Her debut album, "Winter in June", was released in 2007. In 2010, Schwartz released her second album, "Life in Letters". This was followed in 2013 by the album "Timekeeper".
Schwartz has toured with Lilith Fair, with Sarah McLachlan and Sheryl Crow, and opened for the Weepies, Brandi Carlile, The Civil Wars, Agnes Obel, Toad the Wet Sprocket, A Fine Frenzy, Joshua Radin and the Belle Brigade.
Her songs have been used in over a dozen television programs, including Grey's Anatomy, Army Wives and The Good Wife. Schwartz wrote the international theme song for NBC's show, Parenthood, and she has written original songs for numerous films, including Twilight, Shrek Forever After, Mother and Child, Post Grad, Monte Carlo, Adam and the Meg Ryan comedy, The Women. Her single, "Boomerang", appeared in the closing credits of the fourth season finale of the television series Arrested Development.
Schwartz was the 2007 winner of the International Songwriting Competition (ISC) in the teen category for her song "I Don't Know a Thing". She was voted favorite artist in the October 2007 BMI podcast featuring Los Angeles songwriters.
In 2021, she released "All Of My Days".
Rain City
Lucy Schwartz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you haven't got a coat
I once was a grand pianist
But I can't recall a note
And it just keeps going round and round
I'm stuck in a cycle and I can't get out
My head is all turned upside down
Since you left me
It's been rain city
Last night I swore I saw you
Across a crowded hall
I ran like mad to catch you
Just to realize it wasn't you at all
And it just keeps going round and round
I'm stuck in a cycle and I can't get out
My head is all turned upside down
Stuck in a cycle and I can't get out
Since you left me
It's been rain city
Wake up to find my left side is right
My body is inside out
Lift my feet up but they're taking me down
My body is inside out
Just keeps going round and round
I'm stuck in a cycle and I can't get out
Just keeps going round and round
And round round round round
Since you left me
It's been rain city
In Lucy Schwartz's song Rain City, she uses the metaphor of rain to convey the sadness and gloominess of heartbreak. The opening lines "This city's always raining / When you haven't got a coat" sets the tone for the rest of the song, where the rain symbolizes the pain of being alone and vulnerable without someone to protect you. The lyric "I once was a grand pianist / But I can't recall a note" illustrates how heartbreak can be so consuming that it affects everything, even something as integral as one's talent and passion. The repetition of the line "And it just keeps going round and round / I'm stuck in a cycle and I can't get out" highlights the feelings of being trapped and unable to move on from the past.
The second verse introduces the idea of false hope and the dangers of holding onto the past. The line "Last night I swore I saw you / Across a crowded hall" suggests that the singer is still holding onto the hope of rekindling their lost love, but ultimately realizes that it was just a fleeting illusion. The bridge expands on the themes of confusion and disorder, with lines like "Wake up to find my left side is right / My body is inside out" further emphasizing the idea of feeling lost and disoriented after a breakup.
Overall, Rain City is a poignant reflection on the pain of heartbreak and the difficulties of moving on from the past.
Line by Line Meaning
This city's always raining
The singer feels like their life is always full of difficulties and complications
When you haven't got a coat
Being unprepared can make tough situations even harder
I once was a grand pianist
The singer used to feel accomplished and skilled, but now they're struggling
But I can't recall a note
The artist is struggling with their memory or ability to perform
And it just keeps going round and round
The artist feels like they're stuck in a never-ending cycle of hardship
I'm stuck in a cycle and I can't get out
The singer feels trapped in their current situation and unable to make progress
My head is all turned upside down
The singer feels disoriented and confused
Since you left me
The artist is directly addressing someone who has left them
It's been rain city
The artist's life has been full of difficulty and gloom since this person left
Last night I swore I saw you
The artist is haunted by thoughts of the person who left them
Across a crowded hall
The singer is imagining a scenario where they encounter this person in a public place
I ran like mad to catch you
The artist is determined to reconnect with this person, even if it means chasing after them
Just to realize it wasn't you at all
The singer's hopes are dashed when they realize that the person they saw wasn't actually who they thought it was
Wake up to find my left side is right
The singer feels disoriented or like their sense of reality is flipped around
My body is inside out
The singer feels like they're struggling to understand their own physical sensations or emotions
Lift my feet up but they're taking me down
The artist feels like their efforts to improve their situation are backfiring
Just keeps going round and round
The artist feels like they're stuck in an unchanging, frustrating pattern of behavior or thinking
And round round round round
The repetition of this phrase emphasizes the feeling of being trapped and unable to escape
Contributed by Aiden B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.