Linda Thompson (born Linda Pettifer in Hackney, London, on 23 August 1947) … Read Full Bio ↴Linda Thompson (born Linda Pettifer in Hackney, London, on 23 August 1947) is an English singer-songwriter. One of the most recognised names and voices in the British folk-rock movement of the 1970s and 1980s, she is notable as one-half of Richard & Linda Thompson (with fellow British folk-rock musician, guitarist Richard Thompson to whom she was married for ten years) and later as a solo artist.

Thompson began her singing career in the 1960s, doing advertising jingles for money and singing in folk clubs for enjoyment. She changed her name to Linda Peters, and was romantically linked to Martin Carthy before working with Richard Thompson, whom she married in 1972.

As part of Richard & Linda Thompson, she sang on a string of critically acclaimed albums until a bitter split in 1982. After battling voice problems over the years since, she resurfaced with a solo album in 1996, and has subsequently worked sporadically. Linda and Richard's children Teddy Thompson and Kamila Thompson are both musicians.

In 2007, Thompson released another set of original songs and covers, "Versatile Heart". Like her 2002 album "Fashionably Late", this too was primarily a collaboration with son Teddy Thompson, together with a supporting cast of family and friends.

Her fourth solo album, Won't Be Long Now, was released on 15 October 2013. The album features compositions and backing vocals from Teddy Thompson and his sisters as well as guitar work by Richard Thompson.

Beauty
Linda Thompson Lyrics

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Beauty, you make me sad
All you beautiful babies been had
Who’ll be able to love you for
What you, what you really are?

Beauty, what is your face?
What has it given the human race?
All that it has given me is a longing for

People and things I could never afford

Ah, beauty, now that the walls of Troy are tumbling down
And poor Oscar Wilde’s verdict is out
And the Hope diamond’s up for auction

And what about Michael Jackson?
And I’m smoking again
In the morning looking at

Beauty, look at me
You who did line the apple once offered Eve
I fear you line the world we see
Filled with goodness only hidden by

Beauty, you make me sad

You make me sad
You make me sad

Overall Meaning

In Linda Thompson's song "Beauty," the singer seems to be expressing a sense of sadness or disillusionment about the concept of physical beauty. She begins the song by addressing "Beauty" itself, lamenting that all the "beautiful babies" have been taken advantage of or mistreated in some way. She wonders who will be able to truly love them for who they are, beyond their external appearance. The lyrics suggest that beauty may not be all it's cracked up to be, and that it can actually be a burden or a curse.

The second verse goes on to question what beauty has actually contributed to humanity. While it may have inspired some great works of art and literature, for example, the singer herself seems to have been left with only a sense of longing and yearning for things she can never have. The third verse references several famous examples where beauty has been put on trial, from the fall of Troy to the legal troubles of Oscar Wilde and Michael Jackson. The final lines of the song return to the idea that beauty can be both alluring and dangerous, obscuring the goodness that lies beneath the surface.

Overall, "Beauty" seems to be a meditation on the pitfalls and limitations of physical beauty, and the many ways in which it can obscure or distort our perceptions of ourselves and others. The singer seems to be grappling with a sense of sadness or frustration about the way beauty operates in the world, while still acknowledging its power and appeal.

Line by Line Meaning

Beauty, you make me sad
The concept of beauty brings sadness as the world values and exploits beautiful things and people to the point of exhaustion.

All you beautiful babies been had
The beauty of young and innocent individuals has been used and abused by society for its own purposes.

Who’ll be able to love you for What you, what you really are?
It is difficult for beautiful people to receive genuine love as they are often objectified and judged purely based on their appearance.

Beauty, what is your face?
What is the true meaning and value of beauty?

What has it given the human race?
Has beauty contributed anything of real substance to humanity?

All that it has given me is a longing for People and things I could never afford
Beauty has only instilled in the singer a desire for unattainable material possessions and relationships.

Ah, beauty, now that the walls of Troy are tumbling down And poor Oscar Wilde’s verdict is out And the Hope diamond’s up for auction And what about Michael Jackson? And I’m smoking again In the morning looking at
Even as significant events unfold and the singer deals with personal habits, beauty remains a constant force in the world.

Beauty, look at me You who did line the apple once offered Eve
The artist directly addresses beauty, accusing it of being the cause of the original sin and temptation in the Bible.

I fear you line the world we see Filled with goodness only hidden by
The artist believes that beauty dominates our perception of the world, concealing genuine goodness and virtues that are not aesthetically pleasing.

Beauty, you make me sad You make me sad You make me sad
The distressing effects of beauty on the artist are reiterated, emphasizing its pervasive influence on the human experience.

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RUFUS WAINWRIGHT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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