Buckley often regarded his tenor voice as an instrument, a talent most noticeable on his albums Happy Sad, Lorca, and Starsailor. His first marriage was to Mary Guibert, with whom he had a child, musician Jeff Buckley. They divorced in 1968 and after this Buckley would meet with his son only once more. Buckley married second wife Judy Brejot Sutcliffe in 1970 and adopted her son, Taylor.
Born in Washington DC, Buckley,an Irish-American, lived for 10 years in Amsterdam, New York, before moving to southern California, initially to Bell Gardens and later settling in Anaheim in 1965. His experiences with music were through his family, artists such as Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland being particular favorites in the household. During his childhood, Buckley was a fan of Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Nat King Cole and Miles Davis, although country music was his foremost passion. Reflecting this, at the age of 11 Buckley learned how to play the banjo, an instrument which his mother had bought to occupy him following a bout of mumps. He attended Loara High School in Anaheim, California, and, amongst others, made friends with Don Gordon, Larry Beckett, Jim Fielder (original member of Blood, Sweat & Tears) and future wife, Mary Guibert. He was an accomplished high school athlete, becoming a quarterback for the school team in addition to getting a place on the baseball team. During this period playing as quarterback, Buckley broke the first two fingers on his left hand but they never fully returned to normal and made guitar playing more difficult. At the age of 15, Buckley abandoned the banjo and moved on to the guitar, playing with Princess Ramona & The Cherokee Riders, a country and western band. However, the lead singer saw Buckley was uninterested and instead suggested he apply himself to the emerging 1960's folk scene.
Buckley's career began with his 1966 debut Tim Buckley, its mix of pop and folk rock drawing on popular influences of the time. His popularity peaked with second album Goodbye and Hello, a more mature record with avant-garde influences and political sentiments. In the three years that followed Buckley was at his most prolific and experimental, producing four albums of varying styles. Happy Sad and Blue Afternoon showed Buckley's folk roots while Lorca veered to more avant-garde styles. The final album of this period, Starsailor, is a mix of jazz, funk and avant-garde styles, representing his continual evolution in genre. This period, while garnering some critical success, proved disastrous for his record sales as the disparity of his styles caused his fan-base to all but disappear.
Following this Buckley changed genres again, with 1972 release Greetings from L.A., which incorporated the funk, rhythm and blues and soul sounds of the early 1970s in to his music. However, this release and the following album Sefronia did not match up to the success of his previous work. In 1974, having alienated much of his fan-base and squandered money made at his peak, Buckley released Look at the Fool, which was neither well received by the public nor the majority of critics. By this point Buckley had grown disillusioned with the music industry and his drug abuse of the past seven years had affected him.
In spite of this, in early 1975, desperate for musical recognition and an escape from poverty and obscurity, Buckley dropped his drug dependencies and engaged the musical press regarding a live album comeback. Buckley began performing material drawn from his whole career as a response to the desires of his audience, desires he had always spurned in the past. However, Buckley relapsed and on June 28, 1975, he overdosed on heroin. His wife Judy, having earlier put him in bed, was unable to rouse him and paramedics pronounced him dead on arrival. He was 28 years old and was survived by his wife and adopted son Taylor, and his biological son, Jeff (who also died at a young age).
I Know I'd Recognize Your Face
Tim Buckley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Since you've been gone
I don't know where to begin this song
Whereever you are
I hope it's not to far
For you to hear me
It's been so wild
Cry please don't run
But I wouldn't fight or carry a gun
I went far away
To start a new life
If I had stayed there
You'd be my wife
And I know I'd recognize your face
Your memory keeps haunting me
And I can't forget what time won't erase
You know it's hard for me to come back now
There's prison to face though the filing is done (???)
Where can I find you
Daddy you have a son that's never seen you
He looks just like you
And I know I'd recognize your face
Your memory keeps haunting me
And I can't forget what time won't erase
I've sent this letter so many times
It keeps coming back
No one here about that knew
Are you still lingering back
Well it's so hard to keep long (???) True love in winter
It's been so long
And I know I'd recognize your face
The season has come I can't let go
And I'd know your sweet smile any place
And I know I'd recognize your face
(any time you know now)
Anyplace anytime you know I'm still in love with you
And I know I'd recognize your face
The lyrics of Tim Buckley's "I Know I'd Recognize Your Face" speak of a lost love, a person who has gone away but whose memory still holds tremendous power over the singer. He starts by saying that he doesn't know where to begin the song because it has been so long since the person he is addressing has been gone. Despite the length of time, he still hopes that wherever this person is, they can hear him. He speaks of wanting to be close to this person again and wishing that they could be together. He then mentions going away to start a new life but feeling as though he left behind something important in the form of this person.
The second verse speaks of the difficulties of returning now, as he has to face prison and the knowledge that so much time has passed. He talks about wanting to find the person he is addressing because he has a son who has never met him and who looks just like him. He mentions sending letters multiple times that have all been returned, indicating a feeling of desperation and the desire to reconnect. The season has changed, and he can't let go, and he ends by saying that he would recognize the person's face anyplace or anytime because he is still in love with them.
Overall, the lyrics of this song speak to the power of memory and love and the longing to reconnect with a lost love. Even though the person has been gone for a long time, the singer still feels a deep connection to them and desires to get back together.
Line by Line Meaning
It's been so long
It has been a long time since we were together.
Since you've been gone
Since you left me.
I don't know where to begin this song
I am not sure how to start this song about you.
Wherever you are
Wherever you might be.
I hope it's not too far
I hope that you are not too far away from me to hear this song.
For you to hear me
So that you can hear my words and my music.
It's been so wild
It has been a crazy and tumultuous time since you left.
Lay next to me
Come and lie down next to me.
Cry please don't run
Please don't leave me when you hear my tears.
But I wouldn't fight or carry a gun
I am not violent and I don't believe in using weapons.
I went far away
I went very far away from you.
To start a new life
To try to move on and start fresh without you.
If I had stayed there
If I had stayed with you instead of leaving.
You'd be my wife
You would have been my wife by now.
And I know I'd recognize your face
I am sure that I would still be able to recognize your face after all these years.
Your memory keeps haunting me
You are still in my thoughts and my dreams long after you left.
And I can't forget what time won't erase
Time may pass, but I cannot forget the memories and emotions that we shared.
You know it's hard for me to come back now
It is difficult for me to return to where we used to be now.
There's prison to face though the filing is done (???)
I may have committed a crime and could be facing punishment such as imprisonment.
Where can I find you
I am not sure where you are or how to reach you.
Daddy you have a son that's never seen you
We have a son together, but you have not met him before.
He looks just like you
Our son resembles you in appearance.
The season has come I can't let go
Another season has arrived, but I still cannot let go of the memories and feelings I have for you.
And I'd know your sweet smile any place
I am sure that I would still recognize your smile anywhere.
Any time you know now
Whenever you are ready and able to come back to me.
Anyplace anytime you know I'm still in love with you
No matter where or when, please know that I still love you.
Contributed by Dylan J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.