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.
Convince Me
Lucinda Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Please, please, please convince me
Tell me so it makes sense to me
How much better it's all gonna be
And please, please, please convince me
Please, please, please convince me
Tell me so I understand
And please, please, please convince me
Please, please, please convince me
Tell me everything's gonna be alright
Even if it takes all night please
Please, please convince me
Please, please, please convince me
I've been in trouble and I've been blue
Tell me something good tell me something new
Please, please, please convince me
Please, please, please convince me
Tell me what it's all about
Tell me things will work out
And please, please, please convince me
Please, please, please convince me
The whole wide world is falling apart
The whole wide world gonna break apart
So, please, please, convince me
Please, please, please convince me
Please, please, please convince me
Please, please, please convince me
Convince me, baby
Convince me, baby
Convince me, baby
Convince me, baby please
Convince me, baby
Convince me, baby
Convince me, baby
Convince me, baby
"Convince Me" is a song by Lucinda Williams that begs someone to convince the singer that everything's going to be okay. The song is addressed to someone who is supposed to provide hope, comfort, and reassurance to the singer in a moment of uncertainty, fear, or despair. The repeated plea of "please, please, please convince me" expresses the singer's desperation to believe that life will get better or that there's a reason to keep going.
The song is imbued with a sense of emotional fragility, vulnerability, and dependence on others. The singer needs someone to hold their hand and talk to them until they feel safe and understood. However, it's also apparent that the singer is skeptical or doubtful that anyone can actually convince them. The second verse acknowledges that the singer has been in trouble and feels blue, suggesting that they have experienced disappointment or disillusionment in the past. The last repeated line of the song "convince me, baby please" adds a touch of irony or sarcasm, as the word "baby" implies an attempt to manipulate or charm the person who's being asked to convince the singer.
The song has been interpreted as a reflection on the human need for connection, empathy, and hope, which can be hard to find in a world that seems to be falling apart. It's also been celebrated for its raw and honest depiction of an emotional crisis and the cathartic effect that it can have on listeners who relate to its message.
Line by Line Meaning
Please, please convince me
The singer is asking someone to convince them of something.
Please, please, please convince me
The singer is begging for convincing.
Tell me so it makes sense to me
The singer wants convincing reasons.
How much better it's all gonna be
The singer wants to know why it's better.
Tell me so I understand
The singer needs convincing that they can understand.
Talk to me and hold my hand
The singer needs support while being convinced.
Tell me everything's gonna be alright
The singer needs assurance that everything will be okay.
Even if it takes all night please
The singer needs a lot of convincing.
I've been in trouble and I've been blue
The singer has had a hard time and needs convincing to feel better.
Tell me something good tell me something new
The singer wants to hear something positive to be convinced.
Tell me what it's all about
The singer wants to know what they are being convinced of.
Tell me things will work out
The singer wants to be convinced that everything will be okay.
The whole wide world is falling apart
The singer feels like the world is ending.
The whole wide world gonna break apart
The singer feels like everything is falling apart.
Convince me, baby
The singer pleads for someone to convince them.
Convince me, baby please
The singer adds 'please' to beg for convincing.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LUCINDA WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind