Born in Cleveland, Ohio,U.S., Tracy Chapman began playing guitar and writing songs as a child. She received a scholarship through A Better Chance that allowed her to attend Wooster School in Connecticut, and was eventually accepted to Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.
Tracy Chapman helped restore songwriters to the spotlight in the '80s. The multi-platinum success of Chapman's eponymous 1988 debut was unexpected, and it had lasting impact. Although Chapman was working from the same confessional songwriter foundation that had been popularized in the '70s, her songs were fresh and powerful, driven by simple melodies and affecting lyrics. At the time of her first album, there were only a handful of artists performing such a style successfully, and her success ushered in a new era of songwriters that lasted well into the '90s. Along with 10,000 Maniacs and R.E.M., Chapman's liberal politics proved enormously influential on American college campuses in the late '80s.
Official Website: http://www.tracychapman.com
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Mountains O' Things
Tracy Chapman Lyrics
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I guess I'll never have
I'll be working for somebody else
Until I'm in my grave
I'll be dreaming of a live of ease
And mountains Oh mountains o' things
To have a big expensive car
And have a maid that I can tell
To bring me anything
Everyone will look at me with envy and with greed
I'll revel in their attention
And mountains Oh mountains o' things
Sweet lazy life
Champagne and caviar
I hope you'll come and find me
Cause you know who we are
Those who deserve the best in life
And know what money's worth
And those whose sole misfortune
Was having mountains o' nothing at birth
Oh they tell me
There's still time to save my soul
They tell me
Renounce all
Renounce all those material things you gained by
Exploiting other human beings
Consume more than you need
This is the dream
Make you pauper
Or make you queen
I won't die lonely
I'll have it all prearranged
A grave that's deep and wide enough
For me and all my mountains o' things
Mostly I feel lonely
Good good people are
Good people are only
My stepping stones
It's gonna take all my mountains o' things
To surround me
Keep all my enemies away
Keep my sadness and loneliness at bay
I'll be dreaming, dreaming... Dreaming...
The lyrics to Tracy Chapman's song "Mountains O' Things" express the singer's desire to have all the material wealth and luxury of the world. The singer is aware that she may never have the life she dreams of, and instead, she'll have to work for someone else until the day she dies. Consequently, she'll always dream of a life of luxury and mountains of things. These desires are further described through the lyrics about wanting a big expensive car, dragging fur on the ground, and having a maid who brings whatever the singer needs. These desires represent the luxurious life the singer yearns for and the attention it might bring her. The singer knows, however, that all of these things won't bring her the happiness that she seeks.
The singer goes on to sing about how material things connect us to people and how it might be challenging to give up these things to receive spiritual fulfillment. The singer expresses the idea that she might still have time to save her soul by renouncing all she has gained by exploiting human beings. In the end, the singer anticipates a life of loneliness and knows that her mountains of things will keep her enemies away, keep her sadness and loneliness at bay, and protect her from the harsh realities of life. The final line of the song "I'll be dreaming, dreaming... Dreaming..." leaves a lingering sense of unfulfilled longing in the listener.
Line by Line Meaning
The life I've always wanted
The ideal life that I have always dreamt of having
I guess I'll never have
I realize that it is unlikely that I will achieve this life
I'll be working for somebody else
I will likely have to work under someone else
Until I'm in my grave
Until the day I die
I'll be dreaming of a life of ease
I'll be yearning for a stress-free, easy life
And mountains Oh mountains o' things
Filled with luxurious possessions and material wealth
To have a big expensive car
Owning a grand, costly car
Drag my furs on the ground
Wearing expensive furs and flaunting them
And have a maid that I can tell
Employing a personal maid and demanding anything I desire from them
To bring me anything
Asking them to bring me whatever I want
Everyone will look at me with envy and with greed
Others will view me with jealousy and desire
I'll revel in their attention
I will take pleasure in the attention I receive from others
And mountains Oh mountains o' things
Possessions that are excessive and abundant
Sweet lazy life
A relaxed, luxurious lifestyle
Champagne and caviar
Indulging in pricey delicacies
I hope you'll come and find me
I desire someone wealthy who can provide me with these luxuries
Cause you know who we are
Because you know what kind of people we are
Those who deserve the best in life
Individuals who believe they are entitled to the finest things in existence
And know what money's worth
Those who understand the importance of money and its value
And those whose sole misfortune
Individuals who are simply unlucky
Was having mountains o' nothing at birth
Born into a poor family or situation and having nothing
Oh they tell me
People advise me
There's still time to save my soul
I may yet redeem myself and not succumb to the love of money
Renounce all
Refusing to indulge in material possessions
Renounce all those material things you gained by
Rejecting and giving away my material gain from exploiting others
Exploiting other human beings
Taking advantage of and manipulating other people
Consume more than you need
Encouraging people to live beyond their means
This is the dream
This ideal lifestyle and mindset is seen as aspirational and desirable
Make you pauper
Living extravagantly to the point of poverty
Or make you queen
Living extravagantly to the point of royalty
I won't die lonely
At least I will not die alone
I'll have it all prearranged
Everything in my life will be meticulously planned out beforehand
A grave that's deep and wide enough
Even my burial plot will reflect my materialism and largesse
For me and all my mountains o' things
My possessions will be buried with me, in accordance with my lavish mindset
Mostly I feel lonely
Despite all my possessions, I still feel lonely
Good good people are
The people around me are nice
Good people are only
However, I only use these good people as a means of furthering my materialism
My stepping stones
Others are always a mere stepping stone to my own success
It's gonna take all my mountains o' things
I need my possessions to keep me safe and comfortable from my loneliness
To surround me
My possessions encapsulate me
Keep all my enemies away
No one would dare challenge or threaten me with my wealth and influence
Keep my sadness and loneliness at bay
My possessions help me forget my sadness and loneliness
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TRACY L CHAPMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind