In her teens, Nelson sang folk music in coffeehouses and with The Fuller's Wood Singers group, and was lead singer in The Fabulous Imitations band.
In 1966, Nelson moved to San Francisco where she became part of the SF music scene . The band she fronted, Mother Earth, played the Fillmore Auditorium, sharing bills with the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix. It was during this period that Nelson wrote and first recorded her signature song "Down So Low" (released on the Mother Earth album "Living with the Animals") that was later covered by a number of artists including Linda Ronstadt, and Etta James. Nelson re-recorded "Down So Low" herself several times.
In the late 1960s, Nelson relocated to Nashville, where she and Mother Earth recorded the album Make A Joyful Noise and the solo effort Tracy Nelson Country. In 1974, her duet with Willie Nelson, "After the Fire is Gone," was nominated for a Grammy Award.
After a lengthy hiatus from recording in the 1980s, Nelson released several albums on the independent Rounder Records label in the 1990s. Her 1998 "Sing It!" collaboration with label-mates Marcia Ball and Irma Thomas (as Marcia Ball, Irma Thomas and Tracy Nelson) garnered a second Grammy nomination.
Since the early 2000s, Nelson has recorded for various independent record labels. Other projects include a collaboration with blues-rock veterans Nick Gravenites, Harvey Mandel, Corky Siegel and Sam Lay (as the Chicago Blues Reunion), with Angela Strehli, Annie Sampson, and Dorothy Morrison (as the Blues Broads), and performed intermittently with Missouri band the Bel Airs and with Chicago-based Corky Siegel's Chamber Blues.
Growing up in the early 1960s, Nelson immersed herself in R&B, and later what she calls "the folk scare of the sixties." As an undergrad at the University of Wisconsin, she combined her musical passions singing folk and blues at coffeehouses and R&B at frat parties. In 1964 she went to Chicago to record her first album, Deep Are The Roots. A young harmonica player from Memphis named Charlie Musselwhite played on the album and the two would explore the city's famed south side where she met and was inspired by such legendary figures as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Otis Spann and others. A short time later, Nelson moved to San Francisco and, in the midst of the era's psychedelic explosion, formed Mother Earth. After six Mother Earth albums for Mercury Records and Reprise Records, Nelson continued to record as a solo artist on various labels.
GOD
Tracy Nelson Lyrics
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For if the children of Israel suppose to multiply
Why must any of the children die
So he asked the Lord and the Lord said
Man means nothing he means less to me
Than the lowliest cactus flower or the humblest yucca tree
He chases round this desert 'cause he thinks that's where I'll be
I recoil in horror from the foulness of thee
From the squalor and the filth and the misery
How we laugh up here in Heaven, prayers you offer me
That's why I love mankind
The Christians and the Jews were having a jamboree
The Buddhists and the Hindus joined on satellite TV
They picked their four greatest priests
And they began to speak
They said Lord the plague is on the world
Lord no man is free
The temples that we built to you have tumbled into the sea
Lord, if you won't take care of us
Won't you please please let us be
And the Lord said
And the Lord said
I burn down your cities, how blind you must be
I take from you, your children and you say how blessed are we
You all must be crazy to put your faith in me
That's why I love mankind, you really need me
That's why I love mankind
In Tracy Nelson's "God's Song," the lyrics depict the story of Cain and Abel and pose a question to God about the meaning of human life. Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve, asks why one must die if humans are meant to multiply. God's response is jarring; he claims that man means nothing to him and that he cares more about cactus flowers and yucca trees. He wanders in the desert, and mankind follows him, and that's why he loves mankind. However, God does not seem to truly love mankind. He claims to recoil in horror from humanity's squalor, misery, and filthiness, laughing at the prayers they offer him from Heaven.
The second verse features humanity's religious leaders coming together to speak with God about the world's plague and the loss of freedom. They seek care from God when their temples are destroyed, but he responds with anger. He burns down cities and takes away children, yet mankind continues to put their faith in him. This further solidifies God's love for mankind, pointing out that humanity needs him.
"God's Song" is a thought-provoking and controversial song that forces the listener to consider their religious beliefs and the idea of an all-powerful entity's behavior. The song's provocative lyrics and melody have made it a timeless reflection of religious reform movements and the complex relationship between religion and the human experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Cain slew Abel, Seth knew not why
Cain killed Abel and Seth didn't understand why.
For if the children of Israel suppose to multiply
Israelites are supposed to have many children.
Why must any of the children die
Why should any of the children die?
So he asked the Lord and the Lord said
Seth asked the Lord for an answer.
Man means nothing he means less to me
Human beings are insignificant to the Lord.
Than the lowliest cactus flower or the humblest yucca tree
Even the smallest plants are more valuable than humans in the Lord's eyes.
He chases round this desert 'cause he thinks that's where I'll be
Humans search for the Lord in the desert, thinking that's where he is.
That's why I love mankind
The Lord loves humans.
I recoil in horror from the foulness of thee
But the Lord is disgusted by the sin and filth of humans.
From the squalor and the filth and the misery
From the poverty, dirt, and suffering in the world.
How we laugh up here in Heaven, prayers you offer me
Heavenly beings laugh at the prayers humans offer to the Lord.
The Christians and the Jews were having a jamboree
Christians and Jews were having a celebration.
The Buddhists and the Hindus joined on satellite TV
Buddhists and Hindus watched on TV.
They picked their four greatest priests
They chose their top four religious leaders.
And they began to speak
And they started to talk to the Lord.
They said Lord the plague is on the world
They told the Lord about the worldwide plague.
Lord no man is free
No one is truly free.
The temples that we built to you have tumbled into the sea
The temples they built to worship the Lord have been destroyed.
Lord, if you won't take care of us
If the Lord won't help us,
Won't you please please let us be
Then please let us be.
I burn down your cities, how blind you must be
The Lord speaks and says he destroys cities and humans still follow him.
I take from you, your children and you say how blessed are we
The Lord says he takes away children and humans still thank him.
You all must be crazy to put your faith in me
The Lord questions why humans still believe in him despite the suffering he inflicts.
That's why I love mankind, you really need me
Despite humans' flaws, the Lord still loves us and recognizes our dependency on him.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RANDY NEWMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind