The singing group comprises father Willard, son Sidney, and daughters Evelyn and Suzanne. Their distinctive sound derives from a combination of Country, bluegrass, and gospel styles. The Cox family was joined for a short time in the early 1990s by Greg Underwood on the bass, during the absence of third daughter Lynn.
The Cox Family first began performing regularly together at fairs and festivals in 1976, though an earlier performance can be heard in the 1974 version of Broken Engagement which appears on Beyond the City (1995). Their career was given a big boost when in the early '90s they met Alison Krauss, who brought them to the attention of Rounder Records. They also gained massive exposure when in 1994 they caught the ear of Adam Duritz, frontman of the multi-platinum-selling Counting Crows, who was so impressed with the Cox Family that he invited them to open for the band during its North American tour. Krauss, who has produced all but the family's very first release Quiet Storm on Wilcox Records, recorded several of Sidney's songs, which appeared on both of her Grammy Award-winning albums, including the title track of I've Got That Old Feeling.
The Cox Family recorded two records of their own on Rounder Records: Everybody's Reaching Out for Someone (1993) and Beyond the City (1995), which earned them a Grammy nomination for "Best Bluegrass Album". They also collaborated with Krauss on an album entitled I Know Who Holds Tomorrow, which won a Grammy in 1994 for "Best Country/Gospel/Bluegrass Album." The Cox Family also shared a Grammy for their participation in the various-artists project Amazing Grace: A Country Salute to Gospel. Their major-label debut, Just When We're Thinking It's Over, was released on Asylum Records in 1996.
In July 2000, shortly after recording two songs for the Coen Brothers film O Brother, Where Art Thou?, the family were dealt a blow when Willard Cox and his wife Marie were seriously injured in a traffic accident near their home in Cotton Valley. In February 2009, Marie Cox, Willard Cox's wife and mother to their children, died from cancer. Alison Krauss was among the many that attended the funeral.
Members
Evelyn Cox (born June 20, 1959) - guitar, vocals
Lynn Cox (born October 11, 1960) - bass, vocals
Sidney Cox (born July 21, 1965) - banjo, dobro, guitar, vocals
Suzanne Cox (born June 5, 1967) - mandolin, vocals
Willard Cox (born June 9, 1937 - November 4, 2019) - fiddle, vocals
Dennis Sunderman - bass
I am Weary
The Cox Family Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lay my head upon your breast
Throw your loving arms around me
I am weary let me rest
Seems the light is swiftly fading
Brighter scenes they do now show
I am standing by the river
Kiss me mother kiss your darlin'
See the pain upon my brow
While I'll soon be with the angels
Fate has doomed my future now
Through the years you've always loved me
And my life you've tried to save
But now I shall slumber sweetly
In a deep and lonely grave
Kiss me mother kiss your darlin'
Lay my head upon your breast
Throw your loving arms around me
I am weary let me rest
I am weary let me rest
The Cox Family’s song “I Am Weary” is a poignant and emotional song that touches the heartstrings of anyone who has experienced the pain of losing a loved one. At its core, the song is a young man’s plea to his mother to comfort him as he prepares to leave this world. He longs for the embrace of his mother to ease his pain and provide comfort in his final moments.
The song’s first stanza opens with the young man asking his mother to kiss him and lay his head on her breast. It is a tender moment where the mother’s love provides the solace that he longs for. The second stanza speaks of his fading light and the impending arrival of the angels that will take him home. He knows that his time has come, and the pain of leaving his family is reflected in the lines “See the pain upon my brow, Fate has doomed my future now.”
The final stanza repeats the opening lines with the young man once again asking his mother to kiss him and lay his head on her breast. The sense of weariness and fatigue is palpable, and he longs for the final rest that is coming. The song speaks to the universal human experience of loss and provides a powerful message of love that transcends beyond death.
Overall, “I Am Weary” is a poignant and emotionally charged song that speaks to the raw pain of loss and the love that provides comfort in difficult times.
Line by Line Meaning
Kiss me mother kiss your darlin'
Mother, please kiss me one last time before I go.
Lay my head upon your breast
Please offer me comfort as I lay my head on your chest.
Throw your loving arms around me
Please embrace me tightly and show me love in my final moments.
I am weary let me rest
I am tired and ready to find peace.
Seems the light is swiftly fading
Life is slipping away and the end is near.
Brighter scenes they do now show
As I prepare to leave this world, I can see a better place waiting for me.
I am standing by the river
I am waiting on the bank of the river that separates life from death.
Angels wait to take me home
I believe that my soul will be carried away by angels to my true home.
See the pain upon my brow
I am in pain and suffering, and it shows on my face.
While I'll soon be with the angels
Even though I am in pain and leaving this world, I will soon be in the care of the angels.
Fate has doomed my future now
My destiny is sealed, and I have accepted that I will soon pass away.
Through the years you've always loved me
Even though I am leaving, I know that my mother has always loved me.
And my life you've tried to save
My mother has always done her best to keep me safe and healthy throughout my life.
But now I shall slumber sweetly
Even though I am leaving this world, I will sleep peacefully in death.
In a deep and lonely grave
My body will be buried in a grave, where it will rest in solitude.
I am weary let me rest
I am ready to find rest and peace in death.
Lyrics © WYNWOOD MUSIC CO. INC.
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