Hailing from a horse farm along the banks of the mighty Mississippi River, Whitmore has developed an intense love and spiritual understanding of the land, which he flawlessly conveys through his second Southern Records release, Ashes To Dust.
With a voice that sounds decades older than he is and full of emotional depth, William again delivers his unique signature style. While comparisons to the gravely voice of Tom Waits and the lyrical story telling of Johnny Cash fly throughout reviews of William's music, all agree that this Iowan is onto something more than just regenerating the music of the past.
Perhaps one of the reasons can be found in the instrumentation William uses in recording his songs, relying mostly on the basics while allowing his vocal delivery to provide a true sense of rural being. But clearly, it is heard in his stories: personal stories of death, love found and then lost, to never be found again. "Midnight", the opening track for instance, was born out of the feeling of displacement. "Diggin My Grave" which originally appeared on a limited edition self-titled cd, speaks of the need, for some reason or another, to kill yourself slowly. "Lift My Jug" (songs for Hub Cale) is a song of the first, honest to god hobo he ever knew and how meeting him at the young impressionable age of six, greatly influenced his life. The closing track, "Porchlight", is the story of William's father, one of a dying farmer's last request.
With live performances of a caliber to leave one completely stunned in silence, and an album full of songs not only from the heart but also from the heartland, William Elliott Whitmore's Ashes to Dust is one of the most interesting contributions to today's diverse collection of musical ingenuity.
Whitmore has toured with Chris Cornell, City and Colour, The Pogues, Murder By Death, Clutch, Lucero, Converge, Red Sparowes, Modern Life is War, Frontier Ruckus, Frank Turner and The Low Anthem.
Whitmore's 2009 release, Animals in the Dark, reached #50 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart.
Midnight
William Elliott Whitmore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And my heart sunk like a ship
Deliver me from this hell before I slip
My lungs can no longer breath
And my legs can no longer run
The only thing I need is for this day to be done
The bluebird can sing
I'm a dog among kings with no self control
The only thing left is to try to live
With the sins on my back no one could forgive
The sunshine is behind us
And the storm is rolling in
We need something to remind us how to feel again
I'm out on a limb
But before that bough breaks
I'll have one final memory of all my mistakes
When midnight feel it dropped like a stone
I've got a short fuse to burn
And I'm a long way from home
The song Midnight by William Elliott Whitmore tells a tale of a journey that has somehow gone wrong. The singer's heart has sunk like a ship, and they want to escape from the current hell they are in before it's too late. They are exhausted, and they can no longer catch their breath or run. The only solace the singer wants is for the day to be done so they can hopefully have a new start tomorrow. The singer feels less than human and compares themselves to a dog among kings because they can't seem to control themselves.
The bluebird in the lyrics serves as a symbol of hope or happiness, but the crows, on the other hand, represent death and evil. The singer says that the crows got the soul because they feel like they've lost their soul and can't seem to feel anything at all. They have sinned and carry their burdens on their back, and nobody would forgive them. The sunshine that symbolizes hope is behind the singer, and a storm is coming. The singer says they need something to remind them how to feel again, but they are out on a limb. The singer uses the metaphor of a bough to represent their life, saying they will hold on before the final drop. The song ends with the singer saying that midnight felt dropped like a stone, and they feel as if they are a long way from home.
Line by Line Meaning
Midnight rang out like a bell
The night has just begun and time passed quickly.
And my heart sunk like a ship
I feel sadness and despair in my heart.
Deliver me from this hell before I slip
Help me escape from this bad situation before I make it worse.
My lungs can no longer breath
I am emotionally exhausted and unable to cope with my problems.
And my legs can no longer run
I am physically and mentally drained, unable to keep moving forward.
The only thing I need is for this day to be done
All I want is for this difficult day to pass by quickly.
The bluebird can sing
There is still hope and beauty in the world.
But the crows got the soul
Unfortunately, there is also pain and sorrow in the world.
I'm a dog among kings with no self control
I feel out of place and lost, unable to maintain self-discipline or direction.
The only thing left is to try to live
I must keep going, even though life is difficult and painful.
With the sins on my back no one could forgive
I carry my mistakes and regrets with me all the time, and no one can absolve me of them.
The sunshine is behind us
The good times are gone, and we are facing darker times ahead.
And the storm is rolling in
Trouble is brewing and the future looks uncertain.
We need something to remind us how to feel again
Our emotions have been worn down, and we need something to inspire us and give us hope.
I'm out on a limb
I am taking a big risk or making a bold move, and it could fail.
But before that bough breaks
I must act quickly and decisively before things fall apart completely.
I'll have one final memory of all my mistakes
I will be haunted by my past, and all the things I did wrong or failed to do.
When midnight feel it dropped like a stone
When the night gets even darker, and everything seems hopeless.
I've got a short fuse to burn
I am at my breaking point and could snap at any moment.
And I'm a long way from home
I feel alone and far away from everything that is familiar and comforting.
Contributed by Ella D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.