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.
Essence
Lucinda Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come on and let me taste your stuff
Baby, sweet baby, bring me your gift
What surprise you gonna hit me with
[Chorus]
I am waiting here for more
I am waiting on your back steps
I am waiting in my car
I am waiting at this bar
I am waiting for your essence
Baby, sweet baby, whisper my name
Shoot your love into my vein
Baby, sweet baby, kiss me hard
Make me wonder who's in charge
[Chorus]
Baby, sweet baby, I want to feel your breath
Even though you like to flirt with death
Baby, sweet baby, can't get enough
Please come find me and help me get fucked up
[Chorus]
Your essence
Your essence
The lyrics of "Essence" by Lucinda Williams capture the intense and passionate nature of desire, specifically in a romantic relationship. The singer describes their lover as if they are a drug or a potent elixir that they crave and cannot resist. In the chorus, the singer states that they are waiting in anticipation for their lover, wherever they may be. The lyrics also suggest a longing for a deeper connection with this person beyond just physical intimacy, as the singer describes wanting to feel their breath and be intoxicated by their presence.
Throughout the song, the singer seems to surrender control to their lover, stating that they want to be consumed by their presence and feel their love like a drug in their veins. There is a sense of urgency in the lyrics, as if the singer is willing to do anything to be with this person, even if it means flirting with danger or risking their own well-being.
In essence, the song is a testament to the power of love and desire, and the ways in which it can consume and transform us.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby, sweet baby, you're my drug
The person is addicted to their lover and relies on them like a drug.
Come on and let me taste your stuff
The person desires intimacy with their lover.
Baby, sweet baby, bring me your gift
The person wants their lover to show them something new.
What surprise you gonna hit me with
They want their lover to surprise them.
I am waiting here for more
The person is waiting for their lover.
I am waiting by your door
They are waiting outside their lover's home.
I am waiting on your back steps
They are waiting on the steps behind their lover's home.
I am waiting in my car
The person is waiting for their lover in their car.
I am waiting at this bar
The person is waiting for their lover at a bar.
I am waiting for your essence
They are waiting for their lover's essence, or true nature.
Baby, sweet baby, whisper my name
The person wants their lover to whisper their name.
Shoot your love into my vein
They want their lover's love to take over their body.
Baby, sweet baby, kiss me hard
The person wants an intense kiss.
Make me wonder who's in charge
They want their lover to take control.
Baby, sweet baby, I want to feel your breath
The person wants to feel their lover's breath.
Even though you like to flirt with death
The person knows their lover takes dangerous risks.
Baby, sweet baby, can't get enough
The person wants more of their lover.
Please come find me and help me get fucked up
They want their lover to help them forget their problems.
Your essence
The person desires their lover's true essence.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Unison Rights S.L., Cloud9, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MARK STEPHEN GARDENER, SAM WILLIAMS, HARI TEAH, LAURENCE JOHN COLBERT, JASON KING, LUCINDA WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
city zen
Baby, sweet baby, you're my drug
Come on and let me taste your stuff
Baby, sweet baby, bring me your gift
What surprise you gonna hit me with
I am waiting here for more
I am waiting by your door
I am waiting on your back steps
I am waiting in my car
I am waiting at this bar
I am waiting for your essence
Baby, sweet baby, whisper my name
Shoot your love into my vein
Baby, sweet baby, kiss me hard
Make me wonder who's in charge
I am waiting here for more
I am waiting by your door
I am waiting on your back steps
I am waiting in my car
I am waiting at this bar
I am waiting for your essence
Baby, sweet baby, I want to feel your breath
Even though you like to flirt with death
Baby, sweet baby, can't get enough
Please come find me and help me get fucked up
I am waiting here for more
I am waiting by your door
I am waiting on your back steps
I am waiting in my car
I am waiting at this bar
I am waiting for your essence
Your essence
Your essence
richard vanstone
This woman is extraordinary. She's never written a bad song. Pure genius!
James Murphy
I love the way she uses the drug deal as a metaphor for sexual longing. This has to be one of the most brilliant songs ever written about desire.
Too Sweet
James Murphy. Yes!
ChipsterB
I’m afraid that sexual longing may be a metaphor for addiction as well.
D. Smith
Great, gritty song. I love Lucinda's voice and her poetic lyrics.
John Soho
This music is not for everyone. Just me and the most astute music lovers on our planet.
stella Rox
Correct!!
Leslie Robertson
Hee hee. Much love
ChipsterB
stephen hancock - Lucinda Williams is terribly sad and brilliant. I don’t really like Van Halen, but I can recognize that Eddie Van Halen broke new ground playing guitar. If you are unable to recognize Lucinda’s lyrical and musical genius, I feel sorry for you.
EMS
It's like listening to Tom Waits...vocally not for everyone's tastes but you cannot deny the genius in the lyrics and arrangement.