Stewart's music career began in 1962 when he took up busking with a harmonica. In 1963, he joined The Dimensions as a harmonica player and vocalist. In 1964, Stewart joined Long John Baldry and the All Stars before moving to the Jeff Beck Group in 1967. Joining Faces in 1969, he also maintained a solo career releasing his debut album that year. Stewart's early albums were a fusion of rock, folk music, soul music, and R&B. His third album, 1971's Every Picture Tells a Story, was his breakthrough, topping the charts in the UK, US, Canada and Australia, as did its ballad "Maggie May". His 1972 follow-up album, Never a Dull Moment, also reached number one in the UK and Australia, while going top three in the US and Canada. Its single, "You Wear It Well", topped the chart in the UK and was a moderate hit elsewhere.
After Stewart had a handful more UK top ten hits, the Faces broke up in 1975. Stewart's next few hit singles were ballads with "Sailing", off the 1975 UK and Australian number-one album, Atlantic Crossing, becoming a hit in the UK and the Netherlands (number one), Germany (number four) and other countries, but barely charting in North America. A Night on the Town (1976), his fifth straight chart-topper in the UK, began a three-album run of going number one or top three in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia with each release. That album's "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)" spent almost two months at number one in the US and Canada, and made the top five in other countries. Foot Loose & Fancy Free (1977) contained the hit "You're in My Heart (The Final Acclaim)" as well as the rocker "Hot Legs". Blondes Have More Fun (1978) and its disco-tinged "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy" both went to number one in Canada, Australia and the US, with "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy" also hitting number one in the UK and the top ten in other countries. Stewart's albums regularly hit the upper rungs of the charts in the Netherlands throughout the 70s and in Sweden from 1975 onward.
After a disco and new wave period in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Stewart's music turned to a soft rock/middle-of-the-road style, with most of his albums reaching the top ten in the UK, Germany and Sweden, but faring less well in the US. The single "Rhythm of My Heart" was a top five hit in the UK, US and other countries, with its source album, 1991's Vagabond Heart, becoming, at number ten in the US and number two in the UK, his highest-charting album in a decade. In 1993, he collaborated with Bryan Adams and Sting on the power ballad "All for Love", which went to number one in many countries. In the early 2000s, he released a series of successful albums interpreting the Great American Songbook.
In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked him the 17th most successful artist on the "Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists". A Grammy and Brit Award recipient, he was voted at No. 33 in Q Magazine's list of the Top 100 Greatest Singers of all time. As a solo artist, Stewart was inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006, and he was inducted a second time into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 as a member of Faces.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Stewart
Studio albums
An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down (1969)
Gasoline Alley (1970)
Every Picture Tells a Story (1971)
Never a Dull Moment (1972)
Smiler (1974)
Atlantic Crossing (1975)
A Night on the Town (1976)
Foot Loose & Fancy Free (1977)
Blondes Have More Fun (1978)
Foolish Behaviour (1980)
Tonight I'm Yours (1981)
Body Wishes (1983)
Camouflage (1984)
Every Beat of My Heart (1986)
Out of Order (1988)
Vagabond Heart (1991)
A Spanner in the Works (1995)
When We Were the New Boys (1998)
Human (2001)
It Had to Be You: The Great American Songbook (2002)
As Time Goes By: The Great American Songbook, Volume II (2003)
Stardust: The Great American Songbook, Volume III (2004)
Thanks for the Memory: The Great American Songbook, Volume IV (2005)
Still the Same... Great Rock Classics of Our Time (2006)
Soulbook (2009)
Once in a Blue Moon: The Lost Album (2010)
Fly Me to the Moon... The Great American Songbook Volume V (2010)
Merry Christmas, Baby (2012)
Time (2013)
Another Country (2015)
Blood Red Roses (2018)
The Tears of Hercules (2021)
Sweet Lady Mary
Rod Stewart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wakes in the morning with her breakfast in bed
I tried to help her, but I did not know how
I tried to love her, but it's all over now
Nothing left to comfort me, except a sunny day
Steal away, steal away
Over the stones along the dusty old road
With every turning one more side to see
Sweet Lady Mary's seen the last of me
A lesson is learnt, I'll never come this way again
I'll steal away, steal away
Her Spanish habits are so hard to forget
The lady lied with every breath, I accept
Was a matter of time before my face did not fit
I knew all along I'd have to quit
Anyway now, I better not waste anymore of your time
I'll steal away, steal away
I think I'll go back home and start all again
Where the Gulf Stream waters tend to ease the pain
And on a new day when I've mended the wound
Sweet Lady Mary's gate I swear I'll be bound
But before I sit down again and waste anymore of your time
I better steal away, steal away
Ooh-hoo
I'll steal away-ay
Da-da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da
Da-da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da
Da-da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da
The lyrics to Rod Stewart's "Sweet Lady Mary" are filled with bittersweet nostalgia and a sense of regret. The song opens with an image of a woman, presumably Mary, who has had to rest her head and is waking up to breakfast in bed. The singer tries to help and love her but failed. He is left with nothing but a sunny day to comfort him, conveying a sense of emptiness and loss.
As the song progresses, the singer describes a journey that he takes with Mary, walking along a dusty old road filled with tales and different sides to see. However, despite the beauty of this journey, the singer states that this will be the last time he sees Sweet Lady Mary. He has learned his lesson and will never come this way again.
He recounts how Sweet Lady Mary had Spanish habits which he finds hard to forget but ultimately realizes that she lied with every breath. He knew all along he had to quit, and he will now steal away, bringing the song full circle and reinforcing the idea of regret.
The song's melancholic tone is complemented by an acoustic guitar and harmonica, giving it a folksy feel. The lyrics' simplicity and nostalgia have made it a beloved track from Stewart's early days in music.
Line by Line Meaning
Sweet Lady Mary has to rest her poor head
Sweet Lady Mary needs to rest because life has been tough on her.
Wakes in the morning with her breakfast in bed
She is being taken care of and pampered, but that is not enough.
I tried to help her, but I did not know how
The singer attempted to aid her but didn't have the capacity to understand her situation.
I tried to love her, but it's all over now
The singer is heartbroken that he couldn't make her happy, though he tried his best.
Nothing left to comfort me, except a sunny day
The only thing that can bring solace to him is a sunny day.
Over the stones along the dusty old road
As the singer walks away from Lady Mary, he reminisces on the journey they had together.
With every footstep one more tale is told
With each step, he remembers more memories with Mary.
With every turning one more side to see
As he changes directions, he realizes the situation from new viewpoints.
Sweet Lady Mary's seen the last of me
Mary will no longer see the singer as he's moving on from her.
A lesson is learnt, I'll never come this way again
The singer has learnt that he'll never come across someone like Mary again as he walks away from her.
Her Spanish habits are so hard to forget
The memories of Mary's unique features and idiosyncrasies are hard to forget.
The lady lied with every breath, I accept
Even though she lied all the time, the singer has come to accept it.
Was a matter of time before my face did not fit
It was only a matter of time before the singer couldn't keep up with Mary anymore.
I knew all along I'd have to quit
The singer knew from the beginning that he was not right for Mary.
Anyway now, I better not waste anymore of your time
He doesn't want to waste any more time, so he'll leave.
I think I'll go back home and start all again
He's planning to go back to where he started and start anew.
Where the Gulf Stream waters tend to ease the pain
He'll go to a place where the ocean's warm waters could heal his pain.
And on a new day when I've mended the wound
He'll come back only when his wounds are healed and he's better.
Sweet Lady Mary's gate I swear I'll be bound
He promises to come back to Lady Mary's home.
But before I sit down again and waste anymore of your time
However, he doesn't want to spend any more time sitting with her before he goes.
I better steal away, steal away
He'd better leave now.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RONALD LANE, ROD STEWART, RON WOOD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind