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.
Six Blocks Away
Lucinda Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With a roof over his head and food to eat
But he can hardly make it day to day cause
Everything he wants is six blocks away six blocks away
He's got a regular job and it pays the rent
In a don't shop on 3rd and 10th
But he doesn't understand why she turned him away
He can hear her heart beat six blocks away six blocks away
Six blocks away dirty old street
Six blocks away he can hear her heart beat
Six blocks away dirty old street
Six blocks away he can hear her heart beat six blocks away
He walks real fast down the dirty street
He turns his eyes from the people he meets
It hurts so bad what can he say
He sends her a message six blocks away six blocks away
Six blocks away dirty old street
Six blocks away he can hear her heart beat
Six blocks away dirty old street
Six blocks away he can hear her heart beat six blocks away
Six blocks away six blocks away
The lyrics to Lucinda Williams's song Six Blocks Away portray a man who is struggling to come to terms with a lost love. While he has a job and a place to live, he is unable to move on from the past because of his desire for his former partner, who lives just six blocks away. The song creates a vivid picture of the man's daily routine and his torment as he walks down the streets of his neighborhood, knowing that what he longs for is tantalizingly close yet out of reach.
The lyrics also highlight how the man's obsession with his former love has affected his interactions with the world around him. He walks quickly and avoids eye contact with the people he passes, indicating his emotional state is causing him to shut out everything else. The use of repetition in the chorus, with the phrase "six blocks away" repeated four times, emphasizes how the distance to his former love is both small and insurmountable at the same time, keeping him trapped in a cycle of longing and heartache.
Line by Line Meaning
He sleeps all alone on Second Street
He lives in solitude on Second Street.
With a roof over his head and food to eat
He has a shelter and enough food to survive.
But he can hardly make it day to day cause
Despite the basic necessities, he struggles daily.
Everything he wants is six blocks away six blocks away
The things he desires are out of his reach, just six blocks away.
He's got a regular job and it pays the rent
His job is enough to cover his rental expenses.
In a don't shop on 3rd and 10th
He frequents a nearby store on 3rd and 10th.
But he doesn't understand why she turned him away
He is confused about why she rejected him.
He can hear her heart beat six blocks away six blocks away
He feels a strong emotional attachment towards her.
He walks real fast down the dirty street
He walks quickly along the unclean street.
He turns his eyes from the people he meets
He avoids making eye contact with the people he encounters.
It hurts so bad what can he say
He is in emotional pain and is at a loss for words.
He sends her a message six blocks away six blocks away
He tries to reach out to her, who is just six blocks away.
Six blocks away dirty old street
The street he is on is dirty and six blocks away from her.
Six blocks away he can hear her heart beat
Despite the distance, he feels a strong emotional connection to her.
Six blocks away dirty old street
The street remains unchanged, six blocks away from her.
Six blocks away he can hear her heart beat six blocks away
Despite everything, his heart beats for her, who is just six blocks away.
Six blocks away six blocks away
The distance between them remains constant, still six blocks away.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LUCINDA WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tim Fergel
What a great song! Another Gem from this artist.
Lew
Love this song, play it every day, can't wait for the new album already pre ordered. Your're the best Lu.
Sinner Train
God bless Lucinda Williams! I'll certainly be adding this to my collection of Lucinda's music. I think this is the only album of hers that I don't currently own.
Mike C
That's because it hasn't been released yet.
Sinner Train
She "re-recorded" an album originally recorded in the early 90's. The title is different this time around. Just go listen to some Lucinda and don't worry about trying to correct "some guy on the internet." :-)
Brian Kelly
Sinner Train same for. Me. cd s in the truck always lookin. Just found. 2 so far. She's good.
Phyllis Hollman
Really good song. Love it!!!
R Andersson
It was great 30 years ago and just as great today !!
Thank you for doing a GREAT re-recording !!
James Pearce
The Guitar in this is so Byrds. Love it!
Arlene Sheffield
Use to see the Byrds at the retail clerks union hall in Buena Park CA..in the 60's. They played there quite a bit.