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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The Only One
Tracy Chapman Lyrics
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Of my flesh and blood
Now I have no calling
I can do no worldly good
I sit silent
I sit mourning
I sit listless all the day
And any words to say except
Does heaven have enough angels yet?
I've gone hard
And I've gone cold
I can't make the piece of this cracked life fit
Please forgive me for wanting to know
Does heaven have enough angels yet?
She was the only one
Of my own flesh and blood
Sometimes I hear her calling
Straight from the house of god
Tracy Chapman's song "The Only One" is a deeply emotional and honest exploration of grief and loss. The song is a hauntingly beautiful tribute to someone close to the singer who has passed away. In the opening lines, Chapman sings about the deceased person being the only one of her flesh and blood. The loss of this person has left the singer feeling lost and without purpose. She laments that she can no longer do any worldly good and can only sit in silent mourning. The repetition of the line "Does heaven have enough angels yet?" highlights the singer's deep sense of loss and her hope that her loved one has found peace.
The second verse of the song delves deeper into the singer's emotions. She describes how the grief has made her hard and cold, and she struggles to come to terms with the reality of her loss. The line "I can't make the piece of this cracked life fit" is particularly powerful and speaks to the pain of trying to reconcile the loss with the life that continues. Chapman's admission that she wants to know if heaven has enough angels is a stark reminder of the finality of death and the longing for closure that comes with it.
The closing lines of the song offer a glimmer of hope as the singer imagines hearing her loved one calling to her from the house of God. This suggests that while the loss may be painful and the grief may be overwhelming, the memory of her loved one lives on.
Line by Line Meaning
She was the only one
The singer had only one blood relative - possibly a daughter - who is no longer alive
Of my flesh and blood
The person was related to the singer through blood, and not just through marriage or friendship
Now I have no calling
The singer feels aimless and without purpose since the death of their loved one
I can do no worldly good
The person feels that they can't contribute to society anymore
I sit silent
The artist is not vocal or talkative anymore
I sit mourning
The person is grieving the loss of their loved one
I sit listless all the day
The person feels lethargic, unmotivated and without energy
I've mostly lost the voice to speak
The person can no longer articulate their thoughts and emotions effectively
And any words to say except
The person feels they can only voice one particular question
Does heaven have enough angels yet?
The person wonders if their loved one has been accepted in heaven
I've gone hard
The person has become emotionally distant and hard-hearted
And I've gone cold
The person has lost their warmth and friendliness
I can't make the piece of this cracked life fit
The person is struggling to find meaning to their life that feels full of cracks or flaws
Please forgive me for wanting to know
The person feels a sense of remorse or guilt for constantly asking the same question about their loved one
Sometimes I hear her calling
The person is experiencing imagined auditory hallucinations of their loved one 'calling' from heaven
Straight from the house of god
The person imagines their loved one calling from the place they think she resides- heaven
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: TRACY L CHAPMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind