Madeleine Peyroux is a jazz singer who was born in 1974 in Athens, Georgia,… Read Full Bio ↴Madeleine Peyroux is a jazz singer who was born in 1974 in Athens, Georgia, USA, and raised in New York City and Paris, France. She is noted for her vocal style, which is highly reminiscent of Billie Holiday. Madeleine also has qualities similar to Ella Fitzgerald. Though Peyroux may remind some listeners of Holiday, there are differences, and she has her own sense of phrasing and interpretation.

Peyroux started singing at the age of fifteen, when she discovered street musicians in the Latin Quarter in Paris. She joined a group called the Riverboat Shufflers, first passing round the hat, and then singing. At sixteen she joined the The Lost Wandering Blues and Jazz Band, spending two years touring Europe performing songs by the likes of Fats Waller, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and others, which provided the basis for her first album, Dreamland.

Dreamland was released in 1996, and gained widespread attention. Time called it "the most exciting, involving vocal performance by a new singer this year". Dreamland, is a brilliant recording, as Peyroux's distinctive voice is not hindered by overly intricate arrangements. Most of the accompaniment on the record is light and sparse, the way it should be for a singer with such a unique voice. Peyroux soon found herself opening for Sarah McLachlan and Cesária Évora, and made appearances at jazz festivals and on the Lilith Fair tour.

In May 2002 she joined multi-instrumentalist William Galison, and together they appeared at such venues as the Bottom Line, Joe's Pub, and the Tin Angel. In 2003 the duo released a seven-song EP entitled Got You on My Mind, which they sold at shows and online. Got You on My Mind was re-released by William Galison in August 2004; the original EP was expanded by the addition of four tracks by Gallison.

Peyroux released her own sophomore effort, Careless Love, in September 2004. The album received generally positive reviews.

Her new album, Half the Perfect World, was released on September 12, 2006. She collaborated with several artists, including Jesse Harris, Walter Becker, Larry Klein (who also produced the album), and K.d. lang, with whom Peyroux duets on a cover of the Joni Mitchell song, "River".

On July 12, 2007, she was awarded Best International Jazz Artist at the BBC Jazz Awards.

Lonesome Road
Madeleine Peyroux Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Look down, look down
That lonesome road
Before you travel on

Look up, look up
And seek your maker
Before Gabriel blows his horn

I'm weary of toting, such a heavy load
Trudging down, that lonesome road

Look down, look down
That lonesome road
Before you travel on

I'm weary of toting, such a heavy load
Trudging down, that lonesome road

Look down, look down
That lonesome road

Before you travel on
Before you travel on

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Madeleine Peyroux's "Lonesome Road" are an introspective reflection on life's journey and the need for spiritual guidance. The song's first stanza implores listeners to look down at the lonesome road they are about to travel and to reflect upon their path before continuing. The second stanza encourages listeners to look up and seek their maker before the trumpet of the archangel Gabriel heralds the end of the world. The song expresses the performer's weariness with a heavy burden and the monotonous journey down the lonely road.

The song's thematic elements include despair, spiritual guidance, and existential introspection. The first stanza encourages reflection before embarking on the next part of one's journey. This sentiment is reinforced by the second stanza's invocation to seek spiritual guidance before the end of the world. The repetitive nature of the refrain, "I'm weary of toting such a heavy load, trudging down that lonesome road," further reinforces the sense of weariness and the need to pause for introspection.

Overall, Peyroux's lyrics urge listeners to take stock of their lives before continuing down a lonely road. The song serves as a powerful reminder to seek spiritual guidance, reflect on personal responsibility, and contemplate what lies ahead.

Line by Line Meaning

Look down, look down
Pay attention to where you’re headed

That lonesome road
A lonely path that must be travelled

Before you travel on
Stop and think before you move forward

Look up, look up
Take a moment to reflect

And seek your maker
Find meaning in something larger than yourself

Before Gabriel blows his horn
Before it’s too late and time runs out

I'm weary of toting, such a heavy load
I’m tired of carrying a heavy burden

Trudging down, that lonesome road
Slowly making my way along this lonely path

Before you travel on
Stop and think before you move forward

Look down, look down
Pay attention to where you’re headed

That lonesome road
A lonely path that must be travelled