According to the The A Soft Place To Land Songfacts Edwards' father is Leonard Edwards, a former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. As a result she spent portions of her teenage years in Korea and Switzerland. Her blend of country, folk and pop music made her a favourite of music critics, and a rising star on radio in 2003 with her debut album, Failer, made popular by her hit singles "Six O'Clock News" and "Hockey Skates" Her style of music is sometimes placed in the music genre "alt-country".
In 1999, Edwards recorded a six-song EP entitled Building 55 and pressed 500 copies. By the fall of 2000, she was on tour across Canada managing her own gigs. In 2001 she wrote seven of the ten songs for her 2003 debut release Failer.
Edwards married musician and producer Colin Cripps in 2004. They later divorced.
In 2005, Edwards released Back to Me, which also garnered considerable critical acclaim, and led to the release of the singles "Back to Me" and "In State". The track "Summerlong" also featured on the soundtrack of the movie Elizabethtown starring Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst.
In 2006, she was nominated for Juno Awards for Songwriter of the Year and Adult Alternative Album of the Year for Back to Me.
On March 4, 2008, her new CD, Asking for Flowers, arrived to excellent reviews.
Her fourth album, Voyageur, was released on January 17, 2012.
Westby
Kathleen Edwards Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're trying to sober up in the highway motel
And my hands are covered with your smell
You begged me to stay and sing you a song
I dance dirty for you 'cause it turns you on
And I'm a little bleeder with white pants on
And if you weren't so old I'd probably keep you
But I don't think your wife would like my friends
I've got a hit for everyday of the week
I gave you something of mine that was so sweet
That I've been holding on to since I was sixteen
You call me Danny and I call you Mable
You passed out so I flicked through cable
And I stole your gold watch off the bed-side table
The song "Westby" by Kathleen Edwards is a mournful ballad that tells the story of a young woman who finds herself in a motel room with an older man who has a wife, trying to sober up from alcohol. The singer has a secret that she will not reveal, and she decides to dance provocatively for the man because it turns him on. She also takes his gold watch from the bed-side table while he was passed out. The lyrics evoke a sense of sadness and desperation, as the singer seems to be trapped in a cycle of self-destructive behavior.
The chorus of the song provides an interesting twist, with the line "If you weren't so old I'd probably keep you." This line suggests that the singer may have some level of affection for the older man, despite the fact that he is married and much older than her. She recognizes that their relationship is taboo, and if he were younger, she might consider pursuing something more meaningful with him. However, she also acknowledges that his wife would likely not approve of their relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Got your little secret no I will not tell
I am aware of your secret, but I promise not to reveal it to anyone.
You're trying to sober up in the highway motel
You're attempting to get rid of your intoxication at the motel beside the road.
And my hands are covered with your smell
The scent left by you is stuck to my hands.
You begged me to stay and sing you a song
You requested me to remain with you and sing a song.
I dance dirty for you 'cause it turns you on
I perform ungraceful moves as it gives you arousal.
And I'm a little bleeder with white pants on
I am bleeding with visible stains despite wearing white pants.
And if you weren't so old I'd probably keep you
I like you, and would have been in a love relationship if there wasn't any age difference.
If you weren't so old I'd tell my friends
I would inform my buddies about our relationship if there was no gap of age between us.
But I don't think your wife would like my friends
Your better half might not approve of my company.
I've got a hit for everyday of the week
I have a specific drug plan for each day of the week.
I gave you something of mine that was so sweet
I gifted something so pleasing that belonged to me.
That I've been holding on to since I was sixteen
Something that I've preserved since I was sixteen years old.
You call me Danny and I call you Mable
You refer to me as Danny, and I call you Mable.
You passed out so I flicked through cable
You fell asleep, and thus I switched channels on the TV.
And I stole your gold watch off the bed-side table
I took your gold watch from the nightstand.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: KATHLEEN MARGARET EDWARDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind