Malick enjoyed a surprising career resurgence early in the 21st century after decades of obscurity, much of them spent outside the music business. His first taste of success came in his teens in the 1960s; he was 16 when his band Listening was signed to Vanguard Records. His youthful talent as a guitarist led to stints backing up such blues legends as John Lee Hooker, Otis Spann, Big Mama Thornton, and Muddy Waters. After serving as guitarist and musical director for the national touring company of the Broadway musical Hair in the early 1970s, he joined the James Montgomery Band and appeared on two of the group's albums, First Time Out (1973) and High Roller (1974).
Then came 20 years outside of music, during which Malick struggled with addiction and earned money primarily as a gambler and in the gaming business. But by 1994, he had cleaned up and returned to music. Based in Boston, he launched the Peter Malick Group and recorded the albums Wrong Side of My Life (1998) and Sons of the Jet Age (2000). In 2001, his work on the final Otis Spann album Last Call won him a W.C. Handy Award for historic album of the year.
Malick began to work with several young, up-and-coming female vocalists whom he heard while touring, writing and recording with them. One of them was Norah Jones, and after she rose to fame in 2002, Malick issued an EP of his recordings with her, New York City, that reached the top half of the Billboard 200. It was followed by a full-length album, Chance & Circumstance, that repeated the Jones' tracks and added work with four other singers, one of them Malick's daughter, Mercy Malick.
Deceptively Yours
The Peter Malick Group Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I might have known you had found another love
I sat at home all night
Baskin' in the lonely pale of my bed stand light
Through a tear in a curtain in a cheap motel
I saw with jealous eyes
You made the call to lie
I saw a black cloud, I didn't hear a sound, only the shell on the ground
Was a scream somewhere and in the thick night air
I put the pedal down, as the sirens wailed, and I sat alone and prayed
Not knowing what was to come
Through the tear in a curtain in a cheap motel
I saw with jealous eyes
You made the call to lie
Deceptively yours
I tried not to believe the scene that I could see
It felt like days passed by
Before I turned away, I felt a dizzy sway
And the gun in my hand, stood before a judge
He cleared his throat to say
I won't give you no bail
Shackled with chains of love
I knew that I had bought my own coffin nails
I hear your sweet voice calling out my name
As I stare from a six-foot cell
And from beyond I heard the words
Deceptively yours
The Peter Malick Group's song "Deceptively Yours" tells the story of a man who is betrayed by his lover. He realizes that she has found someone else, and he is heartbroken, spending his nights alone in bed. One night, he sees her making a call from a cheap motel and realizes that she is lying to him. He becomes jealous and angry and drives away, not knowing what will happen next. Later on, he sees a black cloud and hears a faint scream. He puts his foot on the pedal, and the sirens wail as he speeds away. As he drives away, he realizes that he has bought his own coffin nails, and he is trapped in a six-foot cell.
The lyrics suggest that the man is consumed with jealousy and anger, which ultimately leads to his downfall. He is so hurt by his lover's betrayal that he is willing to do anything to get back at her, even if it means risking his own life. The line "I knew that I had bought my own coffin nails" reveals his awareness that he is ultimately responsible for his own fate. The song is filled with imagery that underscores the man's sense of desperation and hopelessness. The "lonely pale" of his bed stand light, the tear in the curtain, and the black cloud all contribute to the song's somber mood.
Line by Line Meaning
I couldn't make a change
I was unable to change the circumstances of our relationship.
I might have known you had found another love
I suspected that you had moved on and found someone else.
I sat at home all night
I spent the entire night at home, feeling lonely and dejected.
Baskin' in the lonely pale of my bed stand light
I was surrounded by the lonely, pale light of my bedside lamp all night long.
Through a tear in a curtain in a cheap motel
I peered through a tear in a curtain at a run-down motel.
I saw with jealous eyes
I felt envious of what I saw through the tear in the curtain.
You made the call to lie
I saw you making a phone call where you lied to someone.
Deceptively yours
You are deceptive and your actions are not sincere or truthful.
I saw a black cloud, I didn't hear a sound, only the shell on the ground
I saw something ominous and violent happening but did not hear anything except a shell casing hitting the ground.
Was a scream somewhere and in the thick night air
Although I did not hear a scream, I could sense that something tragic had happened.
I put the pedal down, as the sirens wailed, and I sat alone and prayed
I hurriedly drove away as the police sirens blared, all while praying for myself and others involved.
Not knowing what was to come
I did not know what would happen next, whether I was in danger or not.
I tried not to believe the scene that I could see
I attempted to deny the reality of the situation that I was witnessing.
It felt like days passed by
Time seemed to move slowly and agonizingly as I tried to come to terms with what I had seen.
Before I turned away, I felt a dizzy sway
As I finally looked away, I felt dizzy and disoriented.
And the gun in my hand, stood before a judge
I found myself standing before a judge, holding a gun.
He cleared his throat to say
The judge cleared his throat before he spoke.
I won't give you no bail
The judge denied my request for bail.
Shackled with chains of love
I felt trapped and bound by my feelings of love and obsession.
I knew that I had bought my own coffin nails
I realized that my own actions and decisions had led me down this path towards my own destruction.
I hear your sweet voice calling out my name
Even now, while in prison, I can still hear your voice calling out to me.
As I stare from a six-foot cell
I am stuck in a six-foot prison cell, forced to contemplate my actions and their consequences.
And from beyond I heard the words
Even as I am haunted by my past mistakes and decisions, I hear the echoes of your deceitful words in my mind.
Deceptively yours
Despite everything, you remain deceitful and untrustworthy.
Lyrics © OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT LP
Written by: Peter Malick
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@meliskaleli8033
couldn't make a change
I might have known you had found
Another love
I sat at home all night
Bask in the lonely pale
Of my bedstand light
But through a tear in a curtain
In a cheap motel
I saw with jealous eyes
You made the call to lie
Deceptively yours
I saw a black cloud
I didn't hear a sound
Only the shell on the ground
There was a scream somewhere
And in the thick night air
I put the pedal down
As the sirens wailed
And I sat alone and prayed
Not knowing what was to come
But through a tear in a curtain
In a cheap motel
I saw with jealous eyes
You made the call to lie
Deceptively yours
I tried not to believe
The scene that I could see
It felt like days passed by
Before I turned away
I felt a dizzy sway
And the gun in my hand
Stood before a judge
He cleared his throat to say
"I won't give you no bail"
Shackled with chains of love
I knew that I had bought
My own coffin nails
I hear your sweet voice calling out my name
As I stare from a six foot cell
And from beyond I heard the words
Deceptively yours
@CopperSmith1
I like the guitar solo.
@cisco940
she's my fav..makes me rock back and forth in my desk chair and sing along with her.
@garbanzo32
Great song superbly interpreted by Jones. It should deserve a wider recognition :-)
@stuartrusso6948
I've got this album and its a short one, but every song on it is pure class. Such a great idea, and beautiful music :-)
@grabby08
Such a good song.
@venquished
Love This Song > Greetings From Georgia
@hendrawanwidjaja1444
Great Norah with the band Peter Malick✌👍
@BreakTheLineJDI
Norah Jones finest and great guitar work.
@meliskaleli8033
couldn't make a change
I might have known you had found
Another love
I sat at home all night
Bask in the lonely pale
Of my bedstand light
But through a tear in a curtain
In a cheap motel
I saw with jealous eyes
You made the call to lie
Deceptively yours
I saw a black cloud
I didn't hear a sound
Only the shell on the ground
There was a scream somewhere
And in the thick night air
I put the pedal down
As the sirens wailed
And I sat alone and prayed
Not knowing what was to come
But through a tear in a curtain
In a cheap motel
I saw with jealous eyes
You made the call to lie
Deceptively yours
I tried not to believe
The scene that I could see
It felt like days passed by
Before I turned away
I felt a dizzy sway
And the gun in my hand
Stood before a judge
He cleared his throat to say
"I won't give you no bail"
Shackled with chains of love
I knew that I had bought
My own coffin nails
I hear your sweet voice calling out my name
As I stare from a six foot cell
And from beyond I heard the words
Deceptively yours
@cisco940
again..thats why I have learned to carry around a packet of post-it notes with preprinted "Kick me" on it ..I been handing out quite a few as of late