She was born Laura Nigro on 18th October 1947 in the Bronx, New York, of Italian-American and Jewish-American parents. As a child, she taught herself piano, read poetry, and listened to her mother's records by Leontyne Price, Billie Holiday and classical composers such as Ravel and Debussy. She composed her first songs at age eight. While in high school, she sang with a group of friends in subway stations and on street corners.
As a teenager she experimented with using different names, and Nyro was the one she was using at the time. She sold her song "And When I Die" to Peter, Paul and Mary for $5,000, and made her first extended professional appearance in 1966, at age 18, singing at the "hungry i" coffeehouse in San Francisco. Mogull negotiated her a recording contract, and she recorded her debut album, More Than a New Discovery, for the Verve Folkways label. The album provided material for other artists, notably the 5th Dimension.
In 1967, Nyro made only her second major live appearance, at the Monterey Pop Festival. Although some accounts described her performance as a fiasco that culminated in her being booed off the stage,[8] recordings later made public contradict this view.[
Nyro was best known by the general public – and had the most commercial success – as a songwriter rather than a performer. Her best-known songs include "And When I Die" (made a hit by Blood, Sweat & Tears), "Stoney End" (covered by Barbra Streisand), "Wedding Bell Blues", "Stoned Soul Picnic", "Sweet Blindness", "Save the Country" (all covered by The 5th Dimension), and "Eli's Coming" (a hit for Three Dog Night). Ironically, Nyro's own best-selling single was "Up on the Roof", a cover of the Carole King-Gerry Goffin hit originally recorded by The Drifters in 1962.
She died on 8th April 1997.
In 2012 she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Light
Laura Nyro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Independence
Workin’ with the gypsies
They call it ‘that ribbon of highway’
Gonna buy a house
Make it a home
Another mile
A shot of coffee
On the phone
“Child of mine
I’m headin’ for the city line
Ooh walk the dog
And light the light
I’ll see you Sunday
’Cause I’m workin’ on
Saturday night”
They make their livin’
Their independence
Dawn through moonlight
On both sides
Of that ribbon of highway
A melting pot
They come from all over
Through down south
Pacific rim
Northern snow
And east through autumn
Are you fine?
My love
Mama’s headin’ for the city line
Ooh run the dog
Darlin’, light the light
I’ll see you Sunday
’Cause I’m workin’ on
Saturday night
See you Sunday ’cause
I’m workin’ on Saturday
Night
Operator
Take this precious dime
Precious time
Mama’s headed for the city
The city, the city line
Ooh in my heart
I will light the light
And see you Sunday
’Cause I’m workin’
On Saturday night
See you Sunday
'Cause I’m singin’
On Saturday
N-I-g-h-t
The song “Light” by Laura Nyro talks about the journey and lifestyle of people who live and work on the road. The opening lines, “Gonna make my livin’, Independence, Workin’ with the gypsies, They call it ‘that ribbon of highway’”, reflect this sentiment. It shows that the people she is referring to seek independence and freedom and work with a group of people who travel for work. Nyro mentions her desire to buy a house and make it a home, but the lines “Another mile, A shot of coffee, Take my sugar, On the phone” indicates that she is constantly on the move.
The second verse continues with the theme of the road and the people who travel it. The song describes the melting pot of cultures that come together on the road. People come from all over - the south, the pacific rim, northern snow, and the east through autumn. Nyro also mentions “Mama’s headin’ for the city line”, indicating that she herself is part of this group of people. The chorus, “See you Sunday ‘cause I’m workin’ on Saturday night”, is a bittersweet reminder of the sacrifices that must be made in order to live and work on the road.
Overall, “Light” is a reflection on the lives of those who are constantly on the move in search of independence and freedom. Nyro's poetic lyrics shed light on the unique experiences of people who are often forgotten by society.
Line by Line Meaning
Gonna make my livin’
I am going to earn my livelihood
Independence
I will be self-sufficient
Workin’ with the gypsies
I am working with people who travel around the country
They call it 'that ribbon of highway'
They refer to it as the highway that connects different parts of the country
Gonna buy a house
I am planning on buying a place of my own
Make it a home
I will make it a comfortable and welcoming space for myself
Another mile
There is always more distance to cover
A shot of coffee
I will have some coffee to keep me going
Take my sugar
I will take my sweetie with me
On the phone
We will stay in touch while I am away
"Child of mine
My dear child
I’m headin’ for the city line
I am going to the city
Ooh walk the dog
Please take the dog for a walk
And light the light
And turn on the light
I’ll see you Sunday
I will see you on Sunday
’Cause I’m workin’ on
Because I will be working
Saturday night”
On Saturday night
They make their livin’
They earn their livelihood
Their independence
They are self-sufficient
Dawn through moonlight
From early morning until late at night
On both sides
On either side
Of that ribbon of highway
Of the highway that connects different parts of the country
A melting pot
People from all over come together
They come from all over
People come from different parts of the country
Through down south
From the Southern part of the country
Pacific rim
From the coastal region of the Pacific Ocean
Northern snow
From the Northern part of the country where it snows
And east through autumn
From the Eastern part of the country during the autumn season
Are you fine?
Are you feeling alright?
My love
My dear
Mama’s headin’ for the city line
I am going to the city
Ooh run the dog
Please take the dog for a run
Darlin’, light the light
Please turn on the light, my dear
I’ll see you Sunday
I will see you on Sunday
’Cause I’m workin’ on
Because I will be working
Saturday night
On Saturday night
See you Sunday ’cause
I will see you on Sunday because
I’m workin’ on Saturday
Because I will be working on Saturday
Night
At night
Operator
Phone operator
Take this precious dime
Please take this money for the phone call
Precious time
I don't want to waste any time
Mama’s headed for the city
I am going to the city
The city, the city line
The part of the city where I will be staying
Ooh in my heart
I feel in my heart
I will light the light
I will turn on the light
And see you Sunday
And I will see you on Sunday
’Cause I’m workin’
Because I will be working
On Saturday night
On Saturday night
See you Sunday
I will see you on Sunday
'Cause I’m singin’
Because I will be singing
On Saturday
On Saturday
N-I-g-h-t
At night
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: LAURA NYRO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lovemylovething
Enchantingly Beautiful! Thank you for helping to keep Laura's great Music going strong!
Susan Faw
Oh my God...let Laura shine. Goddamn, what a fine piece of music. Jesus, god...play this.
Just JuanGoodCitizen
damn good song. she was like the female stevie wonder. TV One's "Unsung" must do a episode on her.
Ghislain DORMONT
+Justice Allah Dear, she was more than that!!!!!!!!!!!!
Katherine Rosen
She played Stevie Wonder's 'Creepin' on my piano in SF! Brilliant.
68-73WASTHEBESTMUSIC
@Ghislain DORMONT whoa! Stevie always has been and always be the great!! But no slight to Ms Nyro...who was equally amazing and sonically shocking even with Labelle decades ago. Let's all agree this song still is a jam!!
A Riv
Laura has alot of soul but you have to be African American to be on Unsung. Other than that her story really would fit well.
Fairchild & Co.
You are doing such a fine job and are appreciated much!
sheffnyrofan
Adore this xx
Adrien Koo
I always wished she repeated the first "aaaahhhhh ooooh" in the chorus, short lived bliss