Born Milton Sims Newbury, Jr. in Houston, Texas. As a teenager, Mickey Newbury sang tenor in a moderately successful vocal group called The Embers. The group opened for several famous performers, such as Sam Cooke and Johnny Cash. Although Mickey tried to make a living off of his music by singing in clubs, he put his musical career on hold at age 19 when he joined the Air Force. After four years in the military, Mickey again set his sights on making a living as a songwriter. Before long, he moved to Nashville and signed to the prestigious publishing company Acuff-Rose Music.
For a time, he was one of the most influential creative minds in Nashville and it's arguable that he was the first real "outlaw" of the outlaw country movement of the 1970s. Ralph Emery referred to him as the first "hippie-cowboy" and along with Johnny Cash and Roger Miller, he was one of the first to rebel against the conventions of the Nashville music society. After being disappointed by the production methods used by Felton Jarvis on his debut album, Mickey got himself released from his contract with RCA and signed the first offer he received to comply with his condition that he could either produce his own albums or hire a producer of his choice.
He went on to record three musically revolutionary albums in Wayne Moss's garage-turned-studio just outside of Nashville. The influence of the production methods can be heard in the albums Waylon Jennings went on to record in the 1970s (with instrumentation highly unconventional for country music) and his poetically sophisticated style of songwriting was highly influential on Kris Kristofferson.[citation needed] It was Newbury who convinced Roger Miller to record Kristofferson's "Me & Bobby McGee", which went on to launch Kristofferson as country music's top songwriter. Newbury is also responsible for getting Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark to move to Nashville and pursue careers as songwriters. However, he had no desire to cash-in on the Outlaw movement.[citation needed]
In 1974, he moved to a house on the McKenzie River in Oregon with his wife, Susan, and new born son, Chris, where they welcomed three more children over the years. He recorded several albums throughout the 1970s for Elektra and ABC/Hickory, all of them critically praised, but financially unsuccessful. In 1980, he was given the distinction of being the youngest songwriter ever inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Although he spent much of the 1980s retired from performing and recording music, he returned both to recording and touring in the late 1980s before he died following a prolonged battle with pulmonary fibrosis on September 29, 2002, aged 62.
Swiss Cottage Place
Mickey Newbury Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Found reasons to face each new day
In a room filled with memories in a house built for love
On a street down in Swiss Cottage Place
My mind surrenders as all that remembers
Comes to steal the moment away
Yesterday is gone and where I stand here alone
Last night I watched baby as she was boardin'
The Greyhound bus back to Saint Lou
Lord, I couldn't let her know that I knew why she was leavin'
Not after all we've been through
Slippin' my coat from my shoulders I said
Hun it may get cold in Saint Lou
And the look in her eyes, turned suddenly sad
When she knew that I knew what she'd do
Now my mind surrenders as all that remembers
Comes to steal the moment away
Yesterdays gone and where I stand here alone
It's a hollow ringin' place called today
Mickey Newbury's song "Swiss Cottage Place" is a poignant reflection on lost love and the painful memories that remain in its aftermath. The song opens with the singer describing a bed where two lovers once shared their lives, and a room filled with memories in a house that was built for love. The location is Swiss Cottage Place, a street that serves as a symbol of the happy times that have since been lost. The singer's mind is consumed with memories of the past, memories that come "to steal the moment away" and leave him feeling hollow and alone.
As the song continues, the singer reflects on the departure of his former lover, known affectionately as "baby." He watched as she boarded a bus back to Saint Lou, knowing deep down that their relationship was over. He couldn't bring himself to let her know that he knew why she was leaving, not after all they had been through. The sadness in her eyes as he slipped his coat from his shoulders and tried to comfort her was a heartbreaking reminder of what he had lost.
Ultimately, "Swiss Cottage Place" serves as a reminder of the pain of lost love and the memories that linger long after a relationship has ended. The haunting melody and emotional lyrics capture the essence of heartbreak and the toll it can take on a person.
Line by Line Meaning
I turned down the covers on a bed where two lovers
I laid on a bed where two people who love each other used to sleep, who always found a reason to face the new days together
Found reasons to face each new day
They were always ready to face whatever the new day brought, because they had each other
In a room filled with memories in a house built for love
They used to live in a house that was made for love, and the room was full of loving memories
On a street down in Swiss Cottage Place
This house was located on a street called Swiss Cottage Place
My mind surrenders as all that remembers
My mind gives up as it is filled with memories from the past
Comes to steal the moment away
These memories make it hard for me to focus on the present moment
Yesterday is gone and where I stand here alone
The past is over and I am now standing here all by myself
It's a hollow ringin' place called today
Today feels empty and has a sad feeling to it
Last night I watched baby as she was boardin'
Last night I saw my partner getting on a Greyhound bus
The Greyhound bus back to Saint Lou
The bus was headed back to St. Louis, Missouri
Lord, I couldn't let her know that I knew why she was leavin'
I couldn't tell her that I knew why she was leaving, even though I actually did know
Not after all we've been through
It didn't feel right to reveal what I knew after everything we've gone through together
Slippin' my coat from my shoulders I said
I removed my coat from my shoulders and spoke
Hun it may get cold in Saint Lou
I told her that it might get cold in St. Louis
And the look in her eyes, turned suddenly sad
After I said that, her expression changed suddenly to one of sadness
When she knew that I knew what she'd do
She realized that I knew what she was planning to do but didn't reveal, causing both of us immense pain and sadness
Contributed by Tristan O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.