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).
Lorca
Tim Buckley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let the wind hold your desire
Let your womans voice run through your veins
Let her be your blood don't feel ashamed
She's your home when no one wants you
She'll give you life when you're so tired
She'll ease your fears ah when you're a stranger
Oh, just to you
You're just a man on death's highways
It's life you owe you're here to praise it
If love flows your way then be a river
And when it dries just stand there and shiver
Oh, let the sun sing in your smile
Let the wind hold your desire
And let your womans voice run through your veins
Let her be your blood don't feel ashamed
It's her life you owe
I owe you love
The song Lorca by Tim Buckley is a beautiful tribute to love, life and the person who gives you strength and purpose in tough times. The opening lines suggest that the sun and the wind are part of the natural world that can nourish and sustain a person, and do so readily. As the song progresses, however, it becomes clear that it is not just these elements that can give life – it is the voice and presence of a woman who means everything to the singer. She is described as being like blood moving through the veins, giving life and purpose to his existence. Moreover, the woman is described as being a homely figure who is always present to support and to rejuvenate.
The lyrics go on to suggest that life can be tough - like being on "death's highways.” But, a person's presence and love can make it all bearable. The imagery in the song is rich and evocative. The description of love flowing like a river and drying up is poignant, as it reflects the ebb and flow of life. The final line of the song, "I owe you love" drives home the central message of the song – that our lives are indebted to the people who nurture us and give us purpose.
Line by Line Meaning
Let the sun sing in your smile
Bring joy to your expression.
Let the wind hold your desire
Embrace your aspirations and let them guide you.
Let your woman's voice run through your veins
Let her love and influence course through you.
Let her be your blood don't feel ashamed
She is an integral part of you, and accepting that is not a weakness.
She's your home when no one wants you
She is your safe haven when the world is cruel.
She'll give you life when you're so tired
She rejuvenates you when life drains you.
She'll ease your fears ah when you're a stranger
Her love makes unfamiliarity less intimidating.
She's born to give faith to you
She inspires trust and confidence in you.
Oh, just to you
Her love and devotion are yours exclusively.
You're just a man on death's highways
You are vulnerable and mortal, subject to life's uncertainty.
It's life you owe you're here to praise it
Your existence is a gift, and you should cherish it.
If love flows your way then be a river
If you experience love, share it abundantly.
And when it dries just stand there and shiver
When love fades, accept the pain and let it shape you.
It's her life you owe
You are indebted to her for the role she plays in your life.
I owe you love
You deserve love and affection.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: TIM BUCKLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Brad
Hands down the greatest album of all time. A surreal atmosphere, revolutionary vocals, mesmerising poetry, and absolutely timeless.
The Gladiator Of Rock
Really an album made to art Psych.- Poetry, love and passion imprinted in this music for the most part done alone with guitar and voice. The sensitive maturity of a great artist that I love. Thanks Tim. R. I. P.🎼👌👀
Matthew McLaughlin
This is a great album but Starsailor is an absolute masterpiece. Blue Afternoon is also another wonderful album by the late great Tim Buckley, father of Jeff Buckley, another great who died too young.
The Gladiator Of Rock
Great Artist that I have some other work. The beauty comes when you have to make choices, I've found myself many times with two or three albums to choose, it seems easy but it's not. Keep in mind that you are thousands of people with different tastes from each other.✌🎶
Melody Grim
Thank you for posting this. I had the album when I was a kid, - 13, and when I got married, all my albums disappeared. (My parents had a country & western band and did not appreciate my tastes in music.) I just found this tonite, and it brought back so many memories! Again, thank you!
The Gladiator Of Rock
Very complete artist with very great Psychedelic Rock albums with many influences that make the world of an artist dream prematurely, leaving us these jewels. Ave Rock.✌🎸
Alberico Vergalito
When I knew Tim, my soul was fullness, I enjoyed serendipity.
Guillermo Gronemeyer
Magnífica voz, al igual que su hijo. Gracias y saludos desde Chile
The Gladiator Of Rock
Un verdadero artista que amo, su música me hizo soñar varias veces. Por favor, muchos saludos desde Italia ...👍
antonio belli
"Tim Buckley è il cantante più geniale della storia della musica rock, e forse dell'intera storia della musica", parola di Piero Scaruffi. Al suo confronto "The King" Elvis Presley è un ragazzino alle prime lezioni di canto (parola mia). E pure Jeff, nonostante l'affetto riflesso, era lontano mille miglia.
Nel 1974 (grazie a Bertoncelli) ho comprato "Happy Sad" e il mio metro di giudizio sui cantanti è radicalmente cambiato.
Grazie per avermi fatto risentire questo capolavoro. Hai un nuovo iscritto.