Buckner began his career with the acoustic "Bloomed" (1994), a lyrically dense suite of songs recorded in Lubbock, Texas and heavily influenced by that state's tradition of whisky-soaked poet/troubadors, probably best embodied by Townes Van Zandt. In 1996, he released the major label "Devotion & Doubt," with members of Giant Sand backing him, displaying a more adventurous, almost avante garde approach to songwriting and arranging.
Since then, he has returned to recording for smaller labels, to continued critical acclaim and cult status. His 2000 album The Hill - his first for Chicago-based indie label Overcoat Recordings - features poems from Edgar Lee Masters' Spoon River Anthology (1915), which Buckner set to music. The album plays as a single track, nearly thirty-five minutes long. He returned in 2002, first with the "teaser" EP Impasse-ette, then a full-length entitled Impasse one month later. In early 2003, his self-released, self-titled album was reissued by Overcoat, and was his final release for the label. In 2004, an edited version of Richard Buckner's song Ariel Ramirez, from the album Since (1998) was featured in one of the television ads for Volkswagen's Touareg.
He is currently aligned with North Carolina-based indie label Merge Records, who have released four of his albums so far: 2004's Dents and Shells, 2006's Meadow, 2011's Our Blood, and 2013's Surrounded, as well as the 7-inch single Willow (b/w Lost). He also recorded an album with Jon Langford (most notably of The Mekons) called Sir Dark Invader vs. The Fanglord (2005) for Buried Treasure Records.
Emma
Richard Buckner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Going away with a man you don't love
Looks like the good Lord has given you up
Emma, I'm sorry for you.
She loves her father so well
But, he married another when her mama died
And Emma married someone too just out of spite
When Emma was only 16
She married a man her father's age
She told him that her stepmama drove her away
When Emma was only 16
She married a Cherokee city man
With cold, cruel hands and jealous eyes
She says when he goes out to drink he locks her in at night
Yeah, she married a Cherokee city man
Emma wears a tin, dime-store charm
Because twice she's left him, but once she's gone back
And the last time she left she tore off that wedding band
So Emma wears a tin, dime-store charm
There's a man who's coming for her
A black-hatted man with a weed in his mouth
Emma's husband sent this man to bring her back to town
There's a man who's coming for her
She's cried for two days now
She doesn't want to leave her family again
She begs, "Please don't let that black-hatted man in!"
Yeah, she's cried for two days now
She longs for a stranger to love
Late in the night, deep in her sleep
Emma dreams of kindness and mystery
Yeah, she longs for a stranger to love
The Richard Buckner song "Emma" tells the story of a young woman's unfortunate life choices and circumstances. The lyrics express the regret and empathy of the singer towards Emma's difficult life. The song starts with the singer apologizing to Emma for the situation she is in, going away with a man she doesn't love, which seems like a sign that God has abandoned her. The second verse highlights the love Emma has for her father, who married another woman after Emma's mother died. Emma herself married a man out of spite, and at a young age, to escape her stepmother. However, she ended up marrying a cruel, jealous Cherokee man who locks her in at night when he goes out drinking.
The third verse mentions how Emma wears a dime-store charm because of the constant back-and-forth between her and her husband. Emma has left him twice before, but always ends up going back to him. There's a ominous presence of a "black-hatted man" coming for her, who is sent by her husband to bring her back to town. Emma is absolutely terrified of him arriving and begs her family not to let him in. The song concludes with Emma's desire for a caring stranger even though she's already married, and she dreams of a kind and mysterious love.
Overall, "Emma" is a heartbreaking depiction of a woman's subjugation and longing for a better life. The song's poignant lyrics make it clear that Emma is a victim of her circumstances, regretting her choices and unable to escape her current situation.
Line by Line Meaning
Emma, I'm sorry for you.
The singer acknowledges that Emma is going through a tough time, and feels sympathetic towards her.
Going away with a man you don't love
Looks like the good Lord has given you up
Emma, I'm sorry for you.
The singer senses that Emma is making a decision that does not align with her true feelings, and that she may be feeling hopeless or abandoned.
She loves her father so well
But, he married another when her mama died
And Emma married someone too just out of spite
But, she loves her father so well
Emma's love for her father runs deep, but her loyalty towards him is challenged when he marries someone else after her mother's death, causing Emma to make questionable choices in her own life out of resentment.
When Emma was only 16
She married a man her father's age
She told him that her stepmama drove her away
When Emma was only 16
Emma made a bold move early on in her life by marrying a much older man, and used her stepmother as an excuse to justify her actions.
She married a Cherokee city man
With cold, cruel hands and jealous eyes
She says when he goes out to drink he locks her in at night
Yeah, she married a Cherokee city man
Emma's second marriage was to a Native American man who is abusive and controlling. Emma feels trapped and helpless in this relationship.
Emma wears a tin, dime-store charm
Because twice she's left him, but once she's gone back
And the last time she left she tore off that wedding band
So Emma wears a tin, dime-store charm
Emma wears a cheap, symbolic trinket as a reminder of her own mistakes and weaknesses in leaving and returning to her husband, and as a sign of her most recent act of defiance.
There's a man who's coming for her
A black-hatted man with a weed in his mouth
Emma's husband sent this man to bring her back to town
There's a man who's coming for her
Emma's controlling husband has hired someone to retrieve her, and this person is described as ominous and sketchy.
She's cried for two days now
She doesn't want to leave her family again
She begs, "Please don't let that black-hatted man in!"
Yeah, she's cried for two days now
Emma is distraught by the thought of being taken away from her family again, and pleads for her loved ones to protect her from the man sent to retrieve her.
She longs for a stranger to love
Late in the night, deep in her sleep
Emma dreams of kindness and mystery
Yeah, she longs for a stranger to love
Desperate for a way out of her current situation, Emma fantasizes about a new love and a different life, even if in her dreams.
Contributed by Mila O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.