Lucinda Williams (born January 26, 1953) is an American rock, folk, and alt… Read Full Bio ↴Lucinda Williams (born January 26, 1953) is an American rock, folk, and alt-country songwriter and singer. A three-time Grammy Award winner, she was named "America's best songwriter" by TIME magazine in 2002.

Williams has garnered considerable critical acclaim but her commercial success has been moderate. She has a reputation as a perfectionist and as a slow worker when it comes to recording; six years passed between the release of her second and third albums. However, she frequently makes guest appearances on other artists' albums and contributes to compilations and soundtracks. She has recorded with Elvis Costello, Nanci Griffith, John Prine, Leftover Salmon, and Steve Earle, among others. She has also opened concerts for artists such as Neil Young.

Early life

Williams was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, the daughter of poet and literature professor Miller Williams. Her father worked as a visiting professor in Mexico and Chile as well as different parts of the American South, before settling at the University of Arkansas. His daughter showed an affinity for music at an early age, and was playing guitar at 12.

Career

By her early 20s, Williams was playing publicly in Austin, Texas and Houston, Texas, concentrating on a folk-rock-country blend. She moved to Jackson, Mississippi, in 1978 to record her first album, for Smithsonian/Folkways Records. Titled Ramblin', it was a collection of country and blues covers. She followed it up in 1980 with Happy Woman Blues, which consisted of her own material. Neither album received much attention.

In the 1980s Williams moved to Los Angeles, California (before finally settling in Nashville, TN), where -- performing both backed by a rock band and in acoustic settings -- she developed a following and a critical reputation. Nevertheless, it was not until 1988 that Rough Trade Records released the self-titled Lucinda Williams. The single "Changed the Locks", about a broken relationship, received radio play around the country and gained fans among music insiders, including Tom Petty, who would later cover the song.

Its follow-up, Sweet Old World (Chameleon, 1992), was a melancholy album dealing with themes of suicide and death. Williams's biggest success during the early '90s was as a songwriter. Mary Chapin Carpenter recorded a cover of "Passionate Kisses" (from Lucinda Williams) in 1992, and the song became a smash country hit for which Williams received the Grammy Award for Best Country Song in 1994.

Williams had garnered considerable critical acclaim, but her commercial success was moderate. Emmylou Harris said of Williams, "She is an example of the best of what country at least says it is. But, for some reason, she's completely out of the loop. And I feel strongly that that's country music's loss."

Williams also gained a reputation as a perfectionist and slow worker when it came to recording; six years would pass before her next album release, though she appeared as a guest on other artists' albums and contributed to several tribute compilations during this period.

The long-awaited release, 1998's Car Wheels on a Gravel Road was Williams' breakthrough to the mainstream. Containing the single "Still I Long for Your Kiss" from the Robert Redford film The Horse Whisperer, the album received wide critical notice and soon went gold. It received a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. She toured with Bob Dylan and on her own in support of the album.

Williams followed up the success of Car Wheels with Essence (2001). This release featured a less produced, more stripped-down approach both musically and lyrically, and moved Williams further from the country music establishment while winning fans in the alternative music world. She won the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Female Rock performance for the single "Get Right With God", an atypically uptempo gospel-rock tune from the otherwise rather low-key release. The title track was co-written and co-recorded with alternative country musician Ryan Adams.

Her seventh album, World Without Tears, was released in 2003. A musically adventurous though lyrically downbeat album, this release found Williams experimenting with talking blues stylings and electric blues.

In 2006, Lucinda recorded a version of the John Hartford classic "Gentle On My Mind," which played over the closing credits of the Will Ferrell filmTalladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby

Williams was a guest vocalist on the song "Factory Girls" from Irish punk-folk band Flogging Molly's 2004 album, "Within a Mile of Home", and appeared on Elvis Costello's The Delivery Man. She duetted with Steve Earle on the song "You're Still Standin' There" from his album I Feel Alright from 1996.

Williams released the album "West" on February 13, 2007, to mostly good reviews. The material is highly personal, chronicling the death of her mother and the breakup of a turbulent relationship.

Lucinda released her ninth studio album, "Little Honey", on October 14th.

Burning Bridges
Lucinda Williams Lyrics

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Sometimes press them tenders
I'm never truly land
And all your expectation
I never truly care
You'll never safe on, or come up with other reason
You've been weak and I take a bad decision

Burning bridges,

Burning bridges it down
Burning bridges
Burning bridges it down
Burning bridges
Burning bridges it down

Now you've a [?] and you lost ti
You won't get up the fire
I can add you to my list
And keep it up at night
You're the [?]
There's I stare on braking walls
The tragedy unfalls

Burning bridges,
Burning bridges it down
Burning bridges
Burning bridges it down
Burning bridges
Burning bridges it down
Burning bridges
Burning bridges it down

With the [?] was a time to us
And it might not come again
You must chose what eyes don't look throw in the end
Every love is hard
We have it in a Powel
And these lonely hours make me worst

Burning bridges
Burning bridges it down
Burning bridges,
Burning bridges it down
Burning bridges
Burning bridges it down
Burning bridges
Burning bridges it down
Burning bridges
Burning bridges it down

Burning bridges
Burning bridges it down
Burning bridges
Burning bridges it down
Burning bridges
Burning bridges it down
Burning bridges
Burning bridges it down

Why you wanna burn

Why you wanna burn
Why you wanna burn it down

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Lucinda Williams's song "Burning Bridges" reflect the end of a relationship and the idea of burning bridges with the partner who has betrayed or hurt the singer. The first verse suggests that the singer doesn't care about the expectations of her partner and that they are weak compared to her, implying that she has taken a bad decision due to her partner's shortcomings. The chorus indicates that the singer is ready to burn the bridges that connect her and her partner, as if she wants to start a new chapter in her life without him. The second verse reveals that the partner is now lost, and the singer can't help but think they're responsible for it. The line "You're the [?]" suggests that the partner might be a burden for the singer or even worse, an obstacle that prevents her from experiencing true love. The last verse suggests that the singer knows that every love is hard, but she still has hope that a new chapter in her love life can be opened, even though the prospect of the unknown makes her uneasy and even worse, alone.

Overall, "Burning Bridges" is a song about letting go of a relationship that no longer serves you, despite the difficulty of facing the unknown future. Burning bridges implies that the singer has closed the door on this relationship for good, and it is time to move on and look forward to something better. In one of the most heart-wrenching moments of the song, Williams repeats the haunting phrase "Why you wanna burn it down?" as if the singer is questioning her own decision and reflecting on the potential consequences of her actions.

Line by Line Meaning

Sometimes press them tenders
At times, the media can be ruthless

I'm never truly land
I never feel settled

And all your expectation
All the things you expect of me

I never truly care
I don't really care about them

You'll never safe on, or come up with other reason
You'll never feel secure or find another excuse

You've been weak and I take a bad decision
You have been vulnerable and I made a poor choice

Burning bridges, Burning bridges it down
Destroying our connection and relationship

Now you've a [?] and you lost ti
Now you have a regret and you lost your chance

You won't get up the fire
You won't have the passion or drive

I can add you to my list
I can add you to my list of failed relationships

And keep it up at night
And it will keep me up at night