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.
Seven Bridges Road
Rita Coolidge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the Southern sky
Southward as you go
There is moonlight
And moss in the trees
Down the Seven Bridges Road
Now I have loved you like a baby
And I have loved you in a tame way
And I have loved you wild
Sometimes there's a part of me
Has to turn form here and go
Running like a child from these warm stars
Down the Seven Bridges Road
There are stars in the Southern sky
And if ever you decide
You should go
There is a taste of time sweetened honey
Down the Seven Bridges Road
Rita Coolidge's Seven Bridges Road is a song that explores the bittersweet memories associated with a past relationship. The song is set in a somber tone with a slow and melancholic melody, and the lyrics are vivid, painting a picture of a quiet, sleepy Southern town with stars in the sky and mossy trees enveloping seven bridges. The beginning of the song speaks of the beauty of the place, the stars in the sky above the Southern town, and the moonlight that falls on the trees. The phrase "Down the Seven Bridges Road" recalls the journey down this road, which seems to lead to an unknown destination with an air of mystery.
The song moves on to describe a relationship with a lover, whom the singer has loved like a baby, like some lonesome child. The love between them has been a mixture of wild and tame emotions. There is a restlessness in the singer's heart, and she describes this feeling as "sometimes there's a part of me that has to turn from here and go, running like a child from these warm stars down the Seven Bridges Road." Here, the Seven Bridges Road becomes a metaphor for a journey that the singer must take away from the person they once loved, and yet, the road seems to provide a sense of comfort.
The final verse portrays the possibility of going back to this place and experiencing the taste of a sweetened honey-like time. This is an allusion to the nostalgia often felt when revisiting a place that once held a special meaning in our hearts. The Seven Bridges Road becomes a symbol of the unfulfilled journey, an invitation to return to a nostalgic past.
Line by Line Meaning
There are stars
The song begins with an introduction of the nighttime sky and what can be seen in the Southern hemisphere
In the Southern sky
The second line emphasizes that the stars are located in the Southern hemisphere
Southward as you go
The third line gives directionality, suggesting that the listener is traveling towards the South
There is moonlight
The fourth line describes another feature of the Southern sky: the presence of the moon's light
And moss in the trees
The composer describes the natural surroundings of the area that the listener is traveling to or through
Down the Seven Bridges Road
The destination of the traveler is revealed, a path called Seven Bridges Road
Now I have loved you like a baby
The composer is talking about an intense love, a love that goes back to infancy or early stages of life
Like some lonesome child
The love mentioned in the previous line is experiencing feelings of loneliness
And I have loved you in a tame way
The composer is acknowledging that they have loved in a controlled or conventional manner
And I have loved you wild
The composer also suggests that they have loved passionately and without restriction
Sometimes there's a part of me
The composer reflects on their own emotional complexities
Has to turn form here and go
The composer is suggesting they may have to leave the current situation or their lover behind
Running like a child from these warm stars
The imagery of a 'child' and 'warm stars' suggests the composer is moving quickly away from something good, but also comforting and familiar
Down the Seven Bridges Road
The composer repeats the idea of traveling Seven Bridges Road, which may represent a journey or a metaphor of life
There are stars in the Southern sky
The composer repeats the opening lines that describe the sky in the Southern hemisphere
And if ever you decide
The singer addresses someone in the song, a person they love
You should go
The singer suggests the addressed person might leave and head in a particular direction
There is a taste of time sweetened honey
The composer offers a metaphor for what the listener can expect to find on their journey, using the phrase 'time sweetened honey'
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Steve Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind