She is best-remembered for From a Distance, by Julie Gold, although the version that achieved greater commercial success was not Griffith's but Bette Midler's (From a Distance). Similarly, other artists have occasionally achieved greater success with Griffith's songs than did Griffith herself: for example, Kathy Mattea, who had a country music top five hit with a 1986 cover (Love at the Five and Dime) of Love at the Five and Dime.
ADDITIONALLY
In 1994, Griffith teamed up with Jimmy Webb to contribute the song "If These Old Walls Could Speak" to the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Country produced by the Red Hot Organization. Griffith is a survivor of breast cancer which was diagnosed in 1996, and thyroid cancer in 1998.[2]
Singer-songwriter Christine Lavin remembers the first time she saw Griffith perform:
I was struck by how perfect everything was about her singing, her playing, her talking. I realized from the get-go that this was someone who was a complete professional. Obviously she had worked a long time to get to be that good.
During her career, Griffith toured with many artists, including Buddy Holly's band, The Crickets; John Prine; Iris DeMent; Suzy Bogguss; and Judy Collins. Griffith has recorded duets with many artists, among them Emmylou Harris, Mary Black, John Prine, Don McLean, Jimmy Buffett, Dolores Keane, Willie Nelson, Adam Duritz (singer of Counting Crows), The Chieftains, and Darius Rucker (lead singer of Hootie & the Blowfish). She also contributed background vocals on many other recordings.
Griffith suffered from severe 'writers block' for a number of years after 2004, lasting until the 2009 release of her The Loving Kind album, which contained nine selections that she had written and composed either entirely by herself or as collaborations.
After several months of limited touring in 2011, Griffith's bandmates The Kennedys (Pete & Maura Kennedy) packed up their professional Manhattan recording studio and relocated it to Nashville, where they installed it in Griffith's home. There, Griffith and her backing team, including Pete & Maura Kennedy and Pat McInerney, co-produced her album, Intersections over the course of the summer. The album includes several new original songs and was released in April 2012.
In addition to her own songs, Griffith is well known for her versions of other people's material, usually by contemporary singer-songwriters.
Awards
Griffith won the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album for Other Voices, Other Rooms. In 2008, the Americana Music Association awarded her its Americana Trailblazer Award; Lyle Lovett, who contributed backing vocals to some of "The Blue Moon Orchestra's" recordings,[which?] had won it before her.
Band (The Blue Moon Orchestra)
Griffith refers to her backing band as "The Blue Moon Orchestra." This reference is believed to have been drawn from both the title of one of her earliest albums, Once in a Very Blue Moon, and its title selection, which reached #85 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 1986.
Boots of Spanish Leather
Nanci Griffith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm sailing away in the morning
Is there something I can send you from across the sea?
From the place where I'll be landing?
There's nothing you can send me, my own true love
There's nothing I'm wishing to be owning
Just carry yourself back to me unspoiled
Oh, but I just thought you might want something fine
Maybe silver or of golden
Either from the mountains of Madrid
Or from the coast of Barcelona
If I had the stars of the darkest night
And the diamonds from the deepest ocean
I'd forsake them all for your sweet kiss
That's all I wish to be owning
Oh, I might be gone a long ol' time
And it's only that I'm asking
Is there something I can send you to remember me by?
To make your time more easy passing?
How can, how can you ask me again?
Well it only brings me sorrow
Oh, the same thing I would want today
I would want again tomorrow
Oh, I got a letter on a lonesome day
It was from his ship a-sailing
Saying, I don't know when I'll be coming back again
It depends on how I'm feeling
If you, my love, must think that away
I'm sure your mind is a-roaming
I'm sure your thoughts are not with me
But with the country where you're going
So take heed, take heed of the western wind
Take heed of stormy weather
And yes, there is something you can send back to me
Spanish boots of Spanish leather
The song "Boots of Spanish Leather" by Nanci Griffith is a cover of the original song by Bob Dylan. The song is a conversation between two lovers, one about to embark on a journey across the sea and the other left behind. The first lover asks the second if there is anything they want from the foreign land, indicating a desire to please and provide for their love. However, the second lover responds that they do not need anything material, just for the first lover to return to them unspoiled.
The first lover then suggests different items, but the second lover continues to decline, showing that they do not need or want any gifts but simply the love and presence of their partner. The song captures the longing and sadness of separation, along with the hope of reunion. The final lines suggest that the first lover may not be fully committed to returning, leading the second lover to caution them about the perils of the sea and to send back Spanish boots of Spanish leather as a reminder of their love.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, I'm sailing away, my own true love
I am leaving to sail across the sea, my beloved
I'm sailing away in the morning
I am departing at sunrise
Is there something I can send you from across the sea?
Can I send you a gift from my travels?
From the place where I'll be landing?
When I arrive at my destination
There's nothing you can send me, my own true love
I desire nothing from you, my dearest
There's nothing I'm wishing to be owning
I do not desire any material possessions
Just carry yourself back to me unspoiled
Return to me unchanged
From across that lonesome ocean
From the distant sea
Oh, but I just thought you might want something fine
I imagined you may appreciate a luxurious gift
Maybe silver or of golden
Perhaps something made of precious metals
Either from the mountains of Madrid
Something from the great heights of Madrid
Or from the coast of Barcelona
Or an item from the seaside city of Barcelona
If I had the stars of the darkest night
Even if I possessed the stars from the blackest skies
And the diamonds from the deepest ocean
And the rarest diamonds from the ocean floor
I'd forsake them all for your sweet kiss
I would give up all of these treasures for your affectionate kiss
That's all I wish to be owning
Your love is the only thing I truly desire
Oh, I might be gone a long ol' time
I may be away for a considerable period
And it's only that I'm asking
That is why I inquire
Is there something I can send you to remember me by?
Can I give you something as a keepsake in memory of me?
To make your time more easy passing?
To ease your passing time while I am away
How can, how can you ask me again?
Why do you ask me this once more?
Well it only brings me sorrow
It only fills me with sadness
Oh, the same thing I would want today
Today, I desire the same thing
I would want again tomorrow
And I will want it again tomorrow
Oh, I got a letter on a lonesome day
One lonely day, I received a letter
It was from his ship a-sailing
The letter came from the ship he was aboard
Saying, I don't know when I'll be coming back again
He informed me of his uncertain return date
It depends on how I'm feeling
His return depends on his emotions and state of mind
If you, my love, must think that away
If you insist on entertaining such thoughts
I'm sure your mind is a-roaming
Then your mind is wandering
I'm sure your thoughts are not with me
And I am certain that you are not thinking of me
But with the country where you're going
But with the land to which you are traveling
So take heed, take heed of the western wind
Be cautious of the western wind
Take heed of stormy weather
Be aware of the dangers of turbulent weather
And yes, there is something you can send back to me
And indeed, there is something you can return to me
Spanish boots of Spanish leather
Boots of Spanish leather would be a treasured item to receive
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rosslyn Picton
RIP Nanci! Her voice is like a little bird that soars high above the clouds, where her spirit lives now~~
unterwant
little birds sometimes are very powerful and beautiful ... and full of wonderful music ...
RIP Nanci!
Rosslyn Picton
@unterwant You are so right!!🙏🎶🎶
Scott Farmer
I agree
john anderson
Beautifully said Rose... Thank You!!!
Ignacio Borrego Polanco
Awesome! Amazing! no words to describe what I feel every time I listen to this version of Boots of Spanish Leather, Nanci,s voice is a gift and all the musicians, including Nanci, left their hearts in this performance and this is the result!!!
Roxana Leigh
I fell in love with Nanci Griffith’s voice at the Newport Folk Festival in 1991, her beautiful, poignant voice will be sorely missed💜
Khate999
Thats very sweet. ♡
William Landon
😥 loved her, to young
Mary Beth Maul-Brown
She has the sweetest voice I have ever listened to...