Lucinda Williams

Lucinda Williams is a great musical friend to have while going through a divorce. She has songs that fit many of the different and conflicting emotions that swirl about in those times. If you are not familiar with Williams, click on the names of some of the songs I list. It will take you to Last.fm where you can stream, in most cases, the entire song. She is a very bluesy alt-country singer songwriter who has a very sultry voice. (The Editor - everyone knows you have unusual taste in vocalists, so why should anyone pay attention to a description like that from you? I don't know, but speaking of my unusual taste in vocalists, I recently imported out an old Iris Dement album into iTunes - I love her voice!)

Lucinda's catalog includes the bitter and angry songs, like Joy (I don't want you anymore, cause you took my joy. I don't want you anymore, you took my joy. You took my joy, I want it back. You took my joy, I want it back!) and Wrap My Head Around That.

There's the painful songs, like Everything Has Changed, Still I Long For Your Kiss, and Can't Let Go. There are songs like Reason to Cry that are about trying to understand your ex.

She has a song that for a long time I thought fit with the angry songs, Changed the Lock, but now I'm not so sure. I metaphorically did a lot of the things in that song, not from a place of anger but from the need to move on (both in a practical sense and in an emotional sense)

I changed the lock on my front door so you can't see me anymore
And you can't come inside my house, and you can't lie down on my couch
I changed the lock on my front door

I changed the number on my phone so you can't call me up at home
And you can't say those things to me that make me fall down on my knees
I changed the number on my phone

I changed the kind of car I drive so you can't see me when I go by
And you can't chase me up the street, and you can't knock me off of my feet
I changed the kind of car I drive

I changed the kind of clothes I wear so you can't see me anywhere
And you can't spot me in a crowd, and you can't call my name out loud
I changed the kind of clothes I wear

I changed the tracks underneath the train so you can't find me again
And you can't trace my path, and you can't hear my laugh
I changed the tracks underneath the train

I changed the name of this town so you can't follow me down
And you can't touch me like before, and you can't make me want you more
I changed the name of this town

There's the song that I wanted to hear a friend sing to me during the painful times, Are You Alright? I was blessed to have a couple of friends who did express the sentiment of this song to me on a frequent basis last summer. Thanks Dave and Audrey!

There's a song that perfectly expresses what I image the meeting would be like if I ran into my ex in a grocery store or at a bar, Out of Touch.

One in particular that I listened to a lot was Learning How to Live, which is about realizing the need most to the next part of your life even before you are really able to start.

And then there is the song I listened to tonight, while walking Leo, which started me down this path of thinking about Lucinda Williams. Unsuffer Me is about getting to the place when you realize that you are not obsessing about your ex all the time. You might have noticed that it has been days since you even thought about her at all. You realize that what you miss is not exactly your ex, but rather you miss being connected to another person. You miss intimacy, but not necessarily intimacy with your her.

...unsuffer me
take away the pain
unbruise, unbloody
wash away the stain

surround my heartbeat
with your fingertips
unbound my feet
untie my wrists

come into my world
of loneliness
and wickedness
and bitterness
anoint my head
with your sweet kiss
my joy is dead
I long for bliss

I long for knowledge
whisper in my ear
undo my logic, undo my fear
unsuffer me