While Cray was among artists such as Stevie Ray Vaughan and George Thorogood who got wider radio airplay and regular MTV video exposure during the late 1980s, he started playing guitar in his early teens. At Denbigh High School in Newport News, Virginia, his love of blues and soul music flourished as he started collecting records. Originally, Robert Cray wanted to become an architect, but at about the same time he was going to study design in architecture he formed a local band "Steakface", described as "the best band from Lakewood you never heard of". Cray on guitar and vocals contributed greatly to Steakface's set list of songs by Jimi Hendrix, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Fleetwood Mac, the Grease Band, Blodwyn Pig, Jethro Tull, Forever More, Spirit, and The Faces.
By the time he was twenty, Cray had seen his heroes Albert Collins, Freddie King and Muddy Waters in concert, and decided to form his own band. His band started playing college towns on the west coast. After several years of regional success, Cray was signed to Mercury Records in 1982. His third release, Strong Persuader, received a Grammy Award, while the crossover single "Smokin' Gun" gave him wider appeal and name recognition.
By then Cray was an opening act for such major stars as Eric Clapton (who remains a friend to this day), and sold out larger venues as a solo artist. Cray has generally played Fender guitars (Telecasters and Stratocasters) and there are two signature Robert Cray Stratocasters models available from Fender.
Cray continues to record and tour.
My Last Regret
Robert Cray Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'll be free
One last time
You'll have your hooks in me
Cause I'm about to lose it
My force of habit
All the way down
I want to see your ashes
All over the ground
Then I will know
That I can't forget about
My last regret
The price is too high
For what your giving,
So I'll stop being the fool
And go on living
One is not enough,
Two is too much,
Too much for me
I want to see you burn
All the way down
I want to see your ashes
All over the ground
Then I will know
That I can't forget about
My last regret
No more suffering,
No more sorrow.
Live for today,
I'll be here tomorrow
I want to see you burn
All the way down
I want to see your ashes
All over the ground
Then I will know
That I can't forget about
My last regret,
My regret,
My regret.
No more suffering,
No more sorrow.
Live for today,
I'll be here tomorrow
My regret,
My regret!
My regret...
Robert Cray's song "My Last Regret" seems to be a lament to a relationship that has gone wrong. The singer is talking about wanting to be free of this person, and wanting to see them metaphorically burn to ashes. The repetition of the phrase "I want to see you burn, all the way down," is particularly striking. It seems to hint at a deep-seated anger or resentment towards the other person. However, the singer also seems to feel a sense of regret for feeling this way. They acknowledge that they can't forget about this last regret, and that the price for staying in this relationship is too high. The repeated chorus of "no more suffering, no more sorrow, live for today," could be seen as a mantra for moving on and leaving behind the pain of the past.
The line "two is too much, too much for me," suggests that the relationship may have been characterized by infidelity or a complicated love triangle. The singer seems to be saying that they can't handle any more heartache or drama. The song ends with a repeated refrain of "my regret," which could be interpreted as the singer acknowledging their own culpability in the failure of the relationship. They regret their own actions or choices that may have contributed to its downfall.
Overall, "My Last Regret" is a powerful song that expresses complex emotions of anger, regret, and the desire for freedom. It can be seen as a cautionary tale about the consequences of staying in a toxic relationship, and the importance of letting go and moving on.
Line by Line Meaning
One last time,
He is doing it for one last time.
And I'll be free
He is looking forward to being free after this one last time.
One last time
He wants this to be his last time dealing with this situation.
You'll have your hooks in me
He feels trapped and can't escape.
Cause I'm about to lose it
He is at a breaking point.
My force of habit
He can't help but continue with this habit even though he knows it's not good for him.
I want to see you burn
He wants to see the person who is causing him pain suffer.
All the way down
He wants them to suffer completely and not just a little bit.
I want to see your ashes
He wants the person who is causing him pain to completely disappear.
All over the ground
He wants them to completely disappear and not come back.
Then I will know
He will finally understand something important.
That I can't forget about
He can't forget this situation, it has made a deep impact on him.
My last regret
This situation is his last regret and he can't forget about it.
The price is too high
The cost he has to pay to be in this situation is too high.
For what your giving,
What he is getting in return is not worth the trouble he is going through.
So I'll stop being the fool
He will no longer be tricked or deceived.
And go on living
He will keep on living despite this situation.
One is not enough,
One time is not enough to escape this situation.
Two is too much,
Two times will be even worse, he has to end it now.
Too much for me
This situation is too much for him to handle.
No more suffering,
He doesn't want to suffer anymore.
No more sorrow.
He doesn't want to be sad anymore.
Live for today,
He wants to focus on living his life with no regrets.
I'll be here tomorrow
He will still be around and he will keep on living.
My regret,
The situation he is in is his biggest regret.
My regret!
He can't stress enough how big of a regret this is.
My regret...
This situation is haunting him and he can't forget about it.
Contributed by Abigail D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.