In the 1980s Russell made four albums credited to the Tom Russell Band. These featured Andrew Hardin and accordionist Fats Kaplin.
In the 1990s Russell made a number of solo albums, collaborated with blues singer Barrence Whitfield on two albums, and also recorded an acoustic album mixing original material with his favorite cowboy-themed songs. His albums include several guest appearances from other folk, country, and Americana artists, such as Chris Gaffney and Dave Alvin. His song "Outbound Plane", co-written with Nanci Griffith, became a Top Ten country hit for Suzy Bogguss. His most significant album from this period is the 1999 folk opera, The Man From God Knows Where.
His more recent albums include "Blood and Candle Smoke" (2009) and "Mesabi" (2011).
Finding You
Tom Russell Lyrics
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Tom Russell
They are blessing the animals in the old Cathedral square
Tonight they’ll bless the shoeshine boys,
And baby I’ll be there
For I need all the blessings to keep this heart at home
To remember all the troubled nights when I slept alone
Till I found you – and now I’m blessed and I am pleased
And when no one else is looking
I will fall down on my knees
And I will pray to any God who keeps
His light on late at night
For the miracle of miracles,
The one that changed my life
Finding You, Finding You …
So blessed are the shoeshine boys,
For they’ll inherit the Earth
Blessed are those who sleep alone;
May the find what love is worth
And blessed are the troubadours
Who handed me the feather
Who taught me how to write the songs
That brought us both together …
And I found you …
The song "Finding You" by Tom Russell is a story about a person who has found love after spending countless nights alone. The opening lines describe an old Cathedral square where the animals are being blessed, and the shoeshine boys will be blessed too. The singer says they need blessings to keep their heart at home and to remember the troubled nights they spent alone. However, finding you changed everything, and now the singer feels blessed and pleased. The song's theme revolves around the idea that love is a powerful blessing that should be celebrated.
The singer goes on to say that they will fall down on their knees and pray to any God who keeps his light on late at night. This line may depict desperation and the idea that the singer had been searching for love for a long time. The singer is grateful for the miracle of miracles, which is finding their partner that changed their life. The song's chorus repeats the words "Finding You" to emphasize the idea that nothing compares to the blessing of finding love.
The final verse describes how the singer believes the shoeshine boys, the ones who sleep alone, and the troubadours are all blessed. The singer believes the troubadours handed them the feather that allowed them to write the songs to bring them together. The line "And I found you," repeats to close the song, emphasizing that love is a powerful blessing that changes one's life.
Line by Line Meaning
They are blessing the animals in the old Cathedral square
People are receiving blessings in the old Cathedral Square, even the animals.
Tonight they’ll bless the shoeshine boys,
Tonight, even the shoeshine boys will receive blessings.
And baby I’ll be there
The singer will be there to receive blessings.
For I need all the blessings to keep this heart at home
The artist needs all the blessings to keep their heart content and happy.
To remember all the troubled nights when I slept alone
The artist wants to remember all the tough times they faced when they were alone.
Till I found you – and now I’m blessed and I am pleased
The singer feels blessed and content since they found their partner.
And when no one else is looking
The singer is referring to private moments of introspection.
I will fall down on my knees
The artist will bow down in prayer expressing their gratitude and devotion.
And I will pray to any God who keeps
The artist is expressing that they will pray to any God who's listening.
His light on late at night
The artist is addressing a God who's still awake, even late at night.
For the miracle of miracles,
The singer is referring to an extraordinary event, an act of a higher power, a miracle.
The one that changed my life
The miracle in question that's being referred to is what changed the artist's life.
Finding You, Finding You …
The miracle the singer is referring to is finding their partner.
So blessed are the shoeshine boys,
The shoeshine boys are considered lucky as they are being blessed by a higher power.
For they’ll inherit the Earth
The singer is expressing that the shoeshine boys will be blessed with everything in the world.
Blessed are those who sleep alone;
People who sleep alone are considered lucky and blessed by the artist.
May the find what love is worth
The artist is wishing that people who sleep alone should be able to find and experience a love that's worth it.
And blessed are the troubadours
The singer feels that the troubadours (singer-songwriters) are also blessed.
Who handed me the feather
The feather is a metaphor for being provided with inspiration to create music.
Who taught me how to write the songs
The troubadours taught the artist how to write songs.
That brought us both together …
The songs that the artist wrote helped bring them and their partner together.
And I found you …
The song concludes with the artist reiterating that they found their partner, which was a miracle that gave them a blessed life.
Writer(s): Tom Russell Copyright: Frontera Music
Contributed by Zachary L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.