Toni Childs was born in Orange, California, but was moved to several small … Read Full Bio ↴Toni Childs was born in Orange, California, but was moved to several small towns in Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Nevada during her childhood. At the age of 15, Childs ran away from home and became a blues musician. In 1972, Childs saw Pink Floyd in concert, and afterwards decided to pursue a career as a singer-songwriter. Childs joined the band Berlin in 1979, but left to form her own group before the recording of Berlin's first album. Toni Childs and the Movers, which included Jack Sherman and Micki Steele, toured for two years but did not release an album. Childs signed a contract with Island Records in 1981 in exchange for perfoming janitorial duties for the company, but was unable to record an album.

In 1985, she signed to A&M Records, who released her debut album Union in 1988. She had previously provided backing vocals on David & David's album Boomtown. Later that year, she was nominated for two Grammy Awards, Best New Artist and Best Rock Vocal Performance (female). Her first national tour was opening for Bob Dylan. Her follow-up album House of Hope yielded a large hit in Australia with "I've Got To Go Now", but did not sell well in the US and was dropped from the A&M label. DGC Records, a subsidiary of Geffen Records, signed her and released her third album, The Woman's Boat. Although she was nominated for another Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Performance, the album sold poorly, and Childs was again left without a recording label. She recorded another album in 1996, but could not find a label to release it. Also in 1996, "The Very Best Of Toni Childs" was released, becoming the fifth biggest-selling album of 1996 in Australia. She retired from touring in 1997 after contracting a serious illness and starting the "Dream a Dolphin" charity. Childs released a song entitled "Because You're Beautiful", which won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Music & Lyrics in 2004. She has recorded a new album entitled Keep the Faith, which is expected to be released in Australia in 2006 and in the US and UK in 2007.

Three Days
Toni Childs Lyrics

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I walk away
It seems it's like a bad day
On the hill
I stand and stare away
Hoping for a brighter day

And I stand staring there
And I stand staring there today

I feel the rain
Fall upon my face and wash away
The things I feel inside
Turmoil is what moves the tides

And I stand staring there
And I stand staring there
And I begin another day

You say you hurt
And the cut has been too deep
The blood
That flows inside your soul has died
Cancer is the hurt inside

And I can't walk away
And I can't show the pain
And I can't let it go
And I can't let it go away

It's another day
The morning comes so bright
I feel lifted

Now the clouds have passed
I feel freedom here at last

Overall Meaning

The song "Three Days" by Toni Childs depicts the feelings of hopelessness, despair and pain in the face of life's challenges. The opening lines of the chorus, "I walk away, it seems it's like a bad day, on the hill I stand and stare away, hoping for a brighter day" portray the persona's feeling of defeat and surrender to the negativity around her. The metaphor of standing on a hill provides a visual glimpse of the persona looking down on her life and feeling helpless, unable to change the circumstances.

As the song progresses, we hear the persona express her pain and feelings of being overwhelmed by life's turmoil. The line "turmoil is what moves the tides" is figurative language, which suggests that the ups and downs of life are necessary elements that shape and move things forward, much like the tides in the ocean. Later in the song, the persona shows empathy and compassion to someone who is also under immense emotional pain. The line "you say you hurt and the cut has been too deep" reveals that the persona understands the feeling of deep hurt and the difficulty of recovering from it.

Towards the end of the song, there is a shift in tone, with the persona feeling uplifted and free. The line "the morning comes so bright, I feel lifted, now the clouds have passed, I feel freedom here at last" signifies the end of the despair and the beginning of a new chapter. The song shows that despite the challenges we face in life, there is always light at the end of the tunnel, and hope can be found even in the darkest of moments.

Line by Line Meaning

I walk away
I leave the situation behind

It seems it's like a bad day
The situation is unpleasant

On the hill
In an elevated position

I stand and stare away
I observe the surroundings

Hoping for a brighter day
Expecting a better future

And I stand staring there
Continuing to observe

And I stand staring there today
Continuing to observe now

I feel the rain
I sense rainfall

Fall upon my face and wash away
Cleanse my emotions

The things I feel inside
My emotions

Turmoil is what moves the tides
Strong emotions are like ocean waves