathryn Roberts on the 1995 album Kate Rusby & Kathryn Roberts.
At about this time she joined, and became the lead vocalist of, the all-female Celtic folk band The Poozies. This led to her becoming a founding member of the group Equation, which included Kathryn Roberts and Seth Lakeman. Rusby left Equation (being replaced by Cara Dillon) to follow a more traditional direction and, in 1997, released her debut solo album Hourglass produced by Scottish fiddler John McCusker (to whom Rusby was married for some time).
In 1999 Rusby recorded Sleepless which earned her a Mercury Music Prize nomination and the BBC Folk Award for Best Album and Best Folk Singer.
Rusby continues to release albums mixing traditional and self-penned songs on her own Pure Records, winning fans as diverse as Graham Coxon (who provided the illustration for her album The Girl Who Couldn't Fly) and collaborator Ronan Keating.
2008 saw the release of Sweet Bells, an album of traditional Christmas songs interpreted by Rusby.
In 2010, Rusby released the album Make the Light, a collection of self-penned songs, and in 2011 issued a second collection of Christmas songs titled While Mortals Sleep.
www.katerusby.com
Gulf Coast Highway
Kate Rusby Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He worked the rice fields with their cold dark wells
He worked the oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico
The only thing we've owned is this old house here by
The road
And when he dies he says he'll catch some blackbird's
Wing
Come some sweet blue bonnet spring
She walked through springtime when I was home
The days were sweet, our nights were warm
The seasons changed, the jobs would come
The flowers fade, and this old house felt so alone
When the work took me away
And when she dies she says she'll catch some
Blackbird's wing
And she will fly away to heaven
Come some sweet blue bonnet spring
Highway 90, the jobs are gone
We kept our garden, we set the sun
This is the only place on Earth blue bonnets grow
And once a year they come and go
At this old house here by the road
And when we die we say we'll catch some blackbird's
Wing
And we will fly away to heaven
Come some sweet blue bonnet spring
Yes when we die we say we'll catch some blackbird's
Wing
And we will fly away together
Come some sweet blue bonnet spring
The lyrics to Kate Rusby's song Gulf Coast Highway tell a story of a couple who have worked hard through different jobs and seasons in their life, but have found comfort in their simple life in their old house beside the road. The man has worked different jobs, such as on the railroad, in rice fields, and on oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. The woman has also had to endure the changes that come with different seasons and jobs, but they have found solace in each other and the simple joys of life. They both express their desire to fly away to heaven when they die, catching blackbird's wings in some sweet blue bonnet spring.
The song captures the emotions of the couple as they face the changes and challenges that come with life. For example, the line "The flowers fade, and this old house felt so alone" expresses the sadness and loneliness that comes with separation and long work trips. However, they find hope in the blue bonnets that grow in their garden, a reminder that beauty can still come even when times are tough. The lyrics overall convey a sense of resilience and fortitude in the face of life's difficulties and the steadfastness of love that endures until death.
Line by Line Meaning
Gulf coast highway, he worked the rails
He traveled the Gulf Coast Highway and worked on the railway.
He worked the rice fields with their cold dark wells
He worked in the rice fields, which had deep and cold wells.
He worked the oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico
He worked on the oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.
The only thing we've owned is this old house here by
The road
The only thing we've owned is this old house by the road.
And when he dies he says he'll catch some blackbird's
Wing
And we will fly away to heaven
Come some sweet blue bonnet spring
When he dies, he believes that he'll join the birds and go to heaven in the springtime.
She walked through springtime when I was home
The days were sweet, our nights were warm
The seasons changed, the jobs would come
The flowers fade, and this old house felt so alone
When the work took me away
She enjoyed springtime when he was home, but when he had to leave for work, the seasons would change and the house would feel empty.
And when she dies she says she'll catch some
Blackbird's wing
And she will fly away to heaven
Come some sweet blue bonnet spring
When she dies, she believes that she'll join the birds and go to heaven in the springtime.
Highway 90, the jobs are gone
We kept our garden, we set the sun
This is the only place on Earth blue bonnets grow
And once a year they come and go
At this old house here by the road
The jobs are gone from Highway 90, but they still have their garden in the only place on Earth blue bonnets grow, which appear only once a year at their old house by the road.
And when we die we say we'll catch some blackbird's
Wing
And we will fly away to heaven
Come some sweet blue bonnet spring
When they die, they believe that they'll join the birds and go to heaven in the springtime.
Yes when we die we say we'll catch some blackbird's
Wing
And we will fly away together
Come some sweet blue bonnet spring
When they die, they believe that they'll join the birds and go to heaven together in the springtime.
Contributed by Maya T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mike Gallagher
I have not been able to stop listening to this for weeks. A great song with the perfect voice for it. I have listened to all the other Kate Rusby offerings on YouTube, but most seem to be more traditional English ballads. I wish she would cover more American Country/ folk tunes just for my own enjoyment. However considering her own roots, and with that amazing voice, she certainly can do whatever SHE enjoys. Wonderful talent.
Pangael
One of my favorite Nanci Griffith songs by one of my favorite English singers. With pictures from my neighborhood. Perfect!
Midnight-Blue766
This song is so beautiful it literally moved me to tears.
Jeremiah Klarman
I don't think I've ever heard her voice so impassioned!
Remington Riders
This is an absolutely magnificent version of this song. Brought me to tears at the line "And when she dies she says she’ll catch some blackbird’s wing, and she will fly away to heaven". Fly away, Nanci. Rest in peace, sweet soul.
Sandra Hayward
Wow....superb version...the sentiment behind the song...everything...beautifully sung...left simple..Nancy Griffith and Kate Rusby ...what a pair of songwriter/singers they are !!xxx
valverdista
Everytime I hear this song and no matter who sings it, falls a tear from my eyes.
Perfectly Pastelz
In the UK at this time of year (April / May) the Blue Bells come out and as I walk through the woodlands, even around London, I think of this song. It is beautiful.
Mellie Collins
This is from a collaboration album called 'Intuition'. It features many fine female artists: Kathleen Deighton, Rosalie Deighton, Julie Matthews, Kathryn Roberts and Pat Shaw. This album also contains the almost completely a-capella song 'Hunting the Hare'.
Gulftastic
An excellent version of one of my favourite Naci songs.