Rita Coolidge (born May 1, 1945, in Lafayette, Tennessee) is an American Si… Read Full Bio ↴Rita Coolidge (born May 1, 1945, in Lafayette, Tennessee) is an American Singer.

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.

My Crew
Rita Coolidge Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Can I sing a song for you?
My crew
Like the song I used to play
With you

I was gone so long before you missed me
I didn't even know I was a gypsy
I'm singing this song because my eyes are misty

Because we're through
(We're through, we're through)
My crew

There's that cross we'll cross again
My friends
And the song that we will play
Will have no end

We'll sail a sea of song like a band of gypsies
We'll lay our burdens down and play for free
Laugh and cry as eagles die
And we'll be coming home one day
Let the music play

We'll sail a sea of song like a band of gypsies
We'll lay our burdens down and play for free
Laugh and cry as eagles die
And we'll be coming home one day
(One day, one day)
Let the music play

Uhumuhum, my crew

Uhumuhum, uhumhum, uhumuhum
Uhumuhum, my crew

Overall Meaning

In the song "My Crew," Rita Coolidge sings about a group of people who used to play music with her. She starts by asking if she can sing a song for them and then refers to the kind of music they used to play together. The song has a nostalgic and regretful tone, as she is singing about how she was gone for a long time before the crew missed her, possibly indicating that she had lost contact with them for a while. She then refers to herself as a gypsy, further highlighting her transient and wandering lifestyle. She sings about her misty eyes and how they're through, indicating that this crew might have been a significant part of her life, and now it's over.

However, even in the face of separation, the crew will no doubt reunite at some point. She sings about crossing the same cross, implying that they will encounter the same obstacles in life but overcome them, like they always have. The crew will sail a sea of song like a band of gypsies, free to play and lay their burdens down. They will laugh and cry, living life to the fullest, and coming home someday. The last verse is similar to the first one, emphasizing the importance of music in bringing people together.

Line by Line Meaning

Can I sing a song for you?
May I perform a melody for you?

My crew
My group of close friends who share my love of music

Like the song I used to play
Similar to the joyful tune that I previously performed

With you
Together, as we once created music filled with love and happiness

I was gone for so long before you missed me
I departed for an extended time before you realized I was absent

I didn't even know I was a gypsy
I was unaware of my nomadic and free-spirited lifestyle

I'm singing this song because my eyes are misty
I'm singing with tears in my eyes because of my overwhelming emotions

Because we're through
As our relationship has ended

There's that cross we'll cross again
We'll revisit the same struggles and hurdles we faced before

My friends
Those close to me who share my trials and triumphs

And the song that we will play
The melody that we'll perform together