After leaving Shreveport, she moved to New Orleans, where she studied music at the University of New Orleans and become a fixture in the city's Dixieland and bebop venues. Butler worked with such distinguished locals as Alvin Batiste, Ellis Marsalis, Henry Butler (no relation), and James Black before deciding to move to the New York area in 1984. Butler studied with Jon Hendricks after arriving in New York and later earned her living as an English teacher while tackling the Manhattan club world.
The early to mid-'90s found Butler signed to Chesky, for which she provided her bop-oriented debut album, No Looking Back (1992), and her lighter, more relaxed sophomore release, Day Dreamin' (1994). After leaving Chesky, Butler planned to record an album for Herbie Mann's Kokopelli label in 1997, but her plans fell through when the company experienced financial problems. 1999 saw the release of her third album, Blues in the City.
Wikipedia: LaVerne Butler
Willow Weep For Me
LaVerne Butler Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Willow weep
Willow weep
Willow weep for me, willow weep for me
Bend your branches green along the stream that runs to sea
Listen to my plea, listen to me willow weep for me
Gone my lover's dream, lovely summer's dream
Sad as I can be, please hear me willow and weep for me
Whisper to the wind, say that love has sinned
Leave my heart breaking and making a moan
Murmur to the night to hide her starry light
So none will find me sighing and crying all alone
Weeping willow tree, weep in sympathy
Bend your branches down along the ground and cover me
And when the shadows fall, please hear me willow and weep for me
Whisper to the wind, say that love has sinned
Leave my heart breaking and making a moan
Murmur to the night to hide her starry light
So none will find me sighing and crying all alone
Weeping willow tree, why don't you weep in sympathy
Bend your branches down and cover me
And when the shadows fall, please please hear me willow and weep for me
In Laverne Butler's song, "Willow Weep for Me," the singer addresses a weeping willow tree and pleads with it to weep for their broken heart. The repetition of the phrase "willow weep" reinforces the theme of sorrow and mourning. The tree becomes personified as the singer implores it to listen to their sorrowful plea and to cover them with its branches for comfort. The image of the willow bending its branches down to the ground to cover the singer enhances the tree's role as a symbol of solace during moments of heartbreak.
The singer continues to personify elements of nature, asking the wind to whisper that love has sinned, and the night to hide her starry light so that no one can see their pain. These are striking images that reinforce the idea that the singer is deeply hurt and ashamed of their heartache. The chorus of the song emphasizes the pain and loss that the singer feels, with the mournful plea for the willow to weep for them.
In conclusion, "Willow Weep for Me" is a hauntingly melancholic song that portrays the depth of pain and sorrow that comes with the loss of a lover. It poetically explores themes of nature as sources of solace and comfort during times of grief.
Line by Line Meaning
Willow weep
The singer is calling out to the willow tree, asking it to weep.
Willow weep
The singer repeats her call to the willow tree, asking it to weep again.
Willow weep
The singer repeats her call to the willow tree for a third time, asking it to weep.
Willow weep for me, willow weep for me
The singer is asking the willow tree to weep specifically for her, as she is feeling sad and alone.
Bend your branches green along the stream that runs to sea
The singer is asking the willow tree to bend its branches over the stream that flows to the sea.
Listen to my plea, listen to me willow weep for me
The singer is begging the willow tree to listen to her and weep for her.
Gone my lover's dream, lovely summer's dream
The singer's lover's dream has disappeared, like a beautiful dream in summer.
Gone and left me here to weep my tears into the stream
The singer's lover has left her alone and sad, causing her to cry her tears into the stream.
Sad as I can be, please hear me willow and weep for me
The singer is as sad as she can be and is asking the willow tree to weep for her in sympathy.
Whisper to the wind, say that love has sinned
The singer is asking the wind to carry a message that love has done wrong.
Leave my heart breaking and making a moan
The singer's heart is broken and she is making a moaning sound.
Murmur to the night to hide her starry light
The singer is asking the night to hide its starry light, so that no one can see her sighing and crying.
So none will find me sighing and crying all alone
The singer wants to be alone with her sadness, so she asks for the night to hide her.
Weeping willow tree, weep in sympathy
The singer is asking the willow tree to weep in sympathy for her sadness.
Bend your branches down along the ground and cover me
The singer is asking the willow tree to bend its branches down and cover her, so she can hide her sadness.
And when the shadows fall, please hear me willow and weep for me
The singer is asking the willow tree to weep for her when the shadows fall, as this is typically a sad and lonely time.
Whisper to the wind, say that love has sinned
The singer is repeating her request for the wind to carry a message that love has done wrong.
Leave my heart breaking and making a moan
The singer is repeating her description of how her heart feels - broken and moaning.
Murmur to the night to hide her starry light
The singer is repeating her request for the night to hide its starry light, so she can hide her sadness.
So none will find me sighing and crying all alone
The singer is repeating her desire to be alone with her sadness, and not be seen by others.
Weeping willow tree, why don't you weep in sympathy
The singer is asking the willow tree why it isn't weeping in sympathy for her sadness.
Bend your branches down and cover me
The singer is repeating her request for the willow tree to bend its branches down and cover her, so she can hide her sadness.
And when the shadows fall, please please hear me willow and weep for me
The singer is repeating her request for the willow tree to weep for her when the shadows fall, as this is typically a sad and lonely time. She adds an extra 'please' for emphasis.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Ann Ronell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind