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.
I Was Watching You
Rosanne Cash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And Hank Williams on the radio
Church wedding, they spent all they had
Now the deal is done to become Mom and Dad
And I was watching you from above
'Cause long before life there was love
All for one then one by one they fall
High on a hill where the world passes by
You never came back but I know you tried
'Cause I was watching you from above
When it all falls apart there is love
All those years to prove how much I cared
I didn't know it but you were always there
Until September when you slipped away
In the middle of my life on the longest day
Now I hear you say
I'll be watching you from above
'Cause long after life there is love
Baby, I'll be watching you from above
Long after life there is love
In Rosanne Cash's song, "I Was Watching You," the singer reflects on her past and the people she has lost. The song has an emotional tone to it, as it deals with themes of love, loss, and hope. The first verse sets the scene, with headlights on a Texas road and Hank Williams playing on the radio, leading up to a church wedding. The couple spent "all they had" on this wedding, as they make the deal to become "mom and dad."
In the chorus, Cash sings about watching these events from above, implying a sense of detachment from her life, the passing of time, and the people around her. The lyrics suggest that long before life, there was love, and even in the midst of falling apart, there is love. The second verse shifts to a different scene, showing some little girls who are dressed like "china dolls," who fall "one by one." This part could be interpreted as a metaphor for the transitory nature of life, where everything is temporary, and nothing lasts forever.
The third verse is where the song takes an emotional turn, as Cash sings about losing someone she cared about. She didn't know how much this person meant to her until September when the person slipped away, leaving a gaping hole in her life. The reference to "the longest day" could be interpreted as the idea of time standing still or feeling like an eternity when grieving. The song's conclusion provides comfort as Cash assures the person she lost that she will be watching them from above long after life has ended because there is love.
Line by Line Meaning
Headlights on a Texas road
Driving on a road in Texas with lights from their car shining ahead.
And Hank Williams on the radio
Listening to the music of Hank Williams on the radio as they are driving.
Church wedding, they spent all they had
A couple got married in a church ceremony and spent all their savings.
Now the deal is done to become Mom and Dad
The couple has now made a deal to become parents by starting a family.
And I was watching you from above
A person is watching the couple from above, possibly as a guardian angel, observing their lives.
'Cause long before life there was love
Love existed even before the couple was born or started their family.
See those little girls dressed like china dolls
Observing little girls dressed up in ornate dresses, like delicate china dolls.
All for one then one by one they fall
The little girls are all together at first, but then one by one they go their separate ways.
High on a hill where the world passes by
Watching the world go by from a high vantage point on a hill.
You never came back but I know you tried
Someone who was once close never returned, but it's understood they made an effort to do so.
'Cause I was watching you from above
The watcher was observing this person from above the whole time, even during the moments they were attempting to return.
When it all falls apart there is love
Despite the difficulties and failures, there is still love.
All those years to prove how much I cared
After spending a significant amount of time, someone is trying to show how much they care for another person.
I didn't know it but you were always there
Someone wasn't aware of another person's presence or support, despite their constant presence.
Until September when you slipped away
The person who was always there had left unexpectedly in the month of September.
In the middle of my life on the longest day
The person who left was in the middle of the watcher's life, on what seemed like the longest day.
Now I hear you say
Despite the person being gone, the watcher still hears their voice in their heart.
I'll be watching you from above
The person who left has now become the watcher, watching over the original watcher from above.
'Cause long after life there is love
Even after death, love still exists and connects people together.
Baby, I'll be watching you from above
The watcher reiterates their promise to the one who left, that they will continue to observe them from above, even in death.
Long after life there is love
Love persists beyond life and connects people together, even in absence.
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: ROSANNE CASH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind