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.
Greenville
Lucinda Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause you don't really love me, you're not my man
You're not my man, oh you're not my man
Go back to Greenville, just go on back to Greenville
You scream and shout and you make a scene
When you open your mouth you never say what you mean
Say what you mean, oh say what you mean
You drink hard liquor, you come on strong
You lose your temper someone looks at you wrong
Looks at you wrong, oh looks at you wrong
Go back to Greenville, just go on back to Greenville
Out all night playin in a band
Looking for a fight with a guitar in your hand
A guitar in your hand, oh a guitar in your hand
Go back to Greenville, just go on back to Greenville
Empty bottles and broken glass
Busted down doors and borrowed cash
Borrowed cash, oh the borrowed cash
Go back to Greenville, just go on back to Greenville
Looking for someone to save you
Looking for someone to rave about you
To rave about you, oh to rave about you
Go back to Greenville, just go on back to Greenville
In Lucinda Williams's song "Greenville," the singer is telling an ex-lover to go back to their hometown of Greenville. The opening lines of the song, "Don't wanna see you again or hold your hand," convey a clear message that the relationship is over, and the singer no longer wants to be with this person. The reason for this is because the singer realizes that the lover does not love her and is not her man. The repetition of the line, "You're not my man," emphasizes this point and shows how the singer has come to terms with the reality of the situation.
The rest of the song describes the lover's troubling behavior. He is someone who drinks hard liquor, makes scenes, and loses his temper easily. He also spends his time playing in a band, looking for fights with a guitar in hand, and borrowing money. The singer sees all of this behavior as problematic and does not want to be a part of it. Additionally, from the line "looking for someone to save you, looking for someone to rave about you," it is clear that the lover is searching for external validation and cannot find it within himself. The chorus again repeats the refrain "go back to Greenville," emphasizing the singer's desire for the lover to leave and possibly start over.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't wanna see you again or hold your hand
I don't want any contact with you or to be with you intimately.
'Cause you don't really love me, you're not my man
I know you don't truly love me, and you're not somebody I want to spend my life with.
You're not my man, oh you're not my man
I want to emphasize that you're not the man for me in any way shape or form.
Go back to Greenville, just go on back to Greenville
Return to the place where you belong and get out of my life for good.
You scream and shout and you make a scene
You often raise your voice and act out in public, and it's embarrassing to be around you.
When you open your mouth you never say what you mean
You're not good at communicating precisely what you're feeling or thinking.
Say what you mean, oh say what you mean
It would be easier for everyone if you spoke honestly and directly.
Go back to Greenville, just go on back to Greenville
Your place of origin is a better fit for you, and you should return there soon.
You drink hard liquor, you come on strong
You frequently consume strong alcoholic beverages and drape yourself over others far too readily.
You lose your temper someone looks at you wrong
You become irate if somebody gives you even the slightest dirty look or if things don't go your way.
Looks at you wrong, oh looks at you wrong
You are exceedingly easily provoked and this often causes trouble wherever you go.
Go back to Greenville, just go on back to Greenville
Your inappropriate behavior would be more acceptable in your hometown of Greenville.
Out all night playin in a band
You spend all night performing music in clubs and other venues.
Looking for a fight with a guitar in your hand
You are often on the lookout for a physical altercation, and you use your guitar as a weapon.
A guitar in your hand, oh a guitar in your hand
Your guitar is associated with your violent tendencies and combative attitude.
Go back to Greenville, just go on back to Greenville
Your musical endeavors and penchant for fighting would be more appreciated in Greenville.
Empty bottles and broken glass
Your lifestyle has resulted in a room full of liquor bottles and broken objects.
Busted down doors and borrowed cash
You are notorious for breaking doors and borrowing money without repaying it.
Borrowed cash, oh the borrowed cash
Your habit of taking money from people you know without returning it is a defining characteristic of yours.
Go back to Greenville, just go on back to Greenville
Home is where you belong since your cavalier attitude towards property and wealth is unacceptable here.
Looking for someone to save you
You are always searching for somebody to rescue and care for you.
Looking for someone to rave about you
You are perpetually craving validation and attention from others.
To rave about you, oh to rave about you
You desire flattery and praise from anyone who will give it to you.
Go back to Greenville, just go on back to Greenville
Your need for external validation would be better satisfied in your hometown of Greenville.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Lucinda Williams
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
katleya tompong
Greenville
Lucinda Williams
Don't want to see you again or hold your hand
Cause you don't really love me you're not my man
You're not my man oh you're not my man
Go back to Greenville just go on back to Greenville
You scream and shout and you make a scene
When you open your mouth you never say what you mean
Say what you mean oh say what you mean
Go back to Greenville just go on back to Greenville
You drink hard liquor you come on strong
You lose your temper someone looks at you wrong
Looks at you wrong oh looks at you wrong
Go back to Greenville just go on back to Greenville
Out all night playin in a band
Looking for a fight with a guitar in your hand
A guitar in your hand oh a guitar in your hand
Go back to Greenville just go on back to Greenville
Empty bottles and broken glass
Busted down doors and borrowed cash
Borrowed cash oh the borrowed cash
Go back to Greenville just go on back to Greenville
Looking for someone to save you
Looking for someone to rave about you
To rave about you oh to rave about you
Go back to Greenville just go on back to Greenville
Lucretcia Seven
This song is like a testimony to the accumulation of every tear I've cried for the last 14 years
very skeptical
We are all crying now......
Peter Haley
WOW !!
SuzzyStohelit
I'll rave about you. Done ✔
allan hughes
Shit how sad is that 14 years isnot the end there must be many years left just let it go and fly with the wind Easy to say for one that always tries to do whats right ?? and has never flown with the wind but will one day !!!!!!!!!!
Matthew Darcy
Ouch, that hit home
Gwen Holt
One of the best guitar solos ever ... soooooooo tasteful. Helluva band all around! And of course, Lucinda's voice ... damnnnnn ...
Matthew Darcy
My favourite female songwriter (dead or alive)...she always seems to find the right word at the tip of her pen. A raw beauty. A gorgeous artist. Goddess. Love her
Bill Carr
U R so right !!!
Casper L
The gentleness of the entire band on this number is so beautiful. The sound just seems to bloom from the silence, like the way sadness sneaks up on you from nowhere.