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.
Wichita Skyline
Shawn Colvin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But anywhere else now seems like a million miles away
And I must have been high to believe that I would ever leave
Now I'm just a flat fine line like the Wichita skyline
I rode on the airstream across the great lonesome afternoon
I wished hard enough to hurt drove fast enough to catch the moon
But I must have been dreaming again 'cause there's nothing around the bend
Except for that flat fine line, the Wichita skyline
As far as Salina I can get that good station from LaRue
I'm searching the dial while I'm scanning the sky for a patch of blue
And I watch the black clouds roll in chasing me back again
Back to the flat fine line, the Wichita skyline
The lyrics to Shawn Colvin's song Wichita Skyline evoke a sense of yearning for something that is out of reach. The first stanza describes the feeling of being stuck in Wichita, with nowhere else seeming accessible. The singer seems to have lost hope in ever leaving, feeling like she is just a "flat fine line" on the horizon, blending in with the Wichita skyline. The second stanza paints a picture of the singer driving across the lonely Midwest landscape, searching for something beyond her current situation. She is listening to the radio, hoping for a sign of a better life, a "patch of blue" in the sky. However, the black clouds roll in, and she realizes that there is no escaping the "flat fine line" of the Wichita skyline.
Overall, the song is about feeling trapped in one's current situation and searching for a way out, while realizing that sometimes there is nowhere else to go. The Wichita skyline serves as a metaphor for the limits of one's own existence, a reminder that sometimes we can't escape where we come from.
Line by Line Meaning
Down at the train they go to Independence everyday
People at the train station travel to Independence on a daily basis
But anywhere else now seems like a million miles away
Everywhere else feels incredibly far away
And I must have been high to believe that I would ever leave
The singer was not thinking clearly when they believed they could leave
Now I'm just a flat fine line like the Wichita skyline
Like the flat plane of the Wichita skyline, the artist feels empty and insignificant
I rode on the airstream across the great lonesome afternoon
The artist traveled in an airstream trailer on a long, lonely afternoon
I wished hard enough to hurt drove fast enough to catch the moon
The singer wished very strongly and drove very quickly, almost to the point of pain, in pursuit of their goal
But I must have been dreaming again 'cause there's nothing around the bend
The singer realizes they were dreaming because there is no hope or opportunity in sight
Except for that flat fine line, the Wichita skyline
The only thing in sight is the flat, unchanging Wichita skyline
As far as Salina I can get that good station from LaRue
The artist can receive a clear radio station signal from LaRue at Salina
I'm searching the dial while I'm scanning the sky for a patch of blue
The artist is searching for better options, both on the radio and in the sky
And I watch the black clouds roll in chasing me back again
Dark clouds symbolize obstacles and struggles that are leading the singer back to their starting point
Back to the flat fine line, the Wichita skyline
In the end, the artist is returning to the empty, unchanging Wichita skyline
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHN LEVENTHAL, JOHN B. LEVENTHAL, SHAWN COLVIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@josepharanetachannel
Down at the train they go to Independence everyday
But anywhere else now seems like a million miles away
And I must have been high to believe that I would ever leave
Now I'm just a flat fine line like the Wichita skyline
I rode on the airstream across the great lonesome afternoon
I wished hard enough to hurt drove fast enough to catch the moon
But I must have been dreaming again 'cause there's nothing around the bend
Except for that flat fine line, the Wichita skyline
As far as Salina I can get that good station from LaRue
I'm searching the dial while I'm scanning the sky for a patch of blue
And I watch the black clouds roll in chasing me back again
Back to the flat fine line, the Wichita skyline
@PabloCounago9
The moody baritone guitar and echo/tremolo is absolutely divine. What a triumph - not just this song, but the whole album ❤
@michaelnowicki8922
This is one of the finest songs I have ever heard, IMO the best track on this cd.
@Lrigyttiw
I totally agree!
@marianneosielworld
Love the tremolo baritone guitar (that goes down to low C, setting the stage) on the first few measures...then Shawn comes in...what a brilliant, gorgeous voice, with heaven, hell, and everything else in between mixed into the pipes. ALSO one of my absolute all-time favorite albums!!
@mattmcdonald6202
Brittle... in the best sense.
Yet so textured.
Yep, best track on the record.
@troyschneck4934
Mine, too!
@johnthorne4093
You're absolutely right: Trouble, 84,000 Different Delusions, If I Were Brave (so quiet, yet so majestic), this song... amazing; I listen to it again and again.
@Robertoni7
Beautiful song, beautiful voice, beautiful soul.
@VinceLyle2161
I bought this CD about a million years ago. It's top to bottom terrific. But this song stands out.
@TRACELHENTZ
Oh God I listen to this song on repeat, over and over