He is a 10-time Grammy Award winner, earning numerous statues in 2009 -- including Album of the Year and Record of the Year -- for his production work on Raising Sand, the worldwide smash album from Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. That same year, he was also awarded a Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album for his work on B.B. King's One Kind Favor. He previously earned five Grammys for his work on the 8-times Platinum release, O Brother Where Art Thou? , which also spawned two highly successful national concert tours: Down From The Mountain and The Great High Mountain. Further Grammys followed for his work on the platinum soundtrack to the Johnny Cash biopic, Walk The Line, and the platinum Tony Bennett / k.d. lang duets album, A Wonderful World.
T Bone produced the critically acclaimed hit film Crazy Heart, starring Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell and Robert Duvall, which was released by Fox Searchlight in December 2009. He also composed the film's score and co-wrote many of its original songs, including "The Weary Kind," which earned T Bone and co-writer, Ryan Bingham, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award. T Bone's work on that film also garnered him awards from the Broadcast Film Critics Association (for Best Original Song for "The Weary Kind"), as well as numerous other critics organizations throughout the U.S.
He is Executive Producer of the forthcoming television series, Tough Trade, and is also creating original compositions and recordings for the series.
He was nominated for an Academy Award in 2004, along with Elvis Costello in the category of Best Original Song for "The Scarlet Tide" from the film, Cold Mountain. For his work on that film, Burnett also earned the BAFTA's Anthony Asquith Award for Achievement in Film Music.
Burnett' work as an in-demand music producer spans three decades and has resulted in some of the biggest-selling and most critically-lauded releases of all time, including albums from Counting Crows, The Wallflowers, Los Lobos, Cassandra Wilson, Roy Orbison and Ralph Stanley. His first major foray into film was his 1999 collaboration with the Coen Brothers on The Big Lebowski, for which he served as "Musical Archivist." He has since served as Executive Music Producer on numerous additional films, including Across The Universe, the aforementioned Walk The Line (for which he also composed the score) and The Divine Secrets Of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood.
T Bone most recent music productions include Country Music from Willie Nelson, Women & Country from Jakob Dylan, Secret, Profane & Sugarcane from Elvis Costello and Life, Death, Love and Freedom from John Mellencamp. He is currently producing album projects for Elton John & Leon Russell and Gregg Allman, and followup albums for John Mellencamp and Elvis Costello, all of which will be released in 2010. Burnett is also collaborating with Mellencamp and author Stephen King on Ghost Brothers Of Darkland County, a play with music set in the fictional town of Lake Belle Reve, Mississippi.
Born Joseph Henry Burnett in St. Louis, Missouri in 1948, T Bone grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, where he first began making records in 1965. His big break came in 1975, when he was asked by Bob Dylan to play guitar in his band on the now-legendary Rolling Thunder Revue tour.
From that experience, he formed the Alpha Band with David Mansfield and Steven Soles, and the group made three acclaimed albums before Burnett went solo with the arresting Truth Decay in 1980, followed by the Trap Door EP (1982), Proof Through the Night (1983), the Behind the Trap Door EP (1984), an acoustic collection, T Bone Burnett (1986), The Talking Animals (1988), and The Criminal Under My Own Hat (1992).
T Bone emerged from a self-imposed 14-year hiatus as a recording artist in 2006 to release two highly-anticipated collections of music simultaneously: The True False Identity, his first album of original songs since 1992, and Twenty Twenty - The Essential T Bone Burnett, a 40-song retrospective spanning his entire career of music-making. In 2008, he released the album Tooth Of Crime, a vibrant outgrowth of his long-running collaboration with playwright Sam Shepard.
Every Little Thing
T Bone Burnett Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For every little way I made you cry
There's another line etched in my face
Another trace of sorrow in my eyes
For every careless word you spoke against me
For every time I staggered through your lies
There's another tear stain in your face
Measuring the angle of the pain
Taking all the pleasure that remains
Shadows that follow you
Into this solitude
For every little thing I did to hurt you
For every little way I made you cry
There's another line etched in my face
Another trace of anger in my eyes
Swallowing the bitter and the vain
Seeing madness following in train
Shadows that threaten when
Dancing like skeletons
For every careless word you spoke against me
For every time I staggered through your lies
There's another tear stain in your face
Another trace of anger in your eyes
Another trace of anger in your eyes
Another trace of anger in your eyes
T Bone Burnett's song Every Little Thing is a poignant reflection on the pain and hurt caused in relationships. The lyrics speak to the cyclical nature of hurt, where every action has an equal and opposite reaction. The first verse focuses on the singer's remorse for the hurt they have inflicted on their partner, evidenced by the lines etched on their face and the traces of sorrow in their eyes. The second verse shifts the perspective to the partner, who is also burdened by the hurtful words and actions of the singer.
The chorus ties everything together, emphasizing the theme of pain and the lasting impact it has on both individuals in the relationship. The lines "measuring the angle of the pain, taking all the pleasure that remains" suggest that pain is all-consuming, and it's difficult to find pleasure or happiness while in its grip. The chorus is a melancholic reminder of the consequences of hurtful actions and words, and the mourning process that follows.
The bridge adds to the desolate feeling of the song, with the imagery of shadows and skeletons dancing. Here, the consequences of hurtful actions are depicted as looming threats - a constant reminder of the pain that has been caused. The final repetition of "another trace of anger in your eyes" underscores the cyclical nature of pain and hurt in relationships, suggesting that it's difficult to escape the hurt caused by both parties.
Line by Line Meaning
For every little thing I did to hurt you
I acknowledge every action of mine that caused you pain.
For every little way I made you cry
I take responsibility for every tear that you shed because of me.
There's another line etched in my face
The guilt and regret of my actions are apparent on my face.
Another trace of sorrow in my eyes
The sadness I carry because of hurting you is reflected in my eyes.
For every careless word you spoke against me
I understand every harsh word that you said to me in response.
For every time I staggered through your lies
I admit to struggling with trusting you and doubting your honesty.
There's another tear stain in your face
Your own hurt has left marks on your face in the form of tears.
Another trace of anger in your eyes
I can see the anger and resentment you hold towards me in your eyes.
Measuring the angle of the pain
Reflecting on the extent of hurt caused by each action.
Taking all the pleasure that remains
Acknowledging how my actions have robbed us of happiness.
Shadows that follow you
The negative impact of our past actions continues to affect us.
Into this solitude
The isolation caused by not being able to move past our mistakes.
Swallowing the bitter and the vain
Accepting the unpleasantness and futility of our past actions.
Seeing madness following in train
Recognizing the cycle of negativity that our actions have set in motion.
Shadows that threaten when
The looming negative impact that our past has on our present and future.
Dancing like skeletons
Continuing to live with the consequences of our past actions.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@JenniferSteel
T-Bone Burnett is such a treasure. GOLD.
@kevinstasek6698
I didn't know who he was until I watched Mr Mercedes. Now I have a new favorite artist. And wow what a distinguished career he has had
@sepandphan
T BONE BURNETT - monday 2 / 9 / 2OI9 : from PARIS ------------the pleasure years after years to follow your path and work ....the night with friends pl pl apmau
@Turtle152
T-Bone could've used a synthesizer on this, but instead he used a real string quartet. Very classy!