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.
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Lucinda Williams Lyrics
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The lights are orange, you never know
He'll fall a bomb stone
Something wicked this way comes
He is high on the wings
With grass burning your feet
And the most up on the stones
The world pass in
He will show you mercy
He will make you his home
Something wicked this way comes
Hit and [?] to come in
And drank with him
He won't be alone
Something wicked this way comes
You will fall from grace
And you make me to see his face
He was catch out of hell
Something wicked this way comes
Something wicked this way comes
The lights are orange, you never know
He'll fall a bomb stone
Something wicked this way comes
Something wicked
Something wicked
Something wicked
Something wicked
Something wicked
Something wicked
No mercy
No mercy
No love
No love
No mercy, mercy
No mercy
Something wicked
Something wicked
Something wicked
Something wicked
Something wicked
Something wicked
Something wicked
Lucinda Williams's song "Something Wicked This Way Comes" is a cryptic, poetic, and haunting piece that emphasizes the coming of darkness, evil, and chaos. The song presumably deals with the summoning of a malevolent entity that brings fear and destruction to those who come into contact with it. The lyrics suggest that the coming of this entity is relentless and inevitable, as represented by the phrase "something wicked this way comes."
The opening lines "The lights are orange, you never know, he'll fall a bomb stone, something wicked this way comes" refers to the eerie feeling of impending doom, the unknown that is about to happen and disrupt the peace. The verse "You will fall from grace and you make me see his face, he was caught out of hell" could indicate the human's descent into sin and temptation; it shows the sinister force is bringing its presence closer and even succeeding in corrupting humanity. Overall, the song talks about the actions of this wicked entity, its influence on human, and the power of evil.
Line by Line Meaning
Something wicked this way comes
An ominous presence is approaching
The lights are orange, you never know
The situation is unclear and unpredictable
He'll fall a bomb stone
Dealing with this person will be explosive and dangerous
He is high on the wings
This person is reckless and out of control
With grass burning your feet
This person's actions will harm those around them
And the most up on the stones
This person is on a destructive path that others cannot follow
The world pass in
This person's impact will be felt by everyone
He will show you mercy
This person will show no mercy
He will make you his home
This person will bring chaos and destruction to everything within their reach
Hit and [?] to come in
People are willingly joining with this person, even though it will lead to their downfall
And drank with him
People are actively engaging with this person, despite the danger
He won't be alone
Others will follow this person into chaos and destruction
You will fall from grace
Associating with this person will lead to a loss of innocence and moral standing
And you make me to see his face
This person's destructive nature is clear to those who know them
He was catch out of hell
This person is dangerous and unhinged
No mercy, mercy
This person has no regard for others' wellbeing
No love, no love
This person is incapable of love or compassion
Something wicked
This person is an agent of darkness and chaos
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LUCINDA WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind