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.
Concrete And Barbed Wire
Lucinda Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But this wall is not real, how can it be real?
It's only made of concrete and barbed wire
Concrete and barbed wire, concrete and barbed wire
It's only made of concrete and barbed wire
Back in Algiers, my darling broke my heart
With two strong hands he couldn't move it at all
And it's only made of concrete and barbed wire
Concrete and barbed wire, concrete and barbed wire
It's only made of concrete and barbed wire
Down in Opelousas, dogs are at the gate
And they're mean, lord, they're mean
There's a wall between us, but it's not what it seems
It's only made of concrete and barbed wire
Concrete and barbed wire, concrete and barbed wire
It's only made of concrete and barbed wire
Somewhere in Louisiana my sugar's doing time
But he can't spend time with me
If he could get over this wall he'd see
That it's only made of concrete and barbed wire
Concrete and barbed wire, concrete and barbed wire
It's only made of concrete and barbed wire
Concrete and barbed wire, concrete and barbed wire
It's only made of concrete and barbed wire
"Concrete and Barbed Wire" is one of Lucinda Williams's emotional songs that delves into themes of separation and the barriers that divide people. The song is rooted in imagery of walls and barriers, with the main chorus of "concrete and barbed wire" repeatedly emphasizing the physical materials used to build these obstructions between people. The song suggests that these walls between people are ultimately illusory and that with enough determination, anyone can overcome them.
The first verse describes a physical wall that divides two people, which the singer asserts is not "real;" it's just made of "concrete and barbed wire," which can't actually change the fact that they are on different sides. The second verse introduces a personal relationship, where the singer has been hurt by someone she loved, but this person can't seem to break down the wall between them despite their efforts. In the third verse, the image of a wall separating the singer from vicious dogs at the gate of a property draws attention to how barriers can serve as a defense mechanism. Finally, the fourth verse depicts another relationship, this time one that is separated by a literal wall keeping the man in prison.
Overall, "Concrete and Barbed Wire" is a meditation on the nature of separation and how walls can either protect us or keep us locked away. The song suggests that while these barriers can seem insurmountable, in reality, they are often flimsy constructions that can be overcome with enough perseverance.
Line by Line Meaning
This wall divides us, we're on two different sides
There is a figurative wall between us, separating us into two different camps.
But this wall is not real, how can it be real?
The wall is not a physical barrier, so it can't be real in that sense.
It's only made of concrete and barbed wire
The wall is only an idea, reinforced by physical symbols like bars and wire.
Back in Algiers, my darling broke my heart
Her lover betrayed her, causing immense emotional pain.
But he can't seem to break down this wall
Despite the emotional hurt he caused, he can't seem to penetrate the wall dividing them.
With two strong hands he couldn't move it at all
Even with great effort, he can't seem to affect the wall that divides them.
Down in Opelousas, dogs are at the gate
There are obstacles in the way, represented by the dogs at the gate.
And they're mean, lord, they're mean
The obstacles are not passive, but actively obstructing progress.
There's a wall between us, but it's not what it seems
The wall itself is not the only obstacle, there are other more subtle factors at play.
Somewhere in Louisiana my sugar's doing time
Her lover is incarcerated, serving time in prison.
But he can't spend time with me
Even though he is technically not free, there are still other barriers preventing them from spending time together.
If he could get over this wall he'd see
If he could overcome the perceived wall between them, he might see a path forward.
That it's only made of concrete and barbed wire
That the wall itself is not the actual barrier, it is merely symbolic of the greater issues they face.
Concrete and barbed wire, concrete and barbed wire
Re-emphasizing that the wall is just made of these physical materials.
It's only made of concrete and barbed wire
Re-emphasizing once more that the wall is only symbolic, not actually physical.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Lucinda Williams
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind