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.

Honey Bee
Lucinda Williams Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

[Chorus]
Oh, my little honey bee
I'm so glad you stung me

You've become my weakness
Now I've got your sweetness
All up in my hair
Honey bee, I swear

We make quite a pair
Oh, my little honey bee

[Chorus]

Buzz around your hive now
You're in overdrive now
Give me such a thrill
Honey bee be still
Oh, my little honey bee

[Chorus]

Now I've got your honey
All over my tummy
Honey bee, it's heaven
Twenty-four seven
Oh my little honey bee

[Chorus]

You've become my weakness
Now I've got your sweetness
All up in my hair
Honey bee, I swear

We make quite a pair
Oh, my little honey bee

Overall Meaning

The song “Honey Bee” by Lucinda Williams is a love song, using symbolism and analogy to describe the love between two people. Throughout the song, the "honey bee" is used metaphorically to represent the person whom the singer loves, who has become her "weakness" and whose "sweetness" she has all over her. The chorus repeats, "Oh, my little honey bee, I'm so glad you stung me," suggesting that even though love can sometimes cause pain or discomfort, it is ultimately worth it.

The verse "buzz around your hive now, you're in overdrive now, give me such a thrill, honey bee be still" captures the excitement and energy that comes with new love, and the joy that someone can bring to another person's life. The final verse describes the singer as having the honey "all over my tummy," which could suggest a physical intimacy or a metaphorical sense of being filled up with love and happiness.

Overall, the song is a sweet and simple ode to love, using the metaphor of a honey bee to paint a picture of the intensity and sweetness of the emotion.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh, my little honey bee
Addressing the sweet and charming nature of a significant other or partner, most likely someone who is loved dearly

I'm so glad you stung me
Feeling grateful for the 'sting' or love of the partner in question, despite potential pain or hardship

You've become my weakness
The partner in question has become an area of vulnerability, where emotions and feelings are easily influenced

Now I've got your sweetness
Feeling content and fulfilled by the love and affection emanating from the partner in question

All up in my hair
The love and affection shared by the partner has become a permanent part of the singer's life, much like hair

Honey bee, I swear
Solidifying the importance and dedication felt towards the partner in question

We make quite a pair
Coming together as a team or strongly united couple

Buzz around your hive now
Encouraging the partner in question to pursue their passions and interests, like bees buzzing around a hive

You're in overdrive now
The partner in question is putting in great effort towards their passions and interests

Give me such a thrill
Feeling excitement and exhilaration from being around the partner's energetic and passionate nature

Honey bee be still
Acknowledging the partner's busyness and desire to pursue their passions, but also wanting them to take a break and rest with the singer

Now I've got your honey
Attaining the love and affection of the partner in question, which is just as sweet as honey

All over my tummy
Feeling a sense of contentment and joy from the love received from the partner

Honey bee, it's heaven
Describing the love and contentment brought by the partner as pure bliss or heaven on earth

Twenty-four seven
Feeling the love and affection of the partner at all times, no matter the hour or circumstance

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RAUL EMILIO JONATHAN REYES, RUDI SCHMIDT, HUW DICK WILLIAMS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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01Real Love3:45

02Circles And X's3:40

03Tears Of Joy4:27

04Little Rock Star5:42

05Honey Bee3:04

PT3M4S

Lucinda Williams

06Well Well Well4:27

07If Wishes Were Horses5:40

08Jailhouse Tears5:28

13It's A Long Way To The Top4:56

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Marcia Ewell

2y↑1

Humm??, much as I have followed Lucinda, I never really paid attention to this song. But I am thinking she got the idea on the bee theme from Memphis Minnie who I know she was influenced by and has done some MM tunes back in her early days. I know it is common in blues to borrow licks and songs and maybe in this how she came up with the bee theme, what do you think? This was one of Memphis Minnie's best hits, Bumble Bee, "Bumble bee, bumble bee
Please come back to me
Bumble bee, bumble bee
Please come back to me
He got the best old stinger
Any bumble bee that I ever seen

He stung me this morning
I been looking for him all day long
He stung me this morning
I been looking for him all day long
Lord, it got me to the place
Hate to see my bumble bee leave home

Bumble bee, bumble bee
Don't be gone so long
Bumble bee, bumble bee
Don't be gone so long
You's my bumble bee
And you're needed here at home

I can't stand to hear him
Buzz, buzz, buzz
Come in, bumble bee
Want you to stop your fuss
You're my bumble bee
And you know your stuff
Oh, sting me, bumble bee
Until I get enough

Bumble bee, bumble bee
Don't be gone so long
Bumble bee, bumble bee
Don't be gone so long
You's my bumble bee
And you're needed here at home

I don't mind you going
Ain't going to stay so long
Don't mind you going
Don't be gone so long
You's my bumble bee
And you're needed here at home

I can't stand to hear him
Buzz, buzz, buzz
Come in, bumble bee
I want you to stop your fuss
You's my bumble bee
And you know your stuff
Oh, sting me, bumble bee
Until I get enough"