The Susan Tedeschi Band began in 1994 and featured Tom Hambridge and Adrienne Hayes. In 1995 Tedeschi began playing guitar and honing her skills. In December that year she released Better Days to regional audiences. Record contracts were difficult to keep together; however, recording sessions from 1997 were acquired by Richard Rosenblatt, and the band was signed to Tone-Cool Records and Just Won't Burn was released in February 1998 to rave reviews from blues publications.
During 1998 and 1999 Tedeschi toured extensively through out the United States and her spectacular stage presence and powerful voice drew larger crowds. Eventually Tedeschi was opening for John Mellencamp, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, The Allman Brothers Band, Taj Mahal and Bob Dylan. In 2000, Just Won't Burn reached gold record status, rare for such a production. She recorded two tracks with Double Trouble band members Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon for their album.
Tedeschi's voice has been described as a blend of Bonnie Raitt and Janis Joplin, though she explains this is due to sharing the same influences as the two. Her guitar playing is influenced by Buddy Guy, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Freddie King and Doyle Bramhall.
Tedeschi grew up in Norwell, Massachusetts and attended the Berklee College of Music where she received her bachelor of music in composition and performance. Tedeschi had always been musically inclined, performing in musicals, singing for family members, and listening to her father's record collection. She formed a band in high school called the Smoking Section at age 15, sang in a Gospel choir at Berklee and began sitting in with local blues jams at venues in Boston. In 2001, she married Derek Trucks, Allman Brothers guitar player, leader of The Derek Trucks Band, and nephew of founding Allmans drummer Butch Trucks. They have two children, Charlie and Sophia. They currently reside in Jacksonville,FL, and regularly collaborate on each other's albums.
Looking For Answers
Susan Tedeschi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How many times must I sit alone and cry
How many times must I ask mercy on me
How many times must I beg to be free
Well, I'm looking for answers
Looking for answers that nobody knows
Well, I'm looking for answers
Well, I'm looking for answers from above
Not from below
How many times must I learn to live
How many times must I learn to love to give
How many times must I get down on my knees to pray
How many times must I pray did you say
Well, I'm looking for answers
Looking for answers that nobody knows
Well, I'm looking for answers
Looking for answers that nobody knows
Well, I'm looking for answers from above
Not from below
Lord, I love you in so many ways
Lord, I love you each and every day
But now is the time when I must ask you why
Why must we live, and why must we die
Well, I'm looking for answers
Looking for answers that nobody knows
Said I'm looking for answers
Looking for answers that nobody knows
Well, I'm looking for answers from above
Not from below
The lyrics in Susan Tedeschi's "Looking for Answers" express the struggles of a person searching for meaning and purpose in life. The recurring question of how many times someone needs to endure pain and suffering before finding freedom and happiness speaks to the frustration of feeling lost and stagnant. The line "I'm looking for answers that nobody knows" emphasizes the feeling of being alone in one's journey, despite seeking guidance from a higher power.
The reference to kneeling and praying reiterates this search for spiritual connection and understanding. The final verse takes a more reflective tone, expressing love for a higher power while questioning the purpose of life and death. The plea for answers "from above, not from below" suggests a desire for clarity and direction that transcends earthly concerns.
Overall, Tedeschi's lyrics convey an earnest longing for direction and fulfillment, while acknowledging the difficulty of finding such answers.
Line by Line Meaning
How many times must I sit here and tell you goodbye
Expressing the frustration of repeatedly having to end a relationship and say goodbye
How many times must I sit alone and cry
Expressing the feeling of solitude and sadness that comes from having to deal with the struggles of life alone
How many times must I ask mercy on me
Expressing the feeling of hopelessness and the need for divine intervention to help with life's challenges
How many times must I beg to be free
Expressing the feeling of being trapped or bound by something and pleading to be released
Well, I'm looking for answers
The singer is seeking clarity and understanding
Looking for answers that nobody knows
Looking for answers that are not readily apparent, and possibly impossible to find
Well, I'm looking for answers from above
The singer is looking for answers from a higher power or from a spiritual perspective
Not from below
The singer is not looking for answers from earthly or material sources
How many times must I learn to live
Expressing the ongoing process of learning how to navigate life's challenges and experiences
How many times must I learn to love to give
Expressing the ongoing process of learning how to love, share and give to others
How many times must I get down on my knees to pray
Expressing the need for constant prayer and spiritual guidance
How many times must I pray did you say
Expressing the need for divine intervention or guidance in all aspects of life
Lord, I love you in so many ways
Expressing the deep love and reverence the singer has for a higher power
Lord, I love you each and every day
Expressing the daily devotion and commitment to a higher power
But now is the time when I must ask you why
Expressing the need to seek answers to life's questions and challenges from a higher power
Why must we live, and why must we die
Expressing the fundamental question of human existence and the search for meaning in life
Said I'm looking for answers
Reiterating the ongoing search for understanding and clarity
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sam Clark
My first love sent me this.. We both married others and have remained good friends since parting over 40 years ago.
Wonder Behr
❤