The two families, the Watkinses and the Thiles, met after Sean Watkins and Chris Thile had mandolin lessons with the same music instructor, John Moore. Sara Watkins studied with Moore's bandmate, Dennis Caplinger. The band name came from a song by Byron Berline, who was Sara Watkins' fiddle instructor.
Nickel Creek's first performance was at That Pizza Place in Carlsbad, California in 1989 with Scott Thile, Chris's father, playing string bass. Sean Watkins was only twelve years old at the time. At the start Chris Thile played guitar and Sean Watkins played mandolin but later they decided to switch instruments. The band played many bluegrass festivals throughout the 1990s, and the band members were home-schooled to accommodate their tour schedule. Nickel Creek's first two albums were Little Cowpoke (1993) and Here to There (1997).
The group received two Grammy nominations: Best Bluegrass Album and Best Country Instrumental for the song "Ode to a Butterfly". The trio was nominated at the CMA Awards for Best Vocal Group and the Horizon Award and were named one of the "Five Music Innovators of the Millennium" by TIME Magazine in May 2000. Nickel Creek's "The Lighthouse's Tale" video was nominated for a CMT "Flameworthy Video Award" for Group/Duo Video of the Year.
In 2002 the band released their fourth album, This Side, produced by Alison Krauss. It was a departure from their previous releases which were purely bluegrass. Although the core influence of bluegrass remained, other genres such as indie rock and folk rock were present in their music included cover songs Spit on a Stranger by Pavement, and Should've Known Better by Carrie Newcomer.
In 2005 the band released their fifth album, Why Should the Fire Die? with more rock and pop influences. The album debuted and peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard 200 and topped the Billboard bluegrass chart.
In late summer 2006, via Billboard and their official website, Nickel Creek announced that at the end of the year they would no longer be recording as a group and their tour, scheduled through 2007, would be their last for an indefinite period of time so band members could expand their musical horizons.
The band had plans to record its final performance at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville in November 2007 but the idea was later "scrapped".
The band released a new album in the spring of 2014. They also played a handful of live shows and festival dates, including a concert at the Ryman Auditorium, the last venue the band played when it played its last show.
Tomorrow Is A Long Time
Nickel Creek Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If tonight was not a crooked trail
If tomorrow wasn't such a long time
Then lonesome would mean nothing to me at all
Yes, and only if my own true love was waiting
If I could hear his heart softly pounding
Yes, and only if he was lying by me
I can't see my reflection in the waters
I can't speak the sounds that show no pain
I can't hear the echo of my footsteps
Or remember the sound of my own name
Yes, and only if my own true love was waiting
If I could hear his heart softly pounding
Yes, and only if he was lying by me
Would I lie in my bed once again
There's beauty in that silver singing river
There's beauty in that sunrise in the sky
But none of these and nothing else can touch the beauty
That I remember in my true love's eyes
Yes, and only if my own true love was waiting
If I could hear his heart softly pounding
Yes, and only if he was lying by me
Would I lie in my bed once again
In the song "Tomorrow Is A Long Time," the singer is expressing feelings of loneliness and longing for a true love. The opening lines suggest that life feels like a never-ending journey, full of twists and turns that lead to a sense of isolation. The singer longs for someone whose heart will touch hers, and with whom she can share intimacy. The imagery of the river and the sunrise emphasizes the beauty in nature but cannot replace the beauty of a true love's eyes.
The repetition of the phrase "Yes, and only if" in the chorus emphasizes the exclusivity of the singer's longing. The singer cannot be fulfilled unless she finds her true love, and nothing else can take his place. The sense of displacement is further emphasized when the singer talks about the inability to see her reflection, hear her footsteps or remember her name, which all undermine her sense of self.
Line by Line Meaning
If today was not an endless highway
If life did not seem to stretch out endlessly before me
If tonight was not a crooked trail
If the present were not so full of twists and turns
If tomorrow wasn't such a long time
If I did not feel so uncertain about the future
Then lonesome would mean nothing to me at all
Then I would not feel so alone
Yes, and only if my own true love was waiting
Only if I knew I had someone who truly loved me
If I could hear his heart softly pounding
If I could be reassured of his presence
Yes, and only if he was lying by me
Only if he were physically present in my life
Would I lie in my bed once again
Could I find comfort in restful sleep
I can't see my reflection in the waters
I feel disconnected from myself
I can't speak the sounds that show no pain
I am unable to converse normally
I can't hear the echo of my footsteps
I am not aware of my own movements
Or remember the sound of my own name
I have lost a sense of identity
There's beauty in that silver singing river
The natural world has its own unique beauty
There's beauty in that sunrise in the sky
The changing sky is a source of awe and inspiration
But none of these and nothing else can touch the beauty
But the beauty of nature cannot compare with
That I remember in my true love's eyes
The beauty that I have seen in the person I love
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Goobalee
Excellent rendition of the Bob Dylan classic -Very nice !
Ruben T
+MrGoobalee And Sara's voice is easier on the ears than Dylan.
Cathy Purvis
This is just ONE of my favorite BOB DYLAN songs...there are SO MANY!!
Lauren SINGS
The best possible Bob Dylan cover 💜
Ruth R
Fabulous version!
Jhimli Majumder
Am I the only one who thinks that this version is better than the Dylan's original version?No offence intended to the dylan lovers out there.
KIKE NOBEL
No, esta bien. Es como comparar a Bob Dylan con Joan Baez (son hombre y mujer). Pero si podemos decir que la versión de BOB es mejor que la de Elvis... Saludos..
Dave Reed
@Ruben T Exactly
Ruben T
@Alexander St. Hill In what way is my opinion bullshit? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Gl05Ut2Yt0
Alexander St. Hill
Ruben T such bullshit