Laura Cantrell (born 16 July 1967 in Nashville, Tennessee) is a country sin… Read Full Bio ↴Laura Cantrell (born 16 July 1967 in Nashville, Tennessee) is a country singer-songwriter and radio DJ. Beginning in 1993, she presented a weekly country and old-time music radio show on WFMU called The Radio Thrift Shop (although since October 2005 she has only made occasional appearances on the station). She reached wider recognition in 2000 with her debut album, Not the Tremblin' Kind.

Host of freeform radio station WFMU's "Radio Thrift Shop," sometime VP at a merchant bank, and owner of one of the purest voices in country, Laura Cantrell's mix of traditional and modern country has been impressing listeners for several years. The late, great John Peel thought her first album was one of the most perfect records he'd ever heard and in the opinion of many listeners he wasn't wrong. Laura excels both as a songwriter and as an interpreter of both new and classic country - her Southern roots and mix of traditional and modern approaches, impeccable taste and superb voice make her work accessible to anyone who enjoys country.

Cantrell may also be familiar to fans of geek rock for her guest vocals on the They Might Be Giants song "The Guitar (The Lion Sleeps Tonight)" (on the 1992 album "Apollo 18).

In the spring of 2011, Cantrell released "Kitty Wells Dresses: Songs Of the Queen of Country Music", a recording she made "in honor of one of her heroines, the great Kitty Wells" (the album title being from an original song of Cantrell's written in tribute to Wells).

Letters
Laura Cantrell Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I used to take the subway
to 42nd and Broadway
Check my downtown mailbox
Check my downtown mailbox

Always felt much better
when I got a letter
In my downtown mailbox

In my downtown mailbox

Send me a letter
Send it to me when you want to reach me
Might be in California, New York City or Nashville, Tennessee

Baby and I had a fight
I couldn't sleep last night
Thought he didn't want me no more
Thought he didn't want me no more

I was satisfied
when I went outside
Found a letter on my front door
Letter on my front door

Send me a letter
Send it to me when you want to reach me
Might be in California, New York City or Nashville, Tennessee
Early in the day late at night
Whatever you're feeling you can always write
Send me a letter send it to me when you want to reach me

It wasn't very funny
I didn't have much money
There was not much food on the table
Not much food on the table

I was feeling pretty low
I heard a knock at my door
It was Western Union with a cable
Western Union with a cable

Send me a letter
Send it to me when you want to reach me
Might be in California, New York City or Nashville, Tennessee
Early in the day late at night

Whatever you're feeling you can always write
Send me a letter, send it to me when you want to reach me

Overall Meaning

In Laura Cantrell's song Letters, the singer reminisces about the satisfaction and comfort she found in receiving hand-written letters. She speaks of how she used to take the subway to 42nd and Broadway to check her downtown mailbox and how she always felt better when she received a letter. Laura Cantrell paints a picture of a simpler time when people took the time to write intimate letters that communicated their sincere feelings. The singer longs for this kind of communication and craves it in this fast-paced, digital age.

The singer also describes how a letter helped her during a time of hardship. She had a fight with her partner and could not sleep, feeling as though he didn't want her anymore. But going outside the next day and finding a letter on her front door lifted her spirits. This shows how a simple act of kindness through a letter can provide comfort even in tough times. The final verse of the song explains how the singer received a Western Union cable at a time when she was low on money and food. While this wasn't a letter, it still provided her with hope.

Overall, the message of Letters is about the comforting power of a handwritten letter. It shows how such a simple gesture can impact a person's life in a profound way.

Line by Line Meaning

I used to take the subway
I used to travel by subway

to 42nd and Broadway
my subway destination was 42nd and Broadway

Check my downtown mailbox
I used to check my mailbox located downtown

Always felt much better
getting a letter made me feel better

when I got a letter
when I received a letter from someone

In my downtown mailbox
the letter would be found in my downtown mailbox

Send me a letter
please send me a letter

Send it to me when you want to reach me
if you want to reach me, send the letter

Might be in California, New York City or Nashville, Tennessee
I could be in any of those three locations

Baby and I had a fight
my significant other and I had an argument

I couldn't sleep last night
the argument kept me up at night