Colvin's formative years were spent in the town of Carbondale, Illinois, where she attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She learned to play guitar at the age of 10. Her first public concert was at age 15 at the University of Illinois campus. Colvin cites Joni Mitchell as a primary influence on her music, and her initial performances closely mirrored Mitchell's inflections and guitar tunings.
Colvin began working in the music scene in earnest in the late 1970s, first in Austin, Texas and then nationally. She met music partner John Leventhal during this time; Leventhal would go on to be Colvin's producer on several albums. Colvin often lends her talent to contemporaries in the music business - she can be heard singing the backing vocals on the Suzanne Vega hit, "Luka" from 1987. Vega returned the favor, singing backup on Colvin's, "Diamond In The Rough", from her debut album, "Steady On". Colvin, again can be heard singing backing vocals on Mary Chapin Carpenter's, "The Hard Way" and "Come On Come On" and Mary Chapin returns the favor on Colvin's, "Climb On (A Back That's Strong)", from Colvin's "Fat City" album.
Colvin's first several albums were met with critical acclaim, but did not sell in substantial numbers. After several albums of original work, Colvin released "Cover Girl", a collection of cover songs, but the work was a departure for her and was not well received.
Colvin experienced breakthrough success with "A Few Small Repairs" in October of 1996. The single "Sunny Came Home" reached the US Top Ten, and won Grammy Awards for Song and Record of the Year. She has released several subsequent albums that were nominated for Grammys, and has also released a greatest-hits album and a collection of Christmas music.
A new album from Colvin, entitled "These Four Walls", was released on September 12, 2006.
She was the guest vocal artist on the Lisa Loeb single "Falling in Love" as well as appearing at various Lilith Fair music festivals. She also has been featured on the popular live music show Austin City Limits and played at the 2003 Austin City Limits Music Festival. She also appeared in a tribute to her idol Joni Mitchell in 2001 that was broadcast on the cable network TNT.
She has made two guest appearances on The Simpsons as Rachel Jordan, lead singer for a Christian rock band. She first appears in "Alone Again, Natura-diddly," where Rachel wins Ned Flanders' heart after the untimely death of his wife, Maude. Later, in the episode "I'm Going to Praiseland," Ned dates Rachel, only to scare her off when he tries to turn her into a version of Maude.
Colvin lives with her daughter, Caledonia, and husband, Mario Erwin in Austin, Texas, and still participates in the Austin music scene.
All Fall Down
Shawn Colvin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause I don't know better
I'm a thief and a sinner
I'm a fool and a debtor
You got your pushin' numbers
You got your pushin' a broom
And what's lucky to some
[Chorus]
We all fall down
We all fall down
We all fall down
Well I don't understand why
And I might never know
But I believe in love
I like to swallow it whole
How come the best of 'em wind up
Sweepin' dirt off the street
And the worst of 'em end up
Right back up on their feet
Got a heart full of blood
I got muscle and feeling
But I'm flat on my back
I'm starin' up at the ceiling
[Chorus]
If I've seen it once
I've seen it time and again
You don't know where you're goin'
Don't know where you are
You don't know where you been
[Chorus]
In Shawn Colvin's song All Fall Down, the singer begins by acknowledging their inadequacy, a total vulnerability in the face of their life's challenges. The lyrics "I'm a thief and a sinner, I'm a fool and a debtor" suggest a person with a flawed past and a struggle with morality, even as they arrive like a force of nature, unable to resist. Nevertheless, in the chorus, the singer recognizes that everyone, including themselves, is vulnerable to a fall. "We all fall down, we all fall down, we all fall down" implies that no one is immune to life's challenges; that falling is a universal human experience.
Then, in the second verse, the singer expresses confusion and despair by contemplating the injustices of life. They question the idea of hard work and the reward it brings. They say, "How come the best of 'em wind up sweepin' dirt off the street, and the worst of 'em end up right back up on their feet" questioning society's ideals and values, where someone who works hard to get a stable life can end up losing everything, while someone who doesn't try could succeed despite all the odds. But in the end, the lyrics end on a note of hope; the belief in love that is all-encompassing and has the power to overcome any struggles, hinted in the line, "But I believe in love; I like to swallow it whole."
Line by Line Meaning
Here I come
I am arriving
'Cause I don't know better
I am making poor choices due to lack of understanding or knowledge
I'm a thief and a sinner
I am guilty of immoral actions and behavior
I'm a fool and a debtor
I am foolish and indebted, likely due to my poor choices
You got your pushin' numbers
Referring to someone who has a menial job
You got your pushin' a broom
Referring to another person with a janitorial type job
And what's lucky to some
Certain things that may be fortunate for others
Is breakin' even to you
Is only achieving equilibrium for you.
[Chorus]
Repeated phrase emphasizing that everyone falls down
Well I don't understand why
I am puzzled as to why certain things happen as they do
And I might never know
I may never find the answer
But I believe in love
I have faith in love
I like to swallow it whole
I fully embrace the feeling of love
How come the best of 'em wind up
Why do the best people have to end up
Sweepin' dirt off the street
Doing undesirable work
And the worst of 'em end up
Why do the worst people end up
Right back up on their feet
Quickly recovering from their low point
Got a heart full of blood
Referring to having strong emotions
I got muscle and feeling
Referencing both physical and emotional strength
But I'm flat on my back
I am in a low point
I'm starin' up at the ceiling
I am helpless in my situation
[Chorus]
Repeated phrase emphasizing that everyone falls down
If I've seen it once
If I have seen this once before
I've seen it time and again
I have observed this numerous times before
You don't know where you're goin'
Uncertainty regarding the future
Don't know where you are
Uncertainty about current location or situation
You don't know where you been
Uncertainty about past experiences or choices
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JOHN LEVENTHAL, SHAWN COLVIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
cristian lauga
Here I come
Cuz I don't know better
I'm a thief and a sinner
I'm a fool and a debtor
You got your pushin' numbers
You got your pushin' a broom
And what's lucky to some
Is breakin' even to you
We all fall down
We all fall down
We all fall down…
Well I don't understand why
And I might never know
But I believe in love
I like to swallow it whole
How come the best of 'em wind up
Sweepin' dirt off the street
And the worst of 'em end up
Right back up on their feet
Got a heart full of blood
I got muscle and feeling
But I'm flat on my back
I'm starin' up at the ceiling
We all fall down
We all fall down
We all fall down…
If I've seen it once
I've seen it time and again
You don't know where you're goin'
Don't know where you are
You don't know where you been
We all fall down
We all fall down
We all fall down
chhayden15
Shawn's acoustic guitar playing really sets the tone for this song. Love it!!
Jeff Roberts
She’s been through enough tragedy and heartache .she deserves all the success she can handle.
daveinprogress3
Shawn's music has been with me for all of my adult life - and it has been such a great companion and friendly warm voice to be ensconced in. This is a great comeback record. Onwards and Upwards!
cookiesfanforever
This is a totally different mix of this song compared to the album version - and it’s SO much better! Kudos to whoever did this remix. This one rocks way harder. Great production.
Susan Miller
I love it because she is so good as a writer and the producer made it interesting. She is so good.
helipilot7771
This song describes my entire life. Thank you Shawn, I completely identify with it.
titogilda
We all have our own uniqueness to bring to the table, yet we have to work together in harmony to keep it running smoothly or we all fail. Love this, Shawn!
Sonny James
Great song great artist!
Bernadine Remington
One of the best videos I've ever seen along w a great song and a fine singer!
TellMeMore
When I saw her last night in San Francisco, she said her daughter is 14 now. So is the first clapping girl in this video Shawn's daughter? Seems likely! Shawn is a phenomenal guitaring, songwriter, singer and performer. So beautiful to hear her live.