Silverstein's passion for music was clear early on as he studied for a while at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. As a songwriter, Silverstein kept a low profile but cast a long shadow. He tended to shun publicity and even photographers. Nonetheless, his musical output included many songs which were hits for other artists. Most notably, he wrote the music and lyrics for "A Boy Named Sue" that was performed by Johnny Cash (for which he won a Grammy in 1970); "One's on the Way" (which was a hit for Loretta Lynn), and "The Unicorn Song" which, despite having nothing to do with Ireland nor Irish culture, became the signature piece for The Irish Rovers in 1968 and is popular in pubs all over the world to this day. He wrote the lyrics and music for most of the Dr. Hook songs, including "Cover of the Rolling Stone", "Freakin' at the Freakers' Ball", "Sylvia's Mother", and the cautionary song about VD, "Don't Give a Dose to the One You Love Most". He also wrote many of the songs performed by Bobby Bare, including "Marie Laveau", "Rosalie's Good Eats Cafe", "The Mermaid", "The Winner", and "Tequila Sheila". The song "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan",] recorded in 1979 by Marianne Faithfull and later featured in the films Montenegro and Thelma & Louise, was also by Silverstein.
You
Shel Silverstein Lyrics
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Sittin' on my suitcase, goin' quietly insane
All about you, girl,
All about you.
All about you and the no feelin'
Double-dealin' things that you do.
Every man in Granville
Burn your ears if you could hear
The stories that they tell
All about you. . .
They say you're picked up every Thursday
In a rich man's limousine.
And some cat in San Quentin
Keeps on havin' nasty dreams
All about you. . .
Now the summer sun may burn my back
And these tears may dim my sight.
But before I die, there's a dirty book I'm gonna write
All about you, girl
All about you.
All about you and the no feelin'
Double-dealin' things that you do.
The lyrics of Shel Silverstein's song "All About You" tell the story of a man waiting at the Greyhound station in Granville in the rain. He's sitting on his suitcase and feeling emotionally overwhelmed as he thinks about a woman who seems to have a reputation for being untrustworthy and deceitful. He can't help but think about her and all of the things she's done to hurt the men in her life. According to the lyrics, every man in Granville claims to know her well, and there are rumors of her being picked up by a wealthy man every Thursday. Even a man in San Quentin has "nasty dreams" about her.
The singer's fascination with this woman is so strong that he declares he's going to write a dirty book about her before he dies. The lyrics suggest that despite her dishonest and unfaithful ways, there's something about this woman that draws men to her. Whether it's her beauty or her charm, she has a hold over the men in her life that they can't seem to shake off.
This song speaks to the complicated nature of human relationships and the power that others can hold over us. It also raises questions about the morality of our actions and how they can impact the people around us.
Line by Line Meaning
In the Granville Greyhound station in the lightly drizzlin' rain
I am sitting at the Granville Greyhound station, while it drizzles, waiting for my bus.
Sittin' on my suitcase, goin' quietly insane
I am sitting on my suitcase, and the boredom and inactivity here is driving me crazy.
All about you, girl,
My thoughts are constantly about you.
All about you.
Everything I do, think, or say is related to you only.
All about you and the no feelin'
You are cold-hearted and indifferent in your actions and behavior.
Double-dealin' things that you do.
You manipulate and deceive people by doing sneaky and untrustworthy things.
Every man in Granville
All the men in Granville seem to know you well.
Says he knows you well.
Everyone believes that they know you really well.
Burn your ears if you could hear
You would feel ashamed if you could hear what people are saying about you.
The stories that they tell
People have all kinds of stories to tell about you.
They say you're picked up every Thursday
Rumour has it that you get picked up every Thursday in a rich man's limousine.
In a rich man's limousine.
It is believed that a rich man drives his limousine to pick you up on Thursdays.
And some cat in San Quentin
There is a criminal in San Quentin prison who had nasty dreams about you.
Keeps on havin' nasty dreams
The criminal keeps having nasty dreams about you that he is ashamed to talk about.
Now the summer sun may burn my back
The summer sun might beat down on me and hurt my back.
And these tears may dim my sight.
I might cry so much that my vision becomes blurred.
But before I die, there's a dirty book I'm gonna write
I will write a book that exposes all the dirty things that you have done, before I die.
All about you, girl
The dirty book I am going to write will be all about you.
All about you.
The dirty book will give all the secrets about you and your questionable actions.
All about you and the no feelin'
The book will talk about how you are indifferent about your actions and their impact on others.
Double-dealin' things that you do.
The book will also expose all the manipulative and deceptive things you do to people.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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