Fitzsimmons was raised in the outskirts of the steel city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the youngest child of two blind parents. Due to the family's inability to communicate through normal visual means, Fitzsimmons' childhood home was filled with a myriad of sounds to replace what eyes could not see. The house was suffused with pianos, guitars, trombones, talking birds, classical records, family sing-a-longs, bedtime stories, and the bellowing of a pipe organ, which his father built into the house with his own hands.
When his father's orchestral records were not resonating through the walls, his mother would educate him on the folk stylings of James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, and Simon & Garfunkel. By the completion of his youth and schooling, Fitzsimmons had become well-versed at a variety of instruments, at the minor expense of social standing, interactional skills, and a knowledge of proper shaving technique.
Fitzsimmons' path into music was likewise unusual, forsaking the hobby for many years to work with the mentally ill and pursue an education in the field of mental health. It was during his last semester of graduate school that William pooled money from past birthdays, holidays, and snow shoveling outings, and bought cheap home recording equipment to begin creating songs again (the first collection of which eventually became his debut album).
After finally achieving his goal of becoming a practicing therapist, William left, and returned again to his love of crafting and playing songs. He felt that is where he most belonged. Somewhere between a singing therapist, and a counselor who writes songs, is where Fitzsimmons endeavors to be. Using songs to address matters that he believes need to be addressed.
William draws from those early folks stylings of his mother's music, and the embellished instrumentation of his father's. He is often compared to contemporaries Sufjan Stevens, Iron & Wine, and the late Elliott Smith, not only for his unique style and skill in writing and proclivity to deal with substantive and evocative subject matter, but also for his use of organic and colorful melodies and arrangements.
His first two records were completely self-produced, Until When We Are Ghosts and Goodnight. Fitzsimmons' friend Ingrid Michaelson joined him with vocals on Goodnight.
The Sparrow And The Crow, was his first studio recorded work, released in September 2008. The album debuted extremely well at #56 on the iTunes Top Albums Chart, and #1 on the iTunes Folk Chart.
While his lyricism deals often with darker undertones (The Sparrow and The Crow album was written following his divorce), a measure of hopefulness is always carefully blended in.
William candidly expresses the process of making The Sparrow And The Crow as follows: “I wrote it first and foremost as a confession and apology to my former wife. It was a way to say things that I needed her to hear that I didn't know how else to say. Second, as a way to exercise the pain from what I'd easily call the worst year of my life. And third, as a way to let others in pain have a way to express and deal with their trouble, and perhaps find some hope at the end of it. It's not a divorce record, or even a “break up" record in the traditional sense, although certainly it contains elements of both. Instead, it's a record about messing up everything, and trying to find a way back home." - AllAboutJazz.com 9/2008His latest album, Derivatives, a novel remix of The Sparrow and The Crow, was released in May 2010 through Mercer Street Records to strong reviews. Pink Ganter's remix of the song So This Is Goodbye is a critic favorite. Also of note, Fitzsimmons covers Kate Perry's I Kissed A Girl, called "a brave move, but a move that completely pays off." by TheFourOhFive.com's Leah Henson. More from Henson's review:
Before a second of music is played, Derivatives is already a fascinating album. The very idea of the delicate, heartfelt and evocative melodies of the previous album from William Fitzsimmons, The Sparrow and the Crow, being re-imagined and remixed to give them a positive spin is an idea that could possibly have terrible repercussions. Fortunately, the remixes are tastefully done and don’t squeeze every bit of essence from the original songs. Instead of unrecognisable songs being created, as so often is the way with remixes, Derivatives is an assembly of songs developed beautifully, creating a continuation from the songs on The Sparrow and the Crow. Electro blips, synths and heavy basslines now accompany Fitzsimmons’ mournful voice, adding to the songs rather than removing key elements from them. ... The intriguing thing about this album is the fact that the songs can be enjoyed on various levels. For a William Fitzsimmons fan who has listened to The Sparrow and the Crow and knows every little nuance of each song, Derivatives is a continuation, welcomed with open arms. - TheFourOhFive.com 5/2010With his expanding tenure as a songwriter, William has received mentions in noted publications such as Billboard, Paste Magazine, Pitchfork, Performing Songwriter Magazine, AllAboutJazz.com, among others. Fitzsimmons' music has been featured on several television programs such as Grey's Anatomy and Army Wives.
Fitzsimmons' music is available on iTunes and from his web store and myspace page.
Beautiful Girl
William Fitzsimmons Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A distant fuller skin
I knew you once
My God the sun
The windows bear your bones
Reveal your crime
Let the sunrise come again
Beautiful girl
Your sailor eyes
The water in the well
A thirst to fill
Let down your arms
The purging of this dark
The fall to free
Beautiful girl
Let the sunrise come again
Beautiful girl
May the weight of world resign
You will get better
The lyrics of William Fitzsimmons's song "Beautiful Girl" present a melancholic tone that conveys profound emotions. The opening line "Unfurl your gown" could be interpreted as an invitation to reveal one's true colors and authentic self to the world. The next line "A distant fuller skin, I knew you once" suggests a reflection of the past, and the singer recognizes that there have been changes which caused distance in their relationship.
The second verse, "My God the sun, the windows bear your bones, reveal your crime" centers on the idea that the sun enlightens everything around it, putting on display everything that might have gone unnoticed before. The singer sees the beauty and vulnerability of the subject, but also an underlying sin, a criminal act. It is unclear what that act may be, but it could be a reference to any mistake or misdeed that an individual may have committed, and which still weighs heavily on them.
The chorus states "Beautiful girl let the sunrise come again, May the weight of world resign, You will get better," which can be interpreted as an affirmation of hope that, despite the struggles and hardships, there is a possibility of renewal and healing. It encourages the subject to move forward and embrace life, despite its difficulties.
Line by Line Meaning
Unfurl your gown
Open up and reveal your true self, your deepest emotions and struggles
A distant fuller skin
Over time, you have grown and your experiences have formed you into a stronger person
I knew you once
We may have lost touch and grown apart, but I still remember the beautiful person you are
My God the sun
Even in the bleakest moments, the sun still shines and gives us hope for a better tomorrow
The windows bear your bones
Your vulnerability and innermost thoughts are exposed through your eyes and facial expressions
Reveal your crime
Share with me the pain and regret you hold, so we can work together to move forward and find healing
Beautiful girl
Despite your struggles and imperfections, you are still beautiful and worthy of love and happiness
Let the sunrise come again
Let go of the darkness and embrace the new beginnings and opportunities that each day brings
Your sailor eyes
Your eyes are like the ocean, deep and full of stories and experiences
The water in the well
Your soul is constantly longing for fulfillment and seeking to quench its thirst
A thirst to fill
You are constantly searching for something to fill the void inside you and bring you peace
Let down your arms
Stop fighting and let yourself be vulnerable and open to love and acceptance
The purging of this dark
Let go of the pain and hold on to hope, let the darkness dissipate and allow yourself to heal
The fall to free
Sometimes it takes a fall or hitting rock bottom to break free from the chains that hold us back and find true freedom and happiness
May the weight of world resign
May the burdens you carry become lighter and may you find peace and relief from the weight of the world
You will get better
No matter how hard things may seem right now, things will get better and you will emerge stronger and more resilient than ever before
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHARLES MILLER, HAROLD RAY I. BROWN, HOWARD E. SCOTT, JERRY GOLDSTEIN, LE ROY L. JORDAN, LEE OSKAR, MORRIS DEWAYNE DICKERSON, SYLVESTER ALLEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
The Swan Prince
How is it possible that this song makes me care so much about every one of the people in the comments. Their losses, Their loves, Their strengths, Their sadness. It’s like some sort of intersection, and regardless of what brought us all here, I care very much just because we all are. It’s like Magick and we need so much more of this in the world right now.
K K
Heard it 4 years ago with my girlfriend in college. Brings back so many memories. And wherever you are.. I hope you are happy my beautiful lil girl!
Sheila Donovan
This song proves that music reaches something primal, instinctual and intrinsic in us...I cannot listen to this song without being brought to the brink of tears simply because of the beauty of it.
Charlotte Oakley
I know it isn't totally fitting with the song but I am 16 and played this for my mums funeral on guitar and sung. She was 49 when she died of a rare case of cancer. I just thought the song was lovely. Just love it <3
Habiba Hmamed
I've just had a very stressful day. This song is making me feel incredibly peaceful and relaxed
JohnDoe
One of the strongest silent songs someone ever written. Peace of art.
Mustafa Akbar
How can anyone dislike this song? Its so beautiful...
Martin Palmer
I listened to this song over and over for an hour. It gave me the strength to finally leave my fiancée. I deserve someone better than she will ever be
Andrew Keen
Ahh damn man.. I'm still hurting after breaking up with my GF recently and as much as I feel I wasn't perfect whatsoever, I tried damn hard for a long time and after a certain point I just felt broken and hurt all the time, she just started treating me terribly. I wanted to leave her for a while but couldn't, she'd call and then I'd go back, guess I loved her too much and that's why it hurt me so bad when things got bad and we split. I'm hoping I can have a better experience than that in future my god, but I want this pain to go away, we had planned our life together before she went from amazing to abusive just like that. I admire your courage and I hope things have worked out for the better my friend.
Rhee Pah
Love this song! His voice is hypnotic.