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.

Overtime
Lucinda Williams Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Overtime
That's what they all tell me
That's what they say to me
Overtime
Your blue eyes, your black eyelashes
The way you looked at life
In your funny way
I guess out of the blue

You won't cross my mind
And I'll get over you
Overtime

Your pale skin, your sexy crooked teeth
The trouble you'd get in
In your clumsy way
I guess one afternoon
You won't cross my mind
And I'll get over you
Overtime

I guess out of the blue
You won't cross my mind

And I'll get over you
Overtime

Overall Meaning

In Lucinda Williams's song Overtime, she contemplates the process of getting over someone. The lyrics express the idea that it takes time to move on from a relationship and that eventually, memories of the person will fade away. The title, "Overtime," suggests that this process takes longer than expected and requires extra effort.

The first verse describes the physical features of the person, focusing on their blue eyes, black eyelashes, pale skin, and crooked teeth. Williams also mentions that the person had a unique perspective on life, but it is now in the past. She acknowledges that thoughts of the person will come to mind unexpectedly, but over time, it will become less frequent, and she will be able to move on.

The second verse similarly focuses on the person's qualities. Williams describes how the person used to get into trouble in their clumsy way. She again confirms the notion that time will eventually heal the pain and that she will eventually forget about the person, albeit with added effort.

Overall, the song highlights the process of moving on from a relationship and the fact that it is a continual journey, rather than an immediate process.

Line by Line Meaning

Overtime
I have been working too much lately.

That's what they all tell me
Everyone keeps reminding me that I work too much.

That's what they say to me
I keep hearing from people that I need to relax more.

Overtime
Again emphasizing the fact that I am working too much.

Your blue eyes, your black eyelashes
I remember your beautiful eyes and eyelashes.

The way you looked at life
I remember how you saw life and approached it.

In your funny way
You had a unique and quirky sense of humor that I miss.

I guess out of the blue
Unexpectedly, suddenly.

You won't cross my mind
Someday, I won't think of you anymore.

And I'll get over you
I'll be able to move on and stop feeling sad about the past.

Your pale skin, your sexy crooked teeth
I remember your physical appearance, including your attractive flaws.