Vonda Shepard was born in New York but her family relocated to California when she was fairly young. She played piano from an early age. Her father is Richmond Shepard, a mime and improv actor. Vonda has three sisters: Rosetta, Luana, and Brianna. Her mother left the family when Vonda was ten, and her father raised the four girls by himself.
After performing as a backing singer for many years she was eventually given her own recording contract. Shepard's first chart appearance was in 1987 when she recorded a duet with Dan Hill entitled 'Can't We Try'. She released her first self-titled album in 1989 with little fanfare. The album did yield one chart single, Don't Cry Ilene, a mid-tempo, piano-driven jazz-RnB flavored song dealing with the break-up of a relationship between a black woman and a white man, arising from adult peer pressure. The track is sung from the perspective of the woman's white female friend, who harbors a desire to have the man for herself, but keeps her distance out of respect for her friend. The song peaked at 17 on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary chart and stayed on the charts for 12 weeks.
After her third album, Shepard was signed up to appear on Ally McBeal after being spotted by the show's creator David E Kelley. While on the show she recorded two full soundtrack albums and was featured on two other Ally McBeal compilations. The songs Shepard recorded for Ally McBeal soundtrack albums were mainly covers of old songs with lyrics that paralleled what was happening in the title character's life onscreen. Since appearing in the show, Shepard has released two more studio albums and a live album.
Shepard is married to music producer Mitchell Froom and they had their first child, Jack Froom, on 15 April 2006.
Newspaper Wife
Vonda Shepard Lyrics
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Watching the trash go by
She's selling cigarettes and lollipops
She's got a sparkle in her black eye
She says "Maybe my time will come"
Maybe my time will come
Defying all of gravity
Well she'd move any bright city
To fill this gaping cavity, she says
I'm a slave in this empty life
Diggin' my grave I'm his newspaper wife
Well he must have a very small broom
As she sits in this very large room
Maybe it's just a piece of straw
She says why am I so in awe?
[Chorus]
I'm a slave to this empty life
Diggin' my grave I'm his newspaper wife
I'm ashamed of this meaningless life
Diggin' my grave I'm his newspaper wife
She sits across from him
Drinking her coffee
His face is buried in other people's lives, she says
"I wonder if he's gonna read forever
I'm his newspaper wife
[Chorus]
The lyrics of Vonda Shepard's song, Newspaper Wife, tell the story of a woman who is trapped in an unfulfilling life with a man who doesn't value her. The woman is portrayed as a downtrodden character, a slave to her husband's desires, and trapped in an empty existence. She is sitting in a dirty bar, watching the trash go by, feeling powerless and insignificant.
The first verse introduces the female protagonist and her surroundings in which she is selling cigarettes and lollipops. The emphasis on the "sparkle in her black eye" highlights the fact that she has a spirit and a sense of defiance despite her unfortunate circumstances. She clings to the hope that maybe someday her luck will change, and she will find a way out of this entrapment.
In the second verse, we learn that the woman had high hopes when she met her husband. He promised to sweep her off her feet and defy gravity. But he failed to keep his promises, and the woman is now stuck in a loveless marriage that feels like a prison. The only company she has is her husband, who is buried in his newspaper, unaware of her feelings and her loneliness.
Overall, the song portrays the struggles of a woman who is trapped in a loveless marriage and dreams of something better. She bears the role of a "newspaper wife" who is nothing but a mere accessory for her partner who's busy with the world's miseries.
Line by Line Meaning
Sitting here in this dirty bar
Starting in a filthy bar
Watching the trash go by
Observing the worthless things pass by
She's selling cigarettes and lollipops
She's peddling cigarettes and candy
She's got a sparkle in her black eye
Despite the spark in her black eye
She says 'Maybe my time will come'
She proclaims, 'Perhaps my time will arrive'
Maybe my time will come
Perhaps my time will arrive
He said he'd sweep her off her feet
He promised to whisk her away
Defying all of gravity
Resistance to gravity's laws
Well she'd move any bright city
She'd leave anywhere to fulfill her desires
To fill this gaping cavity, she says
To satisfy her void, she explains
I'm a slave in this empty life
I'm a captive in this lifeless existence
Diggin' my grave I'm his newspaper wife
I'm digging my grave as his insignificant wife
Well he must have a very small broom
His broom must be very tiny
As she sits in this very large room
While she's seated in this enormous space
Maybe it's just a piece of straw
Perhaps it's only a fragment of straw
She says why am I so in awe?
She says, 'Why do I feel so amazed?'
I'm a slave to this empty life
I'm entrapped in this unfulfilling existence
Diggin' my grave I'm his newspaper wife
I'm digging my grave as his insignificant wife
I'm ashamed of this meaningless life
I'm embarrassed by this purposeless existence
She sits across from him
She sits opposite to him
Drinking her coffee
Sipping her coffee
His face is buried in other people's lives, she says
She says, 'His face is absorbed in other's lives'
I wonder if he's gonna read forever
She wonders if he'll read indefinitely
I'm his newspaper wife
I'm his wife consumed by newspapers
I'm a slave to this empty life
I'm entrapped in this unfulfilling existence
Diggin' my grave I'm his newspaper wife
I'm digging my grave as his insignificant wife
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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