Born on the 2nd February 1985 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Gardot took up piano and played as a youngster on the nightclub scene of Philadelphia, influenced by jazz, folk, rock, and pop musics. At the age of nineteen she was a fashion student at the Community College of Philadelphia. While cycling in Philadelphia in November 2003 she was hit by a car whose driver had ignored a red traffic light. In the accident she suffered serious head and spinal injuries, and her pelvis was broken in two places. Because of these severe injuries she was confined to her hospital bed for a year. Her musical beginning was prompted by a tending physician who was concerned with her cognitive impairment as a result of head injury sustained in the accident. He believed that music would help her brain injury improve, as it has been known to show remarkable results in improving people's cognitive ability after such trauma.
Following her doctor's suggestion, Gardot made recordings bedside, while still unable to walk, and eventually released the works as an EP: Some Lessons: The Bedroom Sessions (2005). Gardot's desire to be well, combined with a bit of luck, brought her to the attention of a local radio DJ at the AAA station WXPN (known for launching the careers of artists such as Amos Lee and Norah Jones). Her cognitive powers slowly but surely became pronounced, leading to the independent recording and release of her debut CD, Worrisome Heart, which was reissued in 2007 by Verve records.
Gardot is hypersensitive to light and noise, so wears dark glasses; she also uses a cane to walk. Onstage she requires a special seating unit, and wears a Transcutaneous Electro-Nerve Stimulator, a TENS device, to assist in alleviating her neuralgic muscle pain. Though touring is difficult, she has been performing in major cities on the East Coast of the U.S. to support her recordings. In 2009, working with producer Larry Klein and arranger Vince Mendoza - both known for their work with Joni Mitchell - Gardot followed up her Verve debut with My One and Only Thrill.
In 2012, she released the album The Absence.
The Willow
Melody Gardot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He is the saddest of the trees
None lend a hand for to dry his eyes
Tears only fall into the breeze
And though he stands in silence like a lover′s martyrdom
His arms are ever reaching for the touch of anyone
I hear the same thing on the breeze
Words that are whispered to somebody loved
Words that would give no guarantees
No woooooohhhhh
No woooooohhhhh
In moments where the sky becomes the world's philosophy
The willow weeps in silence, he is crying just like me
But I understand why the willow cries
Fated to live a life alone
He is a poet whose words go unheard
He′s all alone
Melody Gardot's song "The Willow" paints a picture of sadness, evoking emotion in the listener, through the use of the metaphorical willow tree. The song’s opening lines, "I understand why the willow cries, he is the saddest of the trees," sets a melancholic tone. The willow tree is often known for its weeping branches, and the lyrics relate the tree to a lost lover, heartbroken and alone.
The lyrics explain how the willow cries for someone to hear him, crying the same tears into the breeze as he stands alone without anyone around him. The willow is forever reaching out for someone to touch its branches, but its cries go unanswered. The tree is a symbol of loneliness and abandonment, looking for someone to understand its pain.
The lyrics also reveal the willow's silent tears and how they represent the pain of someone who loves but is not loved back. The line "words whispered to somebody loved, words that would give no guarantees," signifies the pain of unrequited love. Melody Gardot beautifully sings of equivalent pain to the willow's cry, "in moments where the sky becomes the world's philosophy, the willow weeps in silence, he is crying just like me."
Line by Line Meaning
I understand why the willow cries
I empathize with the sadness of the willow tree
He is the saddest of the trees
The willow tree is the most sorrowful of all the trees
None lend a hand for to dry his eyes
No one offers comfort to the willow tree
Tears only fall into the breeze
The willow tree's tears are shed in vain
And though he stands in silence like a lover's martyrdom
The willow tree suffers in silence like a lovelorn martyr
His arms are ever reaching for the touch of anyone
The willow tree longs for someone to comfort him
But I understand why the willow cries
I can relate to the sorrow of the willow tree
I hear the same thing on the breeze
I hear the same sadness expressed in the wind
Words that are whispered to somebody loved
The wind carries whispered words of love
Words that would give no guarantees
These words of love offer no promises or assurances
No woooooohhhhh
No woooooohhhhh
In moments where the sky becomes the world's philosophy
During moments of deep contemplation
The willow weeps in silence, he is crying just like me
The willow tree and I share in our silent tears
But I understand why the willow cries
I feel the same sadness as the willow tree
Fated to live a life alone
The willow tree is destined to be alone
He is a poet whose words go unheard
The willow tree's beauty and poetry go unappreciated
He′s all alone
The willow tree is isolated and lonely
Writer(s): Gardot Melody Joy
Contributed by Chase W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sarah F.
This is an amazing song. And her voice, ugh. She's so talented it's ridiculous. Love her.
salimmohsin mahdi
الغناء يبدأ من داخل الاعماق عبر خطاب الانصات والاستماع لتلك الاصوات التي في داخلنا
Marcus McDowell
What an eerie and wonderful voice, and she, a goddess within the midst of man.
salimmohsin mahdi
لحن مبتكر عميق فيه تأمل يحتاج التوقف عنده .....
Ian Morton
After listening to this, I had to sit for 10 minutes in total silence. It took that long to come out of her spell on me
shakimaro
Damn!!! Japan always gets the cool bonus tracks. This is bullshit. I want this album soo bad but an import is crazy expensive :(