He began his adult life as a young preacher in Philadelphia, where he hosted a gospel radio show. In the 1960s, he signed with Atlantic Records and began moving towards more secular music. His first hit was Just Out Of Reach Of My Open Arms, a cover of a country song. Though well-received by both peers and critics, and attaining a few moderate pop and several major R&B hits, Burke never could quite break through into the mainstream as did his contemporaries like Sam Cooke, Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin.
Nevertheless, his emotive delivery, polished production, as well as the touches of country and pop sensibility in his music won him admirers and imitators. In 1964 he wrote and recorded Everybody Needs Somebody To Love his most prominent bid for an enduring soul standard. Covered by the Rolling Stones the same year, other well-known versions include one by Wilson Pickett and another a decade and a half later in the 1980 feature film by The Blues Brothers. Burke's biggest hit was a 1969 cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's Proud Mary.
His career was to some degree revived in 2002, with the release of the album Don't Give Up On Me, produced by Joe Henry, where he sang songs written specifically for the album by a roster of top-rank artists, including Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, Van Morrison, Elvis Costello, Tom Waits and Joe Henry himself.
He is featured in the 2004 movie Lightning in a Bottle singing Turn on Your Love Light and Down in the Valley.
As of October 2002 Burke was the father of 14 daughters and 7 sons with 64 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren. Several of his children and grandchildren have had successful careers in various facets of the music industry, though none as much so as their patriarch.
Burke died, arriving at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam where he was supposed to perform with Dutch band De Dijk with whom he recorded an album, entitled Hold on Tight.
Rock icon Mick Jagger performed a tribute to Burke at the 2011 Grammy Awards, laying down Burke's classic hit "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love".
A cover of Everybody Needs Somebody To Love received huge exposure as the music for Amazon's 2019 Christmas commercial.
At The Crossroads
Solomon Burke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'm waitin' on my train
Well, and I'm wonderin' if you are my woman
And am I your man, I wanna be your man
Well, I've been travelin', I'm a soul searcher
So you know I know just where I'm comin' from
Well, I'm tired, I'm tired, tired of runnin' around in circles
Mystic nights, oh, surround me
In the darkness, in the darkness of my soul
Well, I see the light come shinnin', shinin' through
The mystic hall, the mystic hall
There's mud on my shoes and there's mud on my trousers
And my money I spent or gave it away
But I don't care, just as long as you see me and you love me
As I am today, as I am today
Here I am at the crossroads
Crossroads of my life
Yeah, babe
Mystic nights, oh, surround me
In the darkness, darkness of my soul
Well, I see my light, I see my light
Come shinin' through the fog, the late liftin' fog, y'all
Now there's mud on my shoes and there's mud on my trousers
My money I spent or gave it away, yeah
I don't really care, just as long as you see me, darlin', um
As I am today, see me as I am today
I'm standin' at the crossroads
And I'm waitin' on the midnight train
And I'm wonderin' deep down
Inside of my heart and my soul, baby
If you are my woman and if I'm your man
Lord, I'm wonderin', I'm wonderin'
I hope I'm not too late
At the crossroads
Solomon Burke's "At The Crossroads" is a ballad song about a man at a particular point in his life, standing at the crossroads and waiting for his train while contemplating his relationship with his woman. He is wondering whether he could still win her back after all the traveling he has done to find himself. The singer of the song shows how he has been searching for his true purpose, and he knows where he is coming from, despite his traveling. He is tired of running around in circles and wants to find his way back home. The line "there's mud on my shoes and there's mud on my trousers" symbolizes the struggles he has been through and how he has weathered it all.
The song evokes a sense of mysticism and the concept of spiritual essence surrounding the singer. He is enveloped in the darkness of his soul, yet he can see the light shining through the mystic hall as he awaits his midnight train. He is hopeful that his woman will see him as he is today, despite the mud on his shoes and trousers, and the money he has spent on his journeys. The song highlights how the singer has come to a crossroads that demands his reflection and introspection, and he wants to be sure of his woman's feelings towards him. The ballad is primarily about love, self-reflection, and finding one's way back home.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I'm standin' at the crossroads
I'm at a critical point in my life where I have to make a big decision.
And I'm waitin' on my train
I'm waiting for the right opportunity to come along.
Well, and I'm wonderin' if you are my woman
I'm not sure if we're meant to be together.
And am I your man, I wanna be your man
I want to be your partner and make a commitment to you.
Well, I've been travelin', I'm a soul searcher
I've been on a personal journey to find meaning and purpose.
So you know I know just where I'm comin' from
I have a deep understanding of my own experiences and how they shape me.
Well, I'm tired, I'm tired, tired of runnin' around in circles
I'm exhausted from going in circles and not making progress.
But then I wanna come home, I wanna come back home
I want to return to a place of comfort and stability.
Mystic nights, oh, surround me
I'm in a mysterious and reflective state of mind.
In the darkness, in the darkness of my soul
I'm feeling lost and uncertain about my direction in life.
Well, I see the light come shinnin', shinin' through
I see a glimmer of hope or opportunity in the distance.
The mystic hall, the mystic hall
I'm being guided by an unknown force or power beyond my understanding.
There's mud on my shoes and there's mud on my trousers
I've been through difficult and challenging circumstances.
And my money I spent or gave it away
I've made sacrifices or taken risks for what I believe in.
But I don't care, just as long as you see me and you love me
I don't need material possessions or success, I just need your love and acceptance.
As I am today, as I am today
I want to be accepted for who I am right now, without any pretense or facade.
Yeah, babe
Affirmation or agreement with the previous statements.
Now there's mud on my shoes and there's mud on my trousers
Reiteration of previous line to reinforce the struggles faced.
My money I spent or gave it away, yeah
Reiteration of previous line to reinforce the sacrifices made.
I don't really care, just as long as you see me, darlin', um
Reiteration of previous line to reinforce the importance of acceptance and love.
As I am today, see me as I am today
Reiteration of previous line to reinforce the desire for authenticity and honesty.
And I'm waitin' on the midnight train
Reiteration of previous line to reinforce the waiting for the right opportunity.
And I'm wonderin' deep down
Reiteration of previous line to reinforce the uncertainty and questioning of one's path.
Inside of my heart and my soul, baby
Reiteration of previous line to reinforce the emotional intensity of the situation.
If you are my woman and if I'm your man
Reiteration of previous lines to reinforce the importance of commitment and partnership.
Lord, I'm wonderin', I'm wonderin'
Emphasis on the uncertainty and questioning of one's path.
I hope I'm not too late
Expression of concern that it may be too late to make the right decision.
At the crossroads
Reinforcement of the critical moment of indecision.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: VAN MORRISON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@monkeydennis
A really touching song.<after all these years>