Steve Miller (born 5 October 1943) is a blues and rock and roll guitarist and performer. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin but attended high school in Dallas. While at St. Mark's School of Texas, he formed his first band, The Marksmen. Miller taught one of his classmates, Royce Boz Scaggs, a few guitar chords so that he could join the band; Scaggs became better known by his nickname, Boz. Miller attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison during the 1960s, where he formed The Ardells. Scaggs joined the Ardells the next year. Ben Sidran was added to the Ardells as a keyboardist the following year.
In 1968, Miller formed the Steve Miller Band, with Scaggs handling vocals, and released an album, Children of the Future, the first in a series of discs rooted solidly in the psychedelic blues style that dominated the San Francisco music scene at the time. Scaggs would leave the band after a couple of albums with vocal chores taken over by drummer Tim Davis; Miller himself would begin singing occasional lead on 1969's Brave New World. These albums performed respectably on the album charts but failed to yield a hit.
In the 1970's the band had some hits that became classics over the years - Jet Airliner, with some evocative lyrics that brought home the loss of life on the road; and The Joker which includes the famous line about the "pompatus of love", which is of course nonsense, but that didn't stop a lot of stoned folks from spending years talking amongst themselves.
Steve Miller's father was a wealthy doctor in Dallas, and friends with famous guitarist and guitar designer Les Paul. Les Paul gave Miller his first guitar lessons.
Longtime member Norton Buffalo (harmonica player) died from lung cancer on October 30, 2009.
John King (drummer during "The Joker" era) died after a short bout of kidney cancer on October 26, 2010.
Band-member James Cooke died from cancer on 16 May 2011.
Willow Weep For Me
Steve Miller Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Weeping willow tree
Bend your branches green
Along the stream
That runs to sea
Listen to my plea
Listen willow and weep for me
Lovely summer dream
Gone and left me here to weep my tears into the stream
Sad as I can be
Hear me willow and weep for me
Whisper to the wind
And say that love has sinned
To leave my heart a breakin' and a makin' a moan
Murmur to the night
To hide her starry light
So none will find me sighing here and crying all alone
Oh, weeping willow tree
Weeping sympathy
Bend your branches down along the ground
And cover me
When the shadows fall
Bend, oh, willow and weep for me
Oh, weeping willow tree
Weeping sympathy
Bend your branches down
Along the ground and cover me
When the shadows fall
Bend, oh, willow and weep for me
Gone my lovers dream
Lovely summer's dream
The song "Willow Weep for Me" is a melancholy tune about a person's broken heart and the abandonment of a lover. The singer calls out to the willow tree, asking it to weep for him/her as they are feeling sad and alone. The weeping willow tree is often considered a symbol for grief, and its green branches are compared to tears streaming down the singer's face. The stream that runs to the sea is symbolic of the heartache, and the singer is pleading with the willow tree to listen to their pain and weep for them.
The second verse speaks of the loss of the singer's lover and the "lovely summer dream" they have left behind. The singer is filled with sadness and is asking the willow tree to again weep for them as they cry tears into the stream. The third verse continues with the theme of heartbreak and asks the willow tree to whisper to the wind about the betrayal caused by "love's sin." The singer feels alone and abandoned as they hide from the world and cry alone.
Overall, "Willow Weep for Me" is a moving and powerful ballad that beautifully expresses the emotions of heartbreak and loss. The singer uses the willow tree as a symbol for their sadness and asks it to weep for them as they seek comfort and solace in the depths of their despair.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, willow weep for me
Addressing the willow tree to cry for him in his sorrow
Weeping willow tree
A tree known for its drooping branches and symbolic association with grief and mourning
Bend your branches green
Asking the tree to lower its branches towards him to console him
Along the stream
Referring to the water flowing along the riverbank
That runs to sea
The stream flows towards the ocean
Listen to my plea
Requesting the willow to attentively hear his earnest appeal
Listen willow and weep for me
Requesting the tree to both listen and weep in empathy for him
Gone my lovers dream
His romantic hopes have vanished
Lovely summer dream
A beautiful, hopeful fantasy that has disappeared
Gone and left me here to weep my tears into the stream
His lover has deserted him and he is now crying his heart out by the river
Sad as I can be
He's feeling extremely sorrowful
Hear me willow and weep for me
Confirming his appeal to the tree to listen and cry along with him
Whisper to the wind
Asking the breeze to carry a message of his heartbreak and pain
And say that love has sinned
Telling the wind to testify that love has committed a wrong against him
To leave my heart a breakin' and a makin' a moan
Love has caused him tremendous pain and grief
Murmur to the night
Requesting the night to keep his secrets and not expose his vulnerability
To hide her starry light
A metaphor for the night sky, which usually twinkles with stars
So none will find me sighing here and crying all alone
Desiring to conceal his misery from the prying eyes of others
Oh, weeping willow tree
Repeating his call for the tree's support and comfort
Weeping sympathy
Emphasizing the tree's symbolic association with sorrow and empathy
Bend your branches down along the ground
Requesting the tree to lower its branches to cover him and provide solace
And cover me
Seeking the tree's protective cover and embrace
When the shadows fall
Referring to the onset of evening or emotional darkness
Bend, oh, willow and weep for me
Reiterating his plea for the tree to both bow and weep in sadness with him
Contributed by Amelia E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.