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.
Words
Lucinda Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Deathly defiant from drowning out
Filthy sounds stumbling, ugly and cruel
Between the lips of your beautiful mouth
Deep down within me words move in phases
Frozen and still until they decide
To melt and drip over the pages
My words enjoy the feel of the paper
Better than me, lay with your consonants
Once they get going they never waver
And they slip in between your if, ands, and buts
When my words are hiding between the lines
Then I'm afraid they won't hear me call
What if they fail me without a sign?
What if they hardly surface at all?
Screaming and throwing your weight around
My words choose knowledge over politics
You can't kill my words...they know no bounds
My words are strong and they don't make me sick
They still remain my only companion
Boiling truth to the very end
They'll never ever completely abandon
Ever give up the paper and the pen
In Lucinda Williams's song "Words," the artist touches on her relationship with language and how it contributes to her sense of self. Williams begins the song by expressing her preference for silence over the "filthy sounds" that may come from others' mouths. She goes on to describe how words come to her, slowly revealing themselves as if from a frozen state, waiting for the right moment to melt onto the page. Williams highlights the intimacy she shares with her words, explaining how they "enjoy the feel of the paper / Better than me," and how they "never waver / And they slip in between your if, ands, and buts." Williams acknowledges the powerlessness she may feel without her words, realizing that without them, she may not be heard at all. Yet, the artist concludes with an assertion of her words' strength, claiming that her language will never abandon her and will always be her "only companion."
This song captures the internal struggle that many writers face when it comes to their craft, fearing the inability to communicate and express oneself. However, the song also speaks to the relationship writers have formed with language, understanding that it often has a life of its own, with its ebbs and flows, waiting for the right moment to emerge with power and conviction.
Line by Line Meaning
I would rather suffer sweet silent solitude
I prefer being alone than in a company with unpleasant sounds.
Deathly defiant from drowning out
I am determined to keep the noise out, even if it means dying.
Filthy sounds stumbling, ugly and cruel
The sounds that I hear are dirty and harsh.
Between the lips of your beautiful mouth
Even beautiful things can make unpleasing sounds.
Deep down within me words move in phases
My thoughts form and develop gradually over time.
Frozen and still until they decide
My thoughts are static until they transform into words.
To melt and drip over the pages
My thoughts come to life when I write them down on paper.
Until that moment they live inside
My words remain inside of me until they are expressed.
My words enjoy the feel of the paper
I like the way my writing feels when it is on paper.
Better than me, lay with your consonants
My words sound better than my spoken words.
Once they get going they never waver
My words are strong and steadfast once they start to flow.
And they slip in between your if, ands, and buts
My words can find their way into any conversation or argument.
When my words are hiding between the lines
My ideas can be hidden in my writing.
Then I'm afraid they won't hear me call
I fear my words won't be understood or acknowledged.
What if they fail me without a sign?
What if my words betray me silently?
What if they hardly surface at all?
What if my words have no impact or influence?
Screaming and throwing your weight around
Some people try to impose their power by being aggressive.
My words choose knowledge over politics
I rely on intelligence and facts, and not political posturing.
You can't kill my words...they know no bounds
My words cannot be silenced, and they have no limits.
My words are strong and they don't make me sick
My writing is empowering and not emotional.
They still remain my only companion
My writing is my only constant and faithful companion.
Boiling truth to the very end
My words express honest and unpretentious thoughts.
They'll never ever completely abandon
My words will always be with me, even after my death.
Ever give up the paper and the pen
I will never stop writing until the end of my life.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JIMI GOODWIN, ANDY WILLIAMS, JEZ WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind