… Read Full Bio ↴I got tired of seeing my dated bio on here, so this is how it is...
I've been immersed in music since conception. It's all I've ever been interested in. Ever. My entire family on my fathers side all play and sing and half write their own material. They don't even know how far it goes back, but they believe that during the civil war, one of our ancestors was a prisoner of war in Andersonville Confederate Prison. He played the fiddle and as the story goes, he played for the soldiers which allowed him to get enough food to stay alive.
I was raised on a tobacco farm in Taylorsville Kentucky. Looking back, it was almost a Kentucky-story-book kind of life with Country and Bluegrass music all around. But we listened to EVERYTHING, so collectively, it was as diverse as you can imagine. I worked in tobacco with my family from the age of 4 until I was 21, and, at the time, couldn't wait to get away, so that's what I did.
I moved to Louisville Kentucky in 1988 and illegally worked the night joints, due to the fact I was underage. My first STEADY music job was a solo gig at the Granville Inn on 3rd street. Three months later, I was hired by a south side Chicago native, a black dude that called himself "Tophat".
Top was a KILLER backbeat/blues/motown drummer. Funny thing is, he fronted the band with a saxaphone that he'd sqeek and sqauk around on and only played the drums when he couldn't find someone else to do it. He was one of the last "chitlin' circuit" style performers I've seen. It was like stepping back in time.
This was where I REALLY learned how to survive as a musician. This guy hustled gigs out of thin air. He'd talk his way into places that didn't hire live music. He'd book a show without even having a band put together, then go to a blues jam and round up a bunch of guys he had just met to play the gig, without any rehearsals. He'd lead the whole band through every song (showing them where to build, stop, punch, etc.) all while playing sax, singing and entertaining (even did the splits every now and then). What amazed me MOST was his abillity to always pull it off. He actually ended up hiring ME at a blues jam (and bummed a ride home that night to the other side of town). Everything he did was by the seat of his pants, but he was always a professional. He taught me the "old school" etiquette of stage and band management. He introduced me to all the black clubs and players in Louisville. My two favorite being Smoketown Red and Kush Griffin. Kush was with James Brown as one of the horny horns and Parliment in their prime. He also was responsible for introducing me to my life long friend "Portland" Johnny Hayes on the drums (bad M.F.) who played with me for most of my stint in Louisville. Johnny was also a Tophat protoge. All of this was my schooling. I owe these people a lot, but especially Top.
I eventually drifted back to my roots of bluegrass, folk and country and started an acoustic band called the Galoots. The first version was Todd Osborne and Dennis Talley. We really had a unique blend that fell into place easily. Eventually, as bands do, we drifted appart and the second inception of the band took place. Comprised of Steve Cooley, Mike Shroeder, and Larry Raley. That band ramped it into more of a moshgrass scene. That did what it did and I decided I had to go to Nashville in '98.
I did three shows at the Station Inn with the second version of the Galoots and ended up with production and publishing offers. I took the publishing, not being a fan of production "deals". Publishing led to demo, demo led to pitching songs to label for other artists to cut, pitch led to "who is this guy", "who is this guy" led to showcase, showcase to deal, and there you have it. I signed with MCA in 2000.
Later, left MCA and eventually went to Equity. Left Equity and joined MUZIKMAFIA. Since then I've gotten several cuts on other artists, writing a lot, playing a lot, producing a lot, and having fun alot. -Shannon Lawson
Are You Happy Now
Shannon Lawson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I just had to hear your voice
I know it's late
But it couldn't wait
I know it's been a while
Since we said goodbye
But we both did what we thought we had to do
I know you're wondering
Why I called you out of the blue
Are you really over me
I've gotta hear it straight from you
Are you happy now
I need to know
Do you miss the way
I held you close
If you've moved on
Please, won't you tell me how
Cause I've got to know
Before I go
Are you happy now
My heart keeps telling me
We both gave up way too soon
On something good
That I don't want to lose
And all this time without you
Is all that I can take
don't you think
That we made a big mistake
Are you happy now
I need to know
Do you miss the way
I held you close
If you've moved on
Please, won't you tell me how
Cause I've gotta know
Before I go
Are you happy now
Have you forgotten all the good times
And how much we were in love
Could this call change it all
Back to the way it was
Are you happy now
I need to know
Do you miss the way
I held you close
If you've moved on
Please, won't you tell me how
Cause I've gotta know
Before I go
Are you happy now
I've gotta know
Are you happy now
I've gotta know
Oh, are you happy now
Are you happy now
Are you happy now
Yeah
The song "Are You Happy Now" by Shannon Lawson is a heart-wrenching ballad about a man who reaches out to his former lover to seek closure about their past relationship. The lyrics are honest, heartfelt, and vulnerable, and convey the lingering emotions that the man still harbors for his former partner. He begins the song by expressing his need to hear her voice and explains that he had to call her out of the blue. He wants to know if she's really over him, and if she's happy without him. The man admits that it's been a while since they said their goodbyes and that they both did what they thought they had to do to make it through.
The chorus of the song finds the man asking a series of questions to his former lover. He needs to know if she misses the way he held her close and if she's moved on. He wants to understand if she's happy now, and if so, he needs to know how she achieved that level of happiness without him. The last verse finds the man reminiscing about the good times they shared and how much they were in love. He wonders if this phone call could change everything and bring them back to the way they were.
Line by Line Meaning
Hello, how are you
Greetings. How are you feeling?
I just had to hear your voice
I had a strong desire to speak with you.
I know it's late
I am aware of the time and apologize for calling so late.
But it couldn't wait
This call was urgent and could not be delayed.
I know it's been a while
It has been a long time since we last spoke.
Since we said goodbye
Since we ended our romantic relationship.
But we both did what we thought we had to do
We made the decision to split up for personal reasons.
Just to make it through
We felt like ending things was necessary to move forward with our lives.
I know you're wondering
I understand that you have questions on your mind.
Why I called you out of the blue
You're curious as to why I'm suddenly reaching out.
Are you really over me
I need to know if you've truly moved on from our relationship.
I've gotta hear it straight from you
I need to hear your response firsthand.
My heart keeps telling me
My emotions are telling me,
We both gave up way too soon
We did not give our relationship enough time to work out.
On something good
We ended things on a good thing, something that could have worked out.
That I don't want to lose
I still care for you and do not want to lose what we had.
And all this time without you
The time I've spent without you has been difficult.
Is all that I can take
It has been hard to cope without you.
Don't you think
Do you believe
That we made a big mistake
Ending our relationship might have been a mistake.
Have you forgotten all the good times
Do you not remember the good memories we shared?
And how much we were in love
Have you forgotten how deeply we loved each other?
Could this call change it all
Could this conversation alter our current situation?
Back to the way it was
Back to how our relationship was before we broke up.
Are you happy now
Currently, are you content with the way things are?
I need to know
It is important for me to understand.
Do you miss the way
Do you feel a longing for
I held you close
When we were together, physically close
If you've moved on
If you've emotionally moved on from us
Please, won't you tell me how
Please explain to me how you have managed to move forward.
Cause I've gotta know
Because I am eager to understand.
Before I go
Before we end this conversation.
I've gotta know
I really want to know.
Oh, are you happy now
Oh! Currently, are you satisfied with how things have turned out?
Are you happy now
Are you content with how things have turned out?
Are you happy now
Are you satisfied with how things have turned out?
Yeah
Yes
Lyrics © AMPLIFIED ADMINISTRATION, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SHANNON LAWSON, DEL GRAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Darron H
on Rainy Day Whiskey
any body have the lyrics and guitar cords for rainy day whisky?