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).
Song to the Siren
Tim Buckley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I did all my best to smile
'til your singing eyes and fingers
Drew me loving to your isle
And you sang
Sail to me
Sail to me, let me enfold you
Here I am
Waiting to hold you
Did I dream you dreamed about me?
Were you hare when I was fox?
Now my foolish boat is leaning
Broken lovelorn on your rocks
For you sing
'Touch me not
Touch me not, come back tomorrow
O my heart, o my heart, shies from the sorrow'
Well I am puzzled as the newborn child
I am troubled at the tide
Should I stand amid the breakers?
Should I lie with death my bride?
Hear me sing swim to me
Swim to me, let me enfold you
Here I am, here I am
Waiting to hold you
In Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren," the singer is expressing their love for someone who has come to mean everything to them. The singer was once "aloft on shipless oceans," presumably directionless or lost, when they met this person. Although they had been trying to maintain a convincing facade of happiness, this person's "singing eyes and fingers" captured the singer's heart completely and drew them to their "isle" of safety and love. The person then begs the singer to sail to them so that they can "enfold" them and hold them close. The singer wonders if they are just dreaming because they can't believe that someone could love them back. However, despite their fears and doubts, they are still willing to take chances in the name of love, singing out a plea for their love to "swim to me" so they can enfold them once more.
The singer's words reveal a raw vulnerability and the depth of emotion that comes with truly loving another person. They are hesitant and unsure, but they deeply desire to be with this person. The repeated pleas to sail or swim to them underscore the longing and urgency of the singer's desire. The imagery of being lost at sea, shipwrecked, and drowning in the face of love show that love can be both terrifying and utterly exhilarating. Ultimately, "Song to the Siren" speaks to the transformative power of love and the willingness to take risks in the name of that love.
Line by Line Meaning
Long afloat on shipless oceans
I've been wandering aimlessly without direction for a long time.
I did all my best to smile
I've tried my best to keep my head up and make the best of my situation.
'til your singing eyes and fingers
Until I saw the way you looked at me and the way you touched me.
Drew me loving to your isle
Made me fall in love with you and come to where you are.
And you sang
Then you sang.
Sail to me
Come to me, seek me out.
Sail to me, let me enfold you
Come to me and let me wrap my arms around you.
Here I am
I'm right here.
Here I am, waiting to hold you
I'm ready and waiting to embrace you.
Did I dream you dreamed about me?
Did I imagine that you were also dreaming of me?
Were you hare when I was fox?
Were you playing hard to get when I was trying to pursue you?
Now my foolish boat is leaning
My attempts at love have left me vulnerable and exposed.
Broken lovelorn on your rocks
I am heartbroken and humbled by my attempts at love.
For you sing
Because you sing.
'Touch me not
Don't touch me right now.
Touch me not, come back tomorrow
Give me some time to process my emotions and come back to me tomorrow.
O my heart, o my heart, shies from the sorrow'
I am afraid of getting hurt again and am trying to protect my heart.
Well I am puzzled as the newborn child
I am as confused as a newborn child.
I am troubled at the tide
I am fearful of the unpredictability of life, unsure of what it will bring.
Should I stand amid the breakers?
Should I risk it all for love?
Should I lie with death my bride?
Should I accept the possibility of heartbreak and emotional pain?
Hear me sing
Listen to me sing.
Swim to me
Come to me, test the waters of love with me.
Swim to me, let me enfold you
Come to me and let me wrap my arms around you.
Here I am, here I am, waiting to hold you
I'm still right here, waiting for you to come back to me.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Larry Beckett, Tim Buckley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Azzoug Annie
Long afloat on shipless oceans
I did all my best to smile
'Til your singing eyes and fingers
Drew me loving to your isle
And you sang
Sail to me, sail to me
Let me enfold you
Here I am, here I am
Waiting to hold you
Did I dream, you dreamed about me?
Were you here when I was full sail?
Now my foolish boat is leaning
Broken lovelorn on your rocks
For you sing
Touch me not, touch me not
Come back tomorrow
Oh, my heart
Oh, my heart shies from the sorrow
I'm as puzzled as the newborn child
I'm troubled as the tide
Should I stand amid the breakers?
Or should I lie with death my bride?
Hear me sing
Swim to me, swim to me
Let me enfold you
Here I am, here I am
Waiting to hold you.
Robert Bruce
This is still the most stunningly unadorned and beautiful version of his song. Mortal Coil's cover was a more layered yet brilliant extension of Tim's magic. This is not just a song. It is a spell. One that is embedded in deep mythos. And like many songs that seem to stick with us, it is bittersweet, haunting...and timeless.
L. Duke
Explain?
Victor Wilburn
Have you checked out Robert Plant's version? One of his most exquisite vocal performances. On the Dreamland album, an excellent album overall.
Neo Epicurean
Yes, I can't help thinking there is something timeless and universal hidden in this myth, something that itself calls out to us and draws us in.
pOiSoN StOnE
100% accurate description
Tara Harrison
@Victor Wilburn i didnt know he did one!
Clowd Walker
"Did I dream you dreamed about me?"
I think that's one of the most deeply emotional lines ever written.
Natural Green
Tim didn’t write that line or the song. Larry Beckett did.
ErnieSings
@Natural Green I don't think that is being questioned in any way
gschlies
@ErnieSings it’s Tim Buckley performing the song here, not Jeff Buckley