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.
Tears of Joy
Lucinda Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've been a mess, misguided and lost
But I've been so blessed since our paths have crossed
That's why I'm crying tears of joy
In my own little world since I was sixteen
Little miss playgirl making the scene
Then you took this girl and you made her your queen
I used to play games with my boyfriends
Fashion and fame, hip little trends
Now I have a real man, don't have to pretend
And that's why I'm crying tears of joy
I'll be your woman, be your everything
You be my baby, you be my king
You give my life meaning, that's why I wear your ring
And that's why I'm crying tears of joy
And that's why I'm crying tears of joy
That's why I'm crying tears of joy
Lucinda Williams's song "Tears Of Joy" is a passionate expression of gratitude and love. The first verse speaks to a state of displacement and confusion, but implies that since meeting the person being addressed in the song, there is a newfound sense of clarity and purpose. The expression "up-rooted and restless" suggests a sense of being out of place in the world, while "guided and lost" speaks to a state of uncertainty or confusion. However, this is contrasted with the recognition that since the two have met, there has been a sense of blessing that brings the singer to tears of joy.
The second verse reflects on the singer's past experiences, in particular a life of seeming superficiality and artifice. At sixteen, the singer describes herself as "Little miss playgirl making the scene," before meeting "you," the addressee. This person takes the singer, who had been playing games with her boyfriends, and "made her queen." This shift from playing games and engaging in trends to a relationship of mutual respect and honesty brings the singer to tears of joy.
Finally, the chorus repeats the phrase "That's why I'm crying tears of joy" several times, emphasizing the depth of emotion that the singer feels when considering the transformative power of love.
Line by Line Meaning
Up-rooted and restless, I paid the cost
I have been uprooted and restless, and I had to pay a price for that.
I've been a mess, misguided and lost
I have been in a complete mess, misguided and lost.
But I've been so blessed since our paths have crossed
Ever since we met, my life has been blessed with good experiences.
That's why I'm crying tears of joy
I am crying tears of happiness because of all the joy you have given me.
In my own little world since I was sixteen
I have been living in my own little world ever since I was sixteen.
Little miss playgirl making the scene
I used to be a playgirl, trying to be in the spotlight.
Then you took this girl and you made her your queen
You chose me and made me feel like a queen.
That's why I'm crying tears of joy
I am crying tears of happiness because of all the joy you have given me.
I used to play games with my boyfriends
I used to play games with my boyfriends, not taking the relationships seriously.
Fashion and fame, hip little trends
I was after fashion, fame and trendy things.
Now I have a real man, don't have to pretend
Now I have a real man, and I do not have to pretend anymore.
And that's why I'm crying tears of joy
I am crying tears of happiness because of all the joy you have given me.
I'll be your woman, be your everything
I will be your woman, and be everything you want me to be.
You be my baby, you be my king
You will be my baby and my king at the same time.
You give my life meaning, that's why I wear your ring
You give my life meaning, and that is why I wear your ring.
And that's why I'm crying tears of joy
I am crying tears of happiness because of all the joy you have given me.
And that's why I'm crying tears of joy
I am crying tears of happiness because of all the joy you have given me.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LUCINDA WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind