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.

Seeing Black
Lucinda Williams Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

How did you come up with a day and time
You didn't tell me you'd changed your mind
How could I have been so blind
I didn't know you'd changed your mind

When you made the decision to get off this ride
Did you run out of places to go and hide
Did you know everybody would be surprised

When you made the decision to get off this ride

When you made the decision to jump ship
Once and for all lose your grip
Did you wax the deck to make it easier to slip
When you made the decision to jump ship

When did you start seeing black
Was it too much good you felt you lacked
Was it too much weight riding on you back
When did you start seeing black

When did you start seeing red
Did you see me standing over your bed
Did you hear anything I said
When did you start seeing red

When did you start seeing white
Tell me baby, what was it like
Was it when you received your last rites
When did you start seeing white

Did you use a compass to get out of this place
Did you ever hear my voice, did you see my face
Did you finally get tired of running the race
Did you use a compass to get out of this place

Did you feel your act was a final truth
The dramatic ending of a misspent youth
Did you really feel you had all the proof
Did you feel your act was a final truth

Was it hard to finally pull the plug
Was it hard to receive that final hug
Did evil triumph over love
Was it hard to finally pull the plug

When did you start seeing black
Was it too much good you felt you lacked
Was it too much weight riding on you back
When did you start seeing black

When did you start seeing red
Did you see me standing over your bed
Did you hear anything I said
When did you start seeing red

When did you start seeing white
Tell me baby what was it like

Was it when you received your last rites
When did you start seeing white

Overall Meaning

In Lucinda Williams’s song Seeing Black, the singer is asking a series of questions to someone who has presumably passed away or left them. The opening verse suggests that the person had changed their mind about something, and the singer was not aware of it. They ask if perhaps the person had run out of places to hide or if they had known that everyone would be surprised by their decision. The reference to 'getting off this ride' seems to indicate that the person had given up on their life or a particular situation.

The following stanzas ask more questions about the person's experience, specifically when they started “seeing black,” “seeing red,” and “seeing white,” which could be symbolic of emotions such as depression, anger, and contentment, respectively. Meanwhile, mentions of “pulling the plug” and “receiving that final hug” hint at a possible suicide. The lyrics don't provide answers but give listeners the chance to reflect on their own experiences and to recognize that sometimes significant occurrences in life are just unexplainable.

Overall, the song is full of melancholy and sorrow with an unyielding sense of hope. Death is an inevitable reality, and it is a reminder that we must cherish our lives and everyone in it.

Line by Line Meaning

How did you come up with a day and time
When did you decide on when to leave and how did you pick that specific day and time?

You didn't tell me you'd changed your mind
You didn't let me know that you had changed your decision about leaving.

How could I have been so blind
I didn't see or notice any signs that you were considering leaving.

I didn't know you'd changed your mind
I was unaware that you had changed your decision about staying.

When you made the decision to get off this ride
When you chose to leave our relationship.

Did you run out of places to go and hide
Was there no other place for you to find refuge?

Did you know everybody would be surprised
Were you aware that no one expected you to leave?

When you made the decision to get off this ride
When you chose to leave our relationship.

When you made the decision to jump ship
When you chose to abandon the relationship.

Once and for all lose your grip
Did you finally let go of everything and move on?

Did you wax the deck to make it easier to slip
Did you make plans to make it easy to leave?

When you made the decision to jump ship
When you abandoned the relationship.

When did you start seeing black
When did everything start to look dark and hopeless?

Was it too much good you felt you lacked
Did the pursuit of happiness make you feel like you were missing out on all the good?

Was it too much weight riding on you back
Did the burden of everything on your shoulders become too heavy to bear?

When did you start seeing black
When did everything start to look dark and hopeless?

When did you start seeing red
When did you start feeling angry or resentful?

Did you see me standing over your bed
Did you imagine me being the cause of your distress or anger?

Did you hear anything I said
Did you ignore my warnings or advice?

When did you start seeing red
When did you start feeling angry or resentful?

When did you start seeing white
When did everything start to look pure and peaceful?

Tell me baby, what was it like
Can you describe the feeling of finding peace?

Was it when you received your last rites
Did you find peace when facing death or rebirth?

When did you start seeing white
When did everything start to look pure and peaceful?

Did you use a compass to get out of this place
Did you have a plan or guidance to escape from this situation?

Did you ever hear my voice, did you see my face
Did you consider my perspective or think about how your actions impacted me?

Did you finally get tired of running the race
Did you get exhausted from constantly trying to keep up?

Did you use a compass to get out of this place
Did you have a plan or guidance to escape from this situation?

Did you feel your act was a final truth
Did you believe that leaving was the absolute right choice?

The dramatic ending of a misspent youth
Was this the end of your youthful mistakes or recklessness?

Did you really feel you had all the proof
Were you sure that leaving was the only option?

Did you feel your act was a final truth
Did you believe that leaving was the absolute right choice?

Was it hard to finally pull the plug
Was it challenging to make the final decision to leave?

Was it hard to receive that final hug
Did it hurt to say goodbye for the last time?

Did evil triumph over love
Did negativity and bad energy overcome our love?

Was it hard to finally pull the plug
Was it challenging to make the final decision to leave?

When did you start seeing black
When did everything start to look dark and hopeless?

Was it too much good you felt you lacked
Did the pursuit of happiness make you feel like you were missing out on all the good?

Was it too much weight riding on your back
Did the burden of everything on your shoulders become too heavy to bear?