Cash released her first single in 1979, a duet with Bobby Bare called "We Don't Need No Memories Hangin' 'Round". Two years later, she had her first country No. 1 (and the biggest commercial hit of her career), "Seven Year Ache". Although Cash was a prominent country star throughout the '80s, alongside fellow decade-defining artists Emmylou Harris, Juice Newton, and Dolly Parton, her music was anything but traditional: She topped the charts with songs written not only by herself, but by her father ("Tennessee Flat Top Box"), John Hiatt ("The Way We Make a Broken Heart"), Tom Petty ("Never Be You") and the Beatles ("I Don't Want to Spoil the Party"), "I Don't Know Why You Don't Want Me", which won her a Grammy in 1985, and "It's Such a Small World", a 1987 duet with Rodney Crowell on his album Diamonds & Dirt, provided further hits. A sampling of these songs and more are included on the compilation Hits 1979-1989. In 1979, she married Rodney Crowell, who was to produce most of her hit records. Their stormy marriage lasted until 1992; its break-up is chronicled in Cash's Interiors and in Crowell's album Life Is Messy. Cash later married John Leventhal, who produced her albums The Wheel, 10 Song Demo, Rules of Travel, and Black Cadillac.
To date, Cash has had more than twenty top 40 country singles, including eleven chart-toppers, but none since 1990, and she has left Nashville in both spirit and body to pursue her artistic vision. Although she had recorded all of her hits for Columbia Records' Nashville division, she released 10 Song Demo for the pop division of Capitol. Cash resurfaced in 2003 with Rules of Travel. The album features guest appearances by Sheryl Crow and Steve Earle, as well as a tune penned by Joe Henry and the Wallflowers' Jakob Dylan. Cash's latest album, entitled Black Cadillac, was released by Capitol Records in January 2006 to critical acclaim. Many of the songs were written by Cash and address the losses (within a 24-month span) of her step-mother, her father, her step-sister (Rosey Nix Adams) and then finally her mother on Cash's fiftieth birthday.
Hope Against Hope
Rosanne Cash Lyrics
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But try as I have to keep
The taste of you off of my tongue
Your face from my fitful sleep
An' I wait and hope against hope like before
An' I wait an' hope that I won't anymore
An' this won't stop till I do
Until I learn to kill the thought
Of everything I wished I'd not
An' I wait, hope against hope like before
An' I wait, hope that I won't anymore
Show rises up from the street
An' a crowd rises up to it's feet
I followed blind after you
I might know better if I'd ever wanted to
The painting here is still not dry
An' I can smell it from the door
It covers every mark you made
The countin' days are keepin' score
An' I wait, hope against hope like before
An' I wait, an' hope that I won't anymore
An' I wait, hope against hope like before
An' I wait, an' hope that I won't anymore
The lyrics of Rosanne Cash's song Hope Against Hope are a reflection of the struggle to move on from a past relationship. The first verse speaks of the difficulty of forgetting someone and their presence, despite trying hard to do so. The second verse reveals a sense of regret and longing for things left unsaid, wishes that cannot be undone. The repeated lines "An' I wait, hope against hope like before" suggest a sense of hopelessness and the realization that these feelings may never truly go away.
The reference to a "crowd risin' up" and the desire to follow someone blindly indicate a kind of emotional manipulation or dependence that may have been present in the relationship. The mention of a "painting still not dry" and "countin' days keepin' score" suggests a need for closure and a sense of time ticking away without resolution. Overall, the lyrics paint a picture of someone trying to move on but struggling to let go of the past.
Line by Line Meaning
It's all coming back to me now
Memories of you are flooding back to me.
But try as I have to keep
Despite my best efforts
The taste of you off of my tongue
I cannot forget the sensation of being with you.
Your face from my fitful sleep
Even in my sleep, I see your face.
An' I wait and hope against hope like before
I am holding onto hope, even though it seems futile.
An' I wait an' hope that I won't anymore
I hope to eventually move on from this feeling.
An' this won't stop till I do
I will continue to feel this way until I am able to let go.
Until I learn to kill the thought
Until I can stop dwelling on memories of you.
Of everything I could have said
Regret over missed opportunities to express myself.
Of everything I wished I'd not
Wishing I had not made certain choices.
Show rises up from the street
There is excitement and energy in the air outside.
An' a crowd rises up to it's feet
People are becoming excited and engaged with the event.
I followed blind after you
I was not thinking clearly when I pursued you.
I might know better if I'd ever wanted to
I could have made better decisions if I had been truly self-aware.
The painting here is still not dry
The traces of you are still visible in my life.
An' I can smell it from the door
I am reminded of you even before entering the room.
It covers every mark you made
Everything you touched or influenced is still present in my life.
The countin' days are keepin' score
Time is passing, and I am still struggling to let go.
An' I wait, hope against hope like before
I am still holding onto hope, even though it seems unlikely.
An' I wait, an' hope that I won't anymore
I hope to eventually be able to let go of this hope.
An' I wait, hope against hope like before
The cycle of hope and disappointment continues.
An' I wait, an' hope that I won't anymore
But I am still holding onto hope for a better future.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JAKOB DYLAN, JOE HENRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind