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.
You Won't Let Me In
Rosanne Cash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm sleeping in your bed
I'm walking through your dreams
I'm dancing through your head
I'm calling from the streets
I'm crying like the wind
'Cause you are there
And I am here
We'll I'm changing like a girl
On the threshold of her life
In love with the whole world
But staring down each night
You're everything I need
A love I can't defend
[Chorus]
But you are there
And I am here
And you won't let me in
No time for kisses
No time to laugh
No way that I can see
To crawl out of our past
Well I'm falling to my knees
But I'm flying like a bird
I follow where you lead
I hang on every word
I can't control the wind
I don't care who you've been
I keep callin'
"You Won't Let Me In" is a hauntingly beautiful song by Rosanne Cash that speaks to the feelings of wanting and yearning for someone who seems to be just out of reach. The lyrics are simple but deeply emotional, describing the frustration of being unable to connect with someone who you love deeply.
The song opens with the singer telling the listener that she is staying in their house and sleeping in their bed - a clear indication that she is close to the person she is singing to, but not quite close enough. She goes on to say that she is walking through their dreams and dancing through their head, a vivid image of how close she feels to this person in her mind, yet she is still calling from the streets and crying like the wind, unable to truly penetrate their heart.
As the song progresses, the singer expresses her desire to connect on a deeper level with this person - to be loved and understood fully. She describes herself as changing like a girl on the threshold of her life, in love with the whole world but staring down each night. She needs this person to be there for her, but they won't let her in.
The chorus repeats this theme, emphasizing the distance between the two lovers and the singer's frustration at being unable to break through. She is falling to her knees in desperation but also flying like a bird, following where the other leads and hanging on every word. She can't control the wind, meaning that she can't control the circumstances that are keeping them apart, but she still keeps calling out to them, hoping that one day they will let her in.
Overall, "You Won't Let Me In" is a poignant and relatable song about the human desire for connection and how painful it can be when that connection is just out of reach. The lyrics are beautifully written and deeply emotional, making it a standout track in Rosanne Cash's discography.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm staying in your house
I am currently residing in your home.
I'm sleeping in your bed
I'm sleeping in the bed that belongs to you.
I'm walking through your dreams
I'm appearing in your dreams and you can't seem to shake me off.
I'm dancing through your head
I occupy your thoughts and actions constantly.
I'm calling from the streets
I'm using the phone on the streets to try and reach out to you.
I'm crying like the wind
I am wailing like the wind, hoping you'll hear me and take me in.
'Cause you are there
Because you are physically present at the current moment.
And I am here
And I am just existing in my current position without you.
And you won't let me in
But you refuse to let me into your life which is causing me emotional discomfort.
We'll I'm changing like a girl
I am undergoing significant changes in my life like that of a young woman on the threshold of adulthood.
On the threshold of her life
I am at the cusp of my life, experiencing its most important moments.
In love with the whole world
I am filled with love for everyone and everything around me.
But staring down each night
But I'm still experiencing feelings of sadness and uncertainty.
You're everything I need
You are the only thing that can complete me and make me whole.
A love I can't defend
I love you unconditionally but I can't explain why.
No time for kisses
We don't have time to be affectionate with each other.
No time to laugh
We have too many serious things to worry about to enjoy the lighter moments together.
No way that I can see
I can't see a clear path out of our current struggles and back into love.
To crawl out of our past
We have a history that is preventing us from moving forward in our relationship.
Well I'm falling to my knees
I am on the verge of collapsing in emotional pain.
But I'm flying like a bird
But at the same time, I feel uplifted and free to express my feelings.
I follow where you lead
I am blindly following your lead and hoping that it will lead us to a better place.
I hang on every word
I am carefully listening to everything you say, hoping for some hint of a resolution.
I can't control the wind
I have no power over the forces of nature, just as I can't control my love for you.
I don't care who you've been
Your past doesn't matter to me, I only care about our future together.
I keep callin'
I keep trying to reach out to you in hopes that you will finally let me in.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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