Coolidge's early career was as a backing vocalist, for artists such as Joe Cocker, Eric Clapton, and Leon Russell. Her performance of "Superstar" on the Cocker/Russell Mad Dogs and Englishmen album helped gain her attention. She became known as "The Delta Lady" and inspired Leon Russell to write a song of the same name for her. It was during this time that she met Kris Kristofferson; the two married in 1973. With him, she recorded several duet albums which sold well, and earned them a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1974 for From the Bottle to the Bottom, and in 1976 for Lover Please.
In 1997, Coolidge was one of the founding members of Walela, a Native American music trio, that also includes Coolidge's sister Priscilla and Priscilla's daughter Laura Satterfield. The trio released albums in 1997 and 2000. Walela means hummingbird in Cherokee.
I Feel the Burden
Rita Coolidge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was down, oh, I was down
Till I got to think of the love I had found
Just one step closer
I hear my freedom calling
And with you by my side, babe
I got a lot less chance of falling
I was blinded by worldly desires
Now it's hard to choose wrong or right
It's hard to have hope in your darkest hour
I can feel it being lifted, being lifted off my shoulders
I can feel it being lifted, being lifted off of me
First, I only had a glimpse of the light
I was blinded by worldly desires
It's not hard to choose wrong or right
It's hard to have hope in your darkest hour
As we say way down in Georgia
You make my load a whole lot lighter
As we say way down in Georgia
You make my day whole lots brighter
Just one step closer
I hear my freedom calling
And with you by my side, babe
I got a lot less chance of falling
I feel the burden being lifted off my shoulders
I feel the burden being lifted off of me
I feel the burden being lifted off my shoulders
I feel the burden being lifted off of me
Just one step closer
I hear my freedom calling
And with you by my side, babe
I got a lot less chance of falling
I feel the burden being lifted off of me...
The lyrics of Rita Coolidge's "I Feel the Burden" speak of a person who has been through difficult times and now feels relieved after finding love. The song begins with the singer feeling the weight of their burden being lifted off their shoulders. They were down and had lost hope until they began to think of the love they had found. With their partner by their side, they feel like they have a lot less chance of falling.
The first verse talks about how the singer was blinded by worldly desires and had only a glimpse of the light. They found it hard to choose wrong or right and to have hope in their darkest hour. Their partner makes all the difference and makes their load lighter, as the song says "As we say way down in Georgia, You make my load a whole lot lighter, As we say way down in Georgia, You make my day whole lots brighter".
The chorus repeats the line "I feel the burden being lifted off my shoulders" several times. The song ends with the singer feeling like they are one step closer to their freedom and with their partner by their side, they have a lot less chance of falling.
Overall, the song is a message of hope and how love can be the anchor that grounds us when we are going through trying times. It reminds us that in our darkest hour, we can still find hope and that someone's love can change everything.
Line by Line Meaning
I feel the burden being lifted off my shoulders
The weight of my troubles is slowly dissipating from my body
I was down, oh, I was down
I was feeling low and defeated
Till I got to think of the love I had found
Thinking about the love I have received has lifted my spirit
Just one step closer
Making progress, even if it's small, makes a difference
I hear my freedom calling
The idea of being free from my troubles is beckoning me
And with you by my side, babe
Having someone I love and trust there for me helps immensely
I got a lot less chance of falling
I am less likely to fail with your support
First, I only had a glimpse of the light
I used to only see a small amount of hope
I was blinded by worldly desires
My craving for material things overshadowed my true goals
Now it's hard to choose wrong or right
I am struggling to distinguish between good and bad choices
It's hard to have hope in your darkest hour
When things seem at their worst, it's difficult to stay optimistic
I feel the burden being lifted off my shoulders
The weight of my troubles is slowly dissipating from my body
Just one step closer
Making progress, even if it's small, makes a difference
I hear my freedom calling
The idea of being free from my troubles is beckoning me
And with you by my side, babe
Having someone I love and trust there for me helps immensely
I got a lot less chance of falling
I am less likely to fail with your support
As we say way down in Georgia
This saying from Georgia applies to my life
You make my load a whole lot lighter
You lessen the weight of my troubles
As we say way down in Georgia
This saying from Georgia applies to my life
You make my day whole lots brighter
Your presence brightens up my day
I feel the burden being lifted off my shoulders
The weight of my troubles is slowly dissipating from my body
I feel the burden being lifted off of me
I sense a release from my struggles
I feel the burden being lifted off my shoulders
The weight of my troubles is slowly dissipating from my body
I feel the burden being lifted off of me
I sense a release from my struggles
Just one step closer
Making progress, even if it's small, makes a difference
I hear my freedom calling
The idea of being free from my troubles is beckoning me
And with you by my side, babe
Having someone I love and trust there for me helps immensely
I got a lot less chance of falling
I am less likely to fail with your support
I feel the burden being lifted off of me
I sense a release from my struggles
Contributed by Elliot N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.