Rush is considered a gifted musician and performer whose shows offer a musical celebration. His distinctive guitar style, wry humor and warm, expressive voice have made him both a legend and a lure to audiences around the world. His shows are filled with the rib-aching laughter of terrific story-telling, the sweet melancholy of ballads and the passion of gritty blues.
Rush's impact on the American music scene has been profound. He helped shape the folk revival in the '60s and the renaissance of the '80s and '90s, his music having left its stamp on generations of artists. James Taylor told Rolling Stone, "Tom was not only one of my early heroes, but also one of my main influences." Country music star Garth Brooks has credited Rush with being one of his top five musical influences. Rush has long championed emerging artists. His early recordings introduced the world to the work of Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne and James Taylor, and in more recent years his Club 47 concerts have brought artists such as Nanci Griffith and Shawn Colvin to wider audiences when they were just beginning to build their own reputations.
Rush began his musical career in the early '60s playing the Boston-area clubs while a Harvard student. The Club 47 was the flagship of the coffee house fleet, and he was soon holding down a weekly spot there, learning from the legendary artists who came to play, honing his skills and growing into his talent. He had released two albums by the time he graduated.
Rush displayed then, as he does today, an uncanny knack for finding wonderful songs, and writing his own - many of which have become classics re-interpreted by new generations. (It is testimony to the universality of his appeal that his songs have been folk hits, country hits, heavy metal and rap hits.) Signed by Elektra in 1965, Rush made three albums for them, culminating in The Circle Game, which, according to Rolling Stone, ushered in the singer/songwriter era.
In the early '70s, folk turned to folk-rock, and Rush, ever adaptable, saw more room to stretch out. Recording now for Columbia, he toured tirelessly with a five man band, playing concerts across the country. Endless promotional tours, interviews, television appearances, and recording sessions added up to five very successful but exhausting years, after which Tom decided to take a break and "recharge" his creative side at his New Hampshire farm.
Rush returned with a splash in 1981, selling out Boston's prestigious Symphony Hall in advance. Time off had not only rekindled Rush's love of music, it had re-ignited music audiences' love of Rush's music.
He instinctively knew that his listeners were interested in both the old and the new, and set out to create a musical forum - like the Club 47 of the early '60s - to allow established artists and newcomers to share the same stage. In 1982, he tried it out at Symphony Hall. The show was such a hit it became an annual event, growing to fill two, then three nights, and the Club 47 series was born. Crafting concerts that combined well known artists such as Bonnie Raitt or Emmylou Harris with (then) unknowns like Alison Krauss or Mark O' Connor, Rush took the show on the road. From the '80s to the present day, Club 47 events have filled the nation's finest halls to rave reviews, and have been broadcast as national specials on PBS and NPR.
In 1999, Columbia/Legacy released a Tom Rush retrospective album that covered his recorded musical history from 1962 to the present, including tracks recorded for Columbia, Elektra, Prestige and his independent years. Entitled "The Very Best of Tom Rush: No Regrets", the 17-track compilation includes as a bonus a brand new Tom Rush composition, "River Song," which features vocal contributions from Grammy winners Shawn Colvin and Marc Cohn.
A live CD, "Trolling for Owls" released in 2003 and published by Tom's NIGHTLIGHT RECORDINGS, captures a complete performance and includes, for the first time, some of the spoken stories that have endeared him to audiences.
In 2018, at age 79, he released the album "Voices".
Jamaica Say You Will
Tom Rush Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As we lay in the tall grass where the shadows fell
Hiding from the children so they would not tell
We would stay there till her sister rang the evening bell
Jamaica, say you will
Help me find a way to fill these empty hours and
Say you will come again tomorrow
The daughter of a captain on the rolling seas
She would stare across the water from the trees
The last time he was home he held her on his knees
And said the next time they would sail away just where they pleased
Jamaica, say you will
Help me find a way to fill these lifeless sails
And stay until my ships can find the sea
Jamaica was a lovely woman, I loved her true
She was a comfort and a mercy through and through
Hiding from this world together, next thing I knew
They had brought her things down to the bay, what could I do?
Jamaica, say you will
Help me find a way to fill these sails
And we will sail until our waters have run dry
Jamaica, say you will
Help me find a way to fill these sails
And we will sail until our waters have run dry
Tom Rush's Jamaica Say You Will tells the story of a man who fell in love with a woman in Jamaica. He narrates his story in a nostalgic tune while reminiscing on the good old days. The lyrics carry a bittersweet flavor. The man reflects on how he used to play Jamaica (the woman) well, as they lay in the tall grass where the shadows fell. They hid from children so they wouldn't tell, and they would stay there until her sister rang the evening bell. It's evident that they had a great bond, and they often enjoyed each other's company. The singer asks Jamaica to help him find a way to fill his empty hours and to come back the next day because he misses her.
The second verse introduces us to a little bit of Jamaica's background. She was the daughter of a captain on the rolling seas, and she would often stare across the water from the trees. The last time her father was around, he held her on his knees and promised to sail away just where they pleased the next time he was home. It's evident that this scene meant a lot to Jamaica. The man then asks Jamaica to help him find a way to fill his lifeless sails and stay with him until his ship can find the sea. They had a great connection, and the singer values Jamaica's presence in his life.
Line by Line Meaning
Jamaica was the lovely one, I played her well
The singer is reminiscing about a past relationship with a woman named Jamaica, who he treated well.
As we lay in the tall grass where the shadows fell
The singer and Jamaica spent time in a specific location in tall grass, where the shadows lay.
Hiding from the children so they would not tell
The singer and Jamaica were hiding from children, so they wouldn't tell anyone about their location.
We would stay there till her sister rang the evening bell
They would stay there until Jamaica's sister would ring the bell in the evening.
Jamaica, say you will
Help me find a way to fill these empty hours and
Say you will come again tomorrow
The singer wants Jamaica to be with him, and to help him pass the time. He is asking her to come again tomorrow.
The daughter of a captain on the rolling seas
She would stare across the water from the trees
Jamaica is the daughter of a captain, and she would look at the water from the trees.
The last time he was home he held her on his knees
And said the next time they would sail away just where they pleased
The last time Jamaica's father was home, he held her on his lap and said that the next time they set sail, they could go wherever they wanted.
Jamaica was a lovely woman, I loved her true
She was a comfort and a mercy through and through
The singer truly loved Jamaica and saw her as a comfort and a mercy.
Hiding from this world together, next thing I knew
They had brought her things down to the bay, what could I do?
The singer and Jamaica were hiding away together, but suddenly all her things were taken away. He couldn't do anything to stop it.
Jamaica, say you will
Help me find a way to fill these sails
And we will sail until our waters have run dry
The singer wants Jamaica to help him fill his sails so they can sail together until the water is all gone.
Jamaica, say you will
Help me find a way to fill these sails
And we will sail until our waters have run dry
The singer repeats his desire for Jamaica to help him fill his sails so they can keep sailing until they run out of water.
Writer(s): BROWNE JACKSON
Contributed by Josiah D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.