Crowell was born in Houston, Texas to James Walter Crowell and Addie Cauzette Willoughby. A contemporary of Steve Earle and, like Earle, influenced by the (songwriting) greats Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt, Crowell played guitar and sang for three years in Emmylou Harris' "Hot Band".
He was married to Rosanne Cash (daughter of famous singer/guitarist Johnny Cash) from 1979 to 1992 and had a great influence on her career, producing most of her albums during that period. They collaborated on a number of duets, including 1988's "It's Such a Small World." Though Crowell and Cash are now divorced, they remain on friendly terms, performing together occasionally. Six years after the breakdown of his marriage to Rosanne he married Claudia Church.
Although best known as a songwriter and alternative country artist, Crowell enjoyed mainstream popularity during the late 1980s and early 1990s. His critically acclaimed album, 1988's Diamonds and Dirt, produced five No. 1 hits during a 17-month span in 1988 and 1989: "It's Such a Small World" (a duet with Cash), "I Couldn't Leave You If I Tried," "She's Crazy for Leaving," "After All This Time" and "Above and Beyond." His follow-up album, 1989's "Keys to the Highway," produced two top 5 hits in 1990, which were "Many a Long and Lonesome Highway" and "If Looks Could Kill."
As Crowell's popularity in mainstream country faded, he continued his prolific songwriting. In 2001 he released The Houston Kid on Sugar Hill Records. Many songs on the album were semi-autobiographical, and the album included a duet with Crowell's ex father-in-law Johnny Cash on "I Walk the Line (Revisited)". Initially, Cash was annoyed at Crowell changing the tune to his song, but he came to like the finished product. Crowell followed up this effort with Fate's Right Hand in 2003 and The Outsider in 2005. Crowell considers these three albums his finest work as a solo artist.
2004 saw the release of The Notorious Cherry Bombs, a reunion of The Notorious Cherry Bombs, a group that existed briefly in the 1970s with Rodney Crowell, Vince Gill, Tony Brown, and others. The future Keith Urban hit "Making Memories of Us" was included on this disc.
In 2005, Crowell served as producer for established Irish singer/songwriter Kieran Goss on the album Blue Sky Sunrise.
after all this time
Rodney Crowell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And we out-run 'em
There were songs
And we out-sung 'em
There were brighter days never ending
There was time
And we were burnin'
There were rhymes
There was all the love two hearts could hold
And after all this time
You're always on my mind
Hey I could never let it end
'Cause my heart takes so long to mend
The dream that keeps your hopes alive
The lonely nights you hold inside
And after all this time
You're always on my mind
I still want you
There was rain
That we outlasted
There was pain
But we got past it
There were last goodbyes still left unspoken
There were ways I should have thrilled you
There were days I could have killed you
You're the only love my life has known
And after all this time
You're always on my mind
Hey I could never let you go
A broken heart that heals so slow
Could never beat for someone new
While you're alive and I am too
And after all this time
You're always on my mind
I still miss you
And I could never let it in
'Cause my heart takes so long to mend
The dream that keeps your hopes alive
The lonely nights you hold inside
And after all this time
You're always on my mind
I still want you
Hey after all this time
You're always on my mind
I still love you
The song After All This Time by Rodney Crowell is a melancholic tune that talks about a past love and the memories associated with it. The first verse of the song vividly describes how the two lovers went through several challenges together and came out stronger, even with the trains and songs that they out-ran and out-sung. The love, time, and knowledge they shared seemed infinite, and they held on to all of it. In the chorus, the singer admits that even after all this time, his lover is still on his mind, and he cannot let go of the love they shared. He confesses that he misses his lover despite the fact that his heart takes a long time to heal.
In the second verse, the singer talks about how they faced challenges, including rain and pain, but got past them. They had goodbyes that they did not say, and the singer acknowledges the things he could have done better but did not. He admits that his lover is the only love he has known in his life. In the chorus, he confesses that he could never let his lover go, and his heart takes too long to mend. The dream that keeps her hopes alive and the lonely nights she holds inside makes him realize that after all this time, she is still on his mind.
Line by Line Meaning
There were trains
We faced challenges and obstacles
And we out-run 'em
We overcame those challenges
There were songs
We had moments of joy and happiness
And we out-sung 'em
We celebrated those joyous moments
There were brighter days never ending
We had moments of pure bliss
There was time
We had time to enjoy each other's company
And we were burnin'
Our love was intense and passionate
There were rhymes
We had moments of creativity and inspiration
And we were learnin'
We grew and learned from our experiences
There was all the love two hearts could hold
We were deeply in love with each other
And after all this time
Even though time has passed
You're always on my mind
You are still in my thoughts
Hey I could never let it end
I cannot let go or forget about you
'Cause my heart takes so long to mend
It takes me a long time to recover from heartbreak
The dream that keeps your hopes alive
My hope of being with you again keeps me going
The lonely nights you hold inside
I know that you miss me too
I still want you
My feelings for you have not changed
The dream that keeps your hopes alive
My hope of being with you again keeps me going
There was rain
We faced difficult times
That we outlasted
But we made it through together
There was pain
We experienced heartache and sorrow
But we got past it
But we were strong enough to move on
There were last goodbyes still left unspoken
We left things unresolved
There were ways I should have thrilled you
There were times when I should have made you happier
There were days I could have killed you
There were times when we fought and didn't get along
You're the only love my life has known
You are the only person I have ever loved this deeply
I still miss you
I still long for you and our relationship
I still love you
My love for you has not faded over time
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RODNEY J. CROWELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jack Stacey
One of the best love songs I have ever heard. Rodney Deserves to be inducted in the Country Music Hall of Fame. Wake up Nashville
JohnBuck41
I send this to my wife every Anniversary.
Brian Davis
I can't believe Rodney isn't in the hall of Fame.,..I live 20 minutes from Nashville but I don't call it music city anymore it all about who can sell out and kiss the most ass now days. Waylon Jennings has always been my favorite and he had a lot of success singing songs Rodney wrote as well as others have.. Rodney himself is a great singer and his songwriting skills are amazing... Definitely a legend
Sergeant Masson
@Brian Davis Rodney is in the songwriters HOF
Brian Davis
@Sergeant Masson He deserves it...I'm glad to hear that someone gave Rodney some credit
Delores Dindlebeck
I agree, he should be in the country hall of fame. His music is unbelievable. Wy do we not hear more of his music.
Derrick Ledbetter
My wife and I truly lived out this song. We met at 12yrs old, dated off n on through high school. We always wanted to be together but we both were too stubborn and afraid to make that first big move with each other. 15yrs later, we both divorce from unhappy marriages. We got back together and it's like before we lost touch. Hearing this song, every time, it reminds of the last 30 years of our lives.
Renee Brichta
That’s amazing!
Austin Swafford
This is one of the best written and arranged songs I've ever heard. The lyrics make me feel like I lived that love. The vocals are haunting and the arrangement is unforgettable. I'm especially fond of the steel guitar. This song nearly makes me weep every time. It is timeless
Chris Sims
To me this song is perfect.