Will Oldham (born 24 December 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, and … Read Full Bio ↴Will Oldham (born 24 December 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. His music is often (perhaps inappropriately) placed under the genre of "alternative country". Oldham was born in Louisville, Kentucky. He briefly attended Brown University.

Oldham has recorded under many names other than his own, including Palace, Palace Brothers, Palace Music, Palace Songs, and Bonnie 'Prince' Billy. He often plays and records with other musicians, including David Pajo and his brothers Ned and Paul Oldham, but is generally the chief creator of the music. He has also been involved in musical projects and bands such as Box of Chocolates, Amalgamated Sons of Rest, The Anomoanon, The Boxhead Ensemble, Superwolf (with Matt Sweeney), Continental OP (with David Pajo), Current 93 (with David Tibet), and The Silver Jews (with David Berman).

Oldham has said that the Bonnie 'Prince' Billy moniker has many references. These include Bonnie Prince Charlie, an 18th century Jacobite; Billy the Kid, the 19th century American outlaw also known as William Bonney; and the American singer Nat King Cole.

Patience
Will Oldham Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I wasn't born a fisherman
And I wasn't born a schoolgirl
And I wasn't born a tree of leaves
And I wasn't born o lordy lord
Cause I was a bold and tireless worker

And I wasn't born an Indian
And I wasn't born Arabian

And I wasn't born a man with a dream to just let it falter

And I wasn't born o! a welldigger
And I wasn't born o! a fleshy thing
And I wasn't born a thing to be scorned, a thing to be ignored

And I will align myself with nothing
And I will enjoin my heart with no-one's
Cause I was untried when I was applied
The light of birth

And I wasn't born o! to tell the truth
And I wasn't born o! to sleep with Ruth
We're miles apart and I have no heart for weeks between coupling

Well, I could bide my time with girls that live in town
Those who seem always to be hanging around
But it would not seem right to pass the night with one not my true love

And I will align myself with nothing
And I will enjoin my heart with no-one's

Cause I was untried when I was applied
The light of birth

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Will Oldham's song Patience reflect a sense of self-awareness and a contemplation of one's own origins and purpose. The first lines serve as a disclaimer, stating that the singer was not born as any of the things mentioned in the subsequent lines. This can be interpreted as a rejection of the idea of being pigeonholed into a particular identity or group. The singer goes on to describe different identities that they were not born as, ranging from a fisherman to an Indian to a welldigger. The repetition of the phrase "And I wasn't born o!" gives a rhythm to the song and emphasizes the negation of these identities.

But the singer ultimately declares that they will not align themselves with any group or individual, stating "I will enjoin my heart with no-one's." The line "Cause I was untried when I was applied the light of birth" suggests that the singer was born with a sense of independence or nonconformity, and that this is a core part of their identity. The final verse introduces the concept of love, with the singer declaring their unwillingness to sleep with someone who is not their "true love." This reinforces the idea of individuality and the rejection of societal norms that the rest of the song has established.

Overall, the song Patience can be seen as a reflection on individuality and the rejection of labels, as well as a meditation on the concept of love.

Line by Line Meaning

I wasn't born a fisherman
I didn't have any natural affinity or skills towards fishing when I was born

And I wasn't born a schoolgirl
I wasn't born as a girl who would attend school

And I wasn't born a tree of leaves
I wasn't a literal tree made of leaves when I was born

And I wasn't born o lordy lord
I didn't have any divine or spiritual origins when I was born

Cause I was a bold and tireless worker
Rather, I was born as someone who works hard and is unafraid to take risks

And I wasn't born an Indian
I wasn't born as a Native American

And I wasn't born Arabian
I wasn't born as someone with Arab ancestry

And I wasn't born a man with a dream to just let it falter
I wasn't born as someone with a dream, only to let it falter eventually

And I wasn't born o! a welldigger
I wasn't born as someone who digs wells for a living

And I wasn't born o! a fleshy thing
I wasn't born as something with a fleshy form

And I wasn't born a thing to be scorned, a thing to be ignored
I wasn't born as something meant to be openly disapproved of or neglected

And I will align myself with nothing
I won't be affiliated with anyone or any group

And I will enjoin my heart with no-one's
I will not allow anyone to have a significant impact on my emotions

Cause I was untried when I was applied
Because I have no previous experience that I could apply to any aspect of my life

The light of birth
I have just emerged into the world and have yet to mature

And I wasn't born o! to tell the truth
I wasn't born to be a universally truthful person

And I wasn't born o! to sleep with Ruth
I wasn't born to be pre-determined as someone who would sleep with a person named Ruth

We're miles apart and I have no heart for weeks between coupling
I am not romantically interested in someone who is distant from me, even if it takes weeks to meet up with them

Well, I could bide my time with girls that live in town
I could pass time with girls who live nearby

Those who seem always to be hanging around
Girls who are always present and available

But it would not seem right to pass the night with one not my true love
However, it wouldn't be fair to spend time with someone who isn't my one true love

Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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