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).
Sweet Surrender
Tim Buckley Lyrics
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Why I cheated on you
Well I had to be a hunter again
This little man had to try
To make love feel new again
'Cause there's just a few things honey
I'm not old enough to do for you
Showed him how to tango
And when they tangoed it'd send their hearts a flutter
Young and tender
Seemed to surrender in so sweet surrender
In sweet surrender
Ahh sweet surrender to love
But now you're gonna go out and get yourself
A reputation
But I'm gonna have to show you where to start
And then you're gonna bring back your little reputation
And prove to me what I could not prove to you
The lyrics of "Sweet Surrender" by Tim Buckley are a reflection of a tumultuous relationship between two individuals. The singer is explaining why he cheated on his partner, stating that he needed to be a "hunter" again and try to make love feel new. The verse "There's just a few things honey, I'm not old enough to do for you, you just never care to show me" suggests that the singer feels inadequate and inexperienced in satisfying his partner's needs. The lack of communication on the part of the partner has contributed to his infidelity.
The chorus of the song speaks of "sweet surrender", a phrase used to express the idea of relinquishing control. The singer is reminiscing about a time when he and his partner were "young and tender" and "seemed to surrender in so sweet surrender". The use of the tango as a metaphor for their relationship emphasizes the intensity and closeness of their connection. However, the use of the past tense suggests a sense of distance between the two.
In the final verse, the singer acknowledges that his partner is going to go out and gain a reputation, but he is willing to help her start and prove herself. The repetition of the phrase "prove to me what I could not prove to you" implies a sense of mutual insecurity and a need for validation.
Overall, "Sweet Surrender" explores themes of love, infidelity, insecurity, and the power dynamics in a relationship. The lyrics are open to interpretation and can be seen as both a confession and a critique of the singer's actions.
Line by Line Meaning
Now you want to know the reason
You want an explanation from me
Why I cheated on you
Why I strayed from our relationship
Well I had to be a hunter again
I had to pursue someone new
This little man had to try
I had to attempt to reignite my passion
To make love feel new again
To experience the feeling of falling in love for the first time again
'Cause there's just a few things honey
There are certain experiences that I haven't had yet, my dear
I'm not old enough to do for you
I'm not experienced enough to satisfy you in certain ways
You just never care to show me
You haven't taught me or shown me how to please you
Showed him how to tango
I taught someone new how to dance
And when they tangoed it'd send their hearts a flutter
Their dance sparked romantic feelings
Young and tender
Inexperienced and fresh
Seemed to surrender in so sweet surrender
They happily gave themselves over to the romance and passion
In sweet surrender
In blissful submission to love
Ahh sweet surrender to love
Oh, it's wonderful to give in to love
But now you're gonna go out and get yourself
But now you'll go and seek other experiences
A reputation
A name for yourself in this regard
But I'm gonna have to show you where to start
I'll guide you to begin exploring these experiences
And then you're gonna bring back your little reputation
You'll return with stories of your experiences
And prove to me what I could not prove to you
You'll demonstrate what I couldn't provide for you
Lyrics © DAVID GATES D/B/A KIPAHULU MUSIC, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID GATES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind