Early life
LaMontagne was born in Nashua, New Hampshire, in 1973, one of six children raised by his mother. In his early teens he lived in Morgan, Utah, and was more interested in drawing images of Dungeons & Dragons than in his school work. After graduating from high school, LaMontagne moved to Lewiston, Maine, and found work in a shoe factory. LaMontagne also spent a significant amount of time in Wilton, Maine. Other sources state that by his teen years he was living in Maine, spending time in Turner and Buckfield.
Style
LaMontagne has a unique vocal style which he says is created by singing through his gut instead of through his nose. He cites Stephen Stills, Richard Manuel, and Rick Danko as strong musical influences while critics have compared LaMontagne's music to that of The Band, Van Morrison, Nick Drake, and Tim Buckley.[failed verification] A Rolling Stone review of his album Supernova referred to his voice as an "impeccably weathered tenor croon" and his phrasing as "marble-mouthed."
Awards
For his debut album, LaMontagne won four awards, including three Boston Music Awards (Best Male Singer-Songwriter, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year) and an XM Nation Music Award for Acoustic Rock Artist of the Year. LaMontagne has received a nomination from the Pollstar Concert Industry Awards for Best New Touring Artist, the BRIT Awards for International Breakthrough Act, the MOJO Awards for Best New Act, and was given the title of Best Voice in 2006 by Esquire.
In 2011, Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs received two Grammy Award nominations, and they were awarded the Grammy for the Best Contemporary Folk Album for God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise.
Controversy
On July 23, 2014, during a show at the Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, Michigan, LaMontagne interrupted a song and walked off stage as a result of two fans talking during his concert, after having previously asked the audience to quiet down. The incident included yelling profanity at the couple before walking off stage. Once the couple was escorted away LaMontagne continued the concert.
On September 20, 2016, LaMontagne announced that he was canceling a September 22 show at the Bass Concert Hall at the University of Texas at Austin, due to Texas's recently implemented campus carry law.
Personal life
In 2009, LaMontagne paid $1.05 million for a 103-acre farm in Ashfield, Massachusetts, the former residence of U.S. Ambassador William C. Bullitt, where he lives with his wife, Sarah Sousa, and their two children in the farmhouse built in 1830. Sousa is a published poet via Red Mountain Press and their sons are budding artists. He refers to himself as a "very private person" and rarely gives interviews.
Still Can't Feel The Gin
Ray LaMontagne Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Though the air has grown thick
Yes, and the room, it does spin
Here she comes again
With her eyes like flames
Yes, and her silk-like skin
She can't keep no rhythm
And I can't count no time
In this joint tonight
All I want to do
Is, woman, just to dance with you
All I want to say
Yes, is, "woman, could you walk my way?"
Oh no, where will I go
Tomorrow, tomorrow
Tomorrow, I wake up alone
Jukebox is jumping all over that country blues
She lets down her hair and slips off her shoes
Maybe she's just a little too high, maybe she ain't got
That much to lose
You cannot deny that the way she moves
All I want to do
Is, woman, just to dance with you
All I want to say
Is, "woman, could you walk my way?"
Oh no, where will I go
Tomorrow, tomorrow
Tomorrow, I wake up alone
Tomorrow, I wake up alone
The lyrics of Ray LaMontagne's song "Still Can't Feel The Gin" appear to portray a man in a bar who has had a few too many drinks and is struggling to stay upright. He notes that the air is thick and the room is spinning. The woman he has been watching is approaching him again, her eyes like flames and her skin like silk. While she can't keep rhythm, he finds her to be the best thing he has seen in the joint that night. All he wants is to dance and converse with her, but tomorrow he will wake up alone.
The lyrics use vivid imagery to describe the scene of a dimly-lit bar where the jukebox is playing some country blues. The woman let down her hair and slips off her shoes, perhaps suggesting she is carefree and wild. The singer hints that she may be high, but he cannot deny the way she moves. The repeated refrain of "All I want to do is dance with you" reinforces the singer's desire to connect with this woman, yet there is a sense of sadness in the lines "Oh no, where will I go? Tomorrow, tomorrow. Tomorrow, I wake up alone."
Overall, the lyrics present a bittersweet vignette of desperation and longing for human connection in a lonely, ephemeral world.
Line by Line Meaning
I still can't feel the gin
Despite the fact that I've been drinking, I still can't feel the effects of the alcohol
Though the air has grown thick
The environment around me has become overwhelming and tense
Yes, and the room, it does spin
The room is beginning to spin due to the excessive drinking
Here she comes again
The woman that I have been admiring has returned
With her eyes like flames
Her eyes are powerfully alluring and captivating
Yes, and her silk-like skin
Her smooth and flawless skin is a point of attraction to me
She can't keep no rhythm
She is unable to dance in time with the music as she is under the influence of drugs or alcohol
And I can't count no time
I am also unable to dance in time with the music due to the same reason
She's the best thing that I have seen
She is the most beautiful person in the joint tonight
All I want to do
My only aspiration right now
Is, woman, just to dance with you
Is to request you to dance with me, my lady
All I want to say
My only wish at the moment
Yes, is, 'woman, could you walk my way?'
Is to request you to accompany me
Oh no, where will I go
Anxiety about my future
Tomorrow, tomorrow
What is to come in the future
Jukebox is jumping all over that country blues
The jukebox is playing exciting, rhythmical country music
She lets down her hair and slips off her shoes
The woman takes off her shoes, lets her hair down and starts dancing freely
Maybe she's just a little too high, maybe she ain't got
It is possible that she is under the influence of drugs or alcohol or she just doesn't care
That much to lose
She is not afraid of taking risks
You cannot deny that the way she moves
It is incontestable that she has captivating moves when she dances
Tomorrow, tomorrow
What my future holds
Tomorrow, I wake up alone
I will wake up alone tomorrow
Contributed by Olivia M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
rohit singh
I still can't feel the gin
Though the air has grown thick
Yes, and the room, it does spin
Here she comes again
With her eyes like flames
Yes, and her silk-like skin
She can't keep no rhythm
And I can't count no time
She's the best thing that I have seen
In this joint tonight
All I want to do
Is, woman, just to dance with you
All I want to say
Yes, is, "woman, could you walk my way?"
Oh no, where will I go
Tomorrow, tomorrow
Tomorrow, I wake up alone
Jukebox is jumping all over that country blues
She lets down her hair and slips off her shoes
Maybe she's just a little too high, maybe she ain't got
That much to lose
You cannot deny that the way she moves
All I want to do
Is, woman, just to dance with you
All I want to say
Is, "woman, could you walk my way?"
Oh no, where will I go
Tomorrow, tomorrow
Tomorrow, I wake up alone
Tomorrow, I wake up alone
rohit singh
I still can't feel the gin
Though the air has grown thick
Yes, and the room, it does spin
Here she comes again
With her eyes like flames
Yes, and her silk-like skin
She can't keep no rhythm
And I can't count no time
She's the best thing that I have seen
In this joint tonight
All I want to do
Is, woman, just to dance with you
All I want to say
Yes, is, "woman, could you walk my way?"
Oh no, where will I go
Tomorrow, tomorrow
Tomorrow, I wake up alone
Jukebox is jumping all over that country blues
She lets down her hair and slips off her shoes
Maybe she's just a little too high, maybe she ain't got
That much to lose
You cannot deny that the way she moves
All I want to do
Is, woman, just to dance with you
All I want to say
Is, "woman, could you walk my way?"
Oh no, where will I go
Tomorrow, tomorrow
Tomorrow, I wake up alone
Tomorrow, I wake up alone
musashidanmcgrath
One of my favourite Ray tunes. Hands down.
Michael Thompson
One of the most underrated songs ever.
Fernando Reyes
Still can’t feel the gin after all these years
Fernando Reyes
After a year...I still can't feel that gin though...
Fernando Reyes
Still can't feel the gin after 3 years.
zoe
wow just keep finding these great songs
ga66ar
Share some wid me ❤️
Lester Reyes
Don't know which year this is but I still can't feel the gin...
TheIDxD
This song takes me back to Woden Texas, damn I miss that.