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.
Mama You Sweet
Lucinda Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I love you, Mama you sweet
I love you, Mama you sweet
I love you, Mama you sweet
I love you, Mama you sweet
With an ocean in my spirit
And cracks on my lips
And this burden on my hips
Ocean becomes heavy and tries
To push its way out
Through these ancient eyes
And the memories in my mouth
Ocean becomes tears
That ebb and flow
Over the lines in my face
And the pain in my soul
And pain hits a wall
And doesn't know which way to go
And ocean says I'm crying now
And tells pain to follow
And pain courses through
Every vein, every limb
Trying to find a way out
Between the secrets in my skin
And secrets hold on
Until they finally give in
And they meet up with ocean
And tears again
And tears hand me a shovel
Saying break beneath the crust
That binds earthly skin
And buries all the trust
Somehow trust was caught
Between the cracks on my lips
And the scars in my heart
And this burden on my hips
I love you, Mama you sweet...
The song "Mama You Sweet" is a heartfelt tribute to a mother from her daughter. The repeated phrase "I love you, Mama you sweet" sets the tone and reinforces the depth of the daughter's love for her mother. The daughter describes her emotional state as being like an ocean with cracks on her lips, scars on her heart, and a burden on her hips. The ocean imagery represents the depths of her feelings, and the cracks and scars suggest that she has been hurt in the past. The burden on her hips may represent the weight of her emotions or the burdens of life she carries.
As the song progresses, the daughter describes her pain as hitting a wall and not knowing which way to go. The ocean inside her tells the pain to follow, and it courses through her veins and limbs in search of an escape. The secrets held within her skin prevent the pain from escaping until it meets up with the ocean again, and tears flow once more. The tears hand her a shovel, encouraging her to break beneath the crust and bury the trust that was caught "between the cracks on [her] lips and the scars in [her] heart and this burden on [her] hips."
Overall, Lucinda Williams's "Mama You Sweet" is a moving tribute to the strong bond between a mother and daughter. The ocean imagery and references to pain and trust suggest that the daughter has experienced difficult times, but her love for her mother remains constant.
Line by Line Meaning
I love you, Mama you sweet
The singer expresses profound love and admiration for their mother in a repetitive manner.
With an ocean in my spirit
The singer feels heavy within, burdened with an immense force akin to an ocean.
And cracks on my lips
The singer's lips are dry and have cracks, indicating emotional and mental exhaustion that reflects on their physical appearance.
And scars in my heart
The artist carries emotional scars, ones that have not completely healed or have left a lasting impression.
And this burden on my hips
The artist carries a burden, which is both heavy and tiring, to the extent that it is discernible in their gait.
Ocean becomes heavy and tries
The singer's inner force becomes so heavy that it seems ready to burst out and take control of them.
To push its way out
The force within the singer seeks a way to escape, albeit without any clear path or direction.
Through these ancient eyes
The artist's experience and emotions manifest in their eyes, though they are unable to decipher or express them in words.
And the memories in my mouth
The artist's memories weigh heavily on their mind and occasionally manifest in the form of unspoken words that are impossible to swallow.
Ocean becomes tears
The artist's inner force, which was hitherto nameless, transforms into tears.
That ebb and flow
Tears pour out in waves, like the ebb and flow of a tide.
Over the lines in my face
Tears cover the lines on the artist's face, obscuring the signs of age and experience.
And the pain in my soul
The tears represent the emotional pain and distress the singer is feeling deep within.
And pain hits a wall
Pain overwhelms the singer, to the extent of feeling like it has hit a wall, a point of no return.
And doesn't know which way to go
The pain is such that the singer is unable to find a way out or focus on anything else.
And ocean says I'm crying now
The artist's inner force understands that the tears are not just a product of the moment but a result of all the heavy emotional baggage the artist is carrying.
And tells pain to follow
The inner force instructs the pain to follow the tears, hoping that they will help alleviate the suffering in some way.
And pain courses through
The pain follows the tears, coursing through the singer's body, making it difficult to bear.
Every vein, every limb
Pain takes over the entire body, strained with the effort of carrying the burden up until this point.
Trying to find a way out
The pain is trying to find an outlet or a way to escape, a way to end the constant tumult within the artist.
Between the secrets in my skin
The artist has secrets, possibly associated with their burdens, and the pain seems to be searching for a way to find and release them.
And secrets hold on
The secrets remain concealed, held on by the artist, unwilling to let go or reveal them yet.
Until they finally give in
The singer's secrets eventually give in, culminating in a sense of vulnerability, opening the way for healing and recovery.
And they meet up with ocean
The artist's tears and secrets finally meet, and it becomes clear that they are both manifestations of the same deep emotional pain.
And tears again
The tears flow again, but this time, with the added dimension of the catharsis of emotional release, and the healing that comes with it.
And tears hand me a shovel
The singer's tears seem to be helping in some way, ready to offer assistance in getting rid of any barriers that could hinder the healing process.
Saying break beneath the crust
The tears urge the singer to break any barriers beneath the surface of their emotions or be weighed down by them further.
That binds earthly skin
The barriers include anything that could make it difficult to feel and experience emotions, such as the demands of everyday life, or pressures from society.
And buries all the trust
By holding onto their burdens, the artist has lost trust in themselves and their ability to process and heal from emotional pain. The tears, therefore, help to restore this trust.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LUCINDA WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind