Sweet Baby James Song Facts
This song is a soft lullaby that tells the story of a young cowboy who spends his lonely nights in the canyons, with nothing to keep him company but his horse and his cattle. So the cowboy often spent the long and lonely hours of darkness singing himself to sleep. However, there are a couple of ways this song associates with its writer. As a young child, James Taylor, along with his siblings, often sang each other to sleep at night. The story goes that James couldn't stand it when his mother sang, because she only sang opera. And because James' mother is a lyric soprano, she never sang lullabies. James' father never sang lullabies either, because he didn't exactly have the knack for music. But the most notable interpretation, however, is the fact that when he was a little boy, the young James Taylor was often put in the position of having to sing himself to sleep each night, hence the line, "Singin' works just fine for me."
Some translations of the lyrics:
"Dogies" (Pronounced Doe-gies), is a Western Cowboy Slang term for "Cattle." "As the dogies retire" translates to: "As the cattle settle down for the night."
"Good night, you Moonlight Ladies" - The "Moonlight Ladies" are actually the spirits of the moon, which come out of the sky and shine their lights as the evening darkness falls.
"Rockabye, Sweet Baby James" - This line is loosely based on the nursery rhyme, "Rockabye Baby." James wanted to make this song sound smooth and calm for his baby nephew, so instead of singing the familiar lullaby "Rockabye Baby," he softly sang, "Rockabye, Sweet Baby James."
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Sweet Baby James MP3
Sweet Baby James (LP Version)
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James Taylor - Sweet Baby James 1970
Sweet Baby James Song Lyrics
by James Taylor
There is a young cowboy he lives on the range
His horse and his cattle are his only companions
He works in the saddle and he sleeps in the canyons
Waiting for summer, his pastures to change
And as the moon rises he sits by his fire
Thinking about women and glasses of beer
And closing his eyes as the doggies retire
He sings out a song which is soft but its clear
As if maybe someone could hear
(chorus)
Goodnight you moonlight ladies
Rockabye sweet baby James
Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose
Wont you let me go down in my dreams
And rockabye sweet baby James
Now the first of December was covered with snow
And so was the turnpike from stockbridge to Boston
Lord, the Berkshires seemed dream-like on account of that frosting
With ten miles behind me and ten thousand more to go
Theres a song that they sing when they take to the highway
A song that they sing when they take to the sea
A song that they sing of their home in the sky
Maybe you can believe it if it helps you to sleep
But singing works just fine for me
James Taylor Poster from Mar 28, 1971
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James Taylor's Greatest Hits
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James Taylor's Greatest Hits
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James Taylor's greatest hits albums cover 40 years of music from Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter and guitarist, James Taylor. Taylor's career began in the mid-1960s, but he found his most devoted audience in the early 1970s, singing...
James Taylor's Music, Lyrics, and MP3
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James Taylor's--Country Road--Lyrics, Video, and MP3
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James Taylor's greatest hits albums cover 40 years of music from Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter and guitarist, James Taylor. James Taylor's career began in the mid-1960s, but he found his most devoted audience in the early 1970s, si...
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James Taylor's--Something in the Way She Moves--Lyrics, Video, and MP3
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Something in the Way She Moves was the first single off of James Taylor's self-titled debut album, which George Harrison played on and was released by The Beatles' Apple Records. When Taylor first started writing this song, it was titled "I Feel Fine...
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James Taylor's--Carolina on My Mind--Lyrics, Video, and MP3
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Carolina on My Mind was the second single off of James Taylor's self-titled debut album. James Taylor wrote and recorded this song in 1968, while staying in an apartment in London. In Carolina on My Mind, James Taylor sings about longing to return ho...
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James Taylor's--You've Got a Friend--Lyrics, Video, and MP3
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Originally written and recorded by Carole King in 1971, You've Got a Friend became the biggest, and most well-known hit for then 23-year-old James Taylor, and his only #1 in America. It was the first single off of his third album, released on Warner...
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James Taylor's--Fire and Rain--Lyrics, Video, and MP3
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James Taylor wrote Fire and Rain in 1968 at 3 different times. He started Fire and Rain in London, where he auditioned for The Beatles' Apple Records. He later worked on it in a Manhattan Hospital, and finished it while in drug rehab at The Austin Ri...
"I was there that very day and my heart came back alive." -- James Taylor
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James Taylor's--Mexico--Lyrics, Video, and MP3
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In Mexico, James Taylor sings about Mexico, then says he's "Never really been" there. Actually, James Taylor refers to having been in Mexico for a concert, but coming down with traveler's diarrhea (Montezuma's revenge). He canceled the show, spending...
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James Taylor's--How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)--Lyrics, Video, and MP3
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James Taylor's greatest hits albums cover 40 years of music from Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter and guitarist, James Taylor. Taylor's career began in the mid-1960s, but he found his most devoted audience in the early 1970s, singing...
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James Taylor's--Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight--Lyrics, Video, and MP3
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James Taylor's greatest hits albums cover 40 years of music from Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter and guitarist, James Taylor. Taylor's career began in the mid-1960s, but he found his most devoted audience in the early 1970s, singing...
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James Taylor's--Walking Man--Lyrics, Video, and MP3
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James Taylor's greatest hits albums cover 40 years of music from Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter and guitarist, James Taylor. Taylor's career began in the mid-1960s, but he found his most devoted audience in the early 1970s, singing...
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James Taylor's--Shower the People--Lyrics, Video, and MP3
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James Taylor's greatest hits albums cover 40 years of music from Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter and guitarist, James Taylor. Taylor's career began in the mid-1960s, but he found his most devoted audience in the early 1970s, singing...
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James Taylor's--Steamroller--Lyrics, Video, and MP3
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James Taylor's greatest hits albums cover 40 years of music from Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter and guitarist, James Taylor. Taylor's career began in the mid-1960s, but he found his most devoted audience in the early 1970s, singing...
James Taylor Long Ago and Far Away: His Life and His Music
Official biography
James Taylor Long Ago and Far Away: His Life and His Music (Omnibus Press)
Amazon Price: $17.05 (as of 12/31/2009)
Product Description
From his Beatles-sponsored debut in 1968 to his Grammy-winning Hourglass album of 1997, James Taylor has been universally acclaimed as a songwriter of exceptional eloquence and emotional power. Dispelling myth and rumor, Long Ago and Far Away examines the roots of Taylor s mental anguish and his recurring bouts with heroin and alcohol. This is an epic family history, an exploration of the real stories behind Fire and Rain and the rest of the songs, as well as a frank account of Taylor s days on the Apple record label, the financial disaster of his Greatest Hits album deal and the deaths and divorces that have haunted his life. In this major biography, Timothy White explores both the career and the troubled personal journey of the legendary singer-songwriter.No writer interviewed James Taylor and his family in greater depth over the decades than the late Timothy White, former editor-in-chief of Billboard, and author of the international best-seller Catch A Fire: The Life of Bob Marley. This new edition has been updated by his friend and former Rolling Stone comrade Mitch Glazer and includes an epilogue about the memorial concerts for Timothy that James Taylor helped organize. SELLING POINTS: Rich with insights from Paul McCartney, Carly Simon, Sting, Danny Kootch Kortchmar, the entire Taylor family and many other key figures around James Taylor and his music. Original editions sold over ***** copies worldwide! (17,000 N America) Includes many previously unpublished photos and an extensive discography and bibliography.
Temporarily out of stock. Order now and we'll deliver when available. We'll e-mail you with an estimated delivery date as soon as we have more information. Your credit card will not be charged until we ship the item.
James Taylor in the News
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What is Your Favorite James Taylor Song?
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James Taylor Set the Pattern for All Singer-Songwriters
James Taylor Music on Rhapsody
A folkie with a dark past, upbeat sound and clear pop inclinations, James Taylor was the poster boy for the '70s singer-songwriter movement. He had personal or professional ties to almost all of the era's stars, including Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Carly Simon -- his wife of more than a decade -- and several of his hits, including "Fire and Rain" and his cover of King's "You've Got a Friend," are definitive. Taylor came from a musical family -- three siblings were professional musicians -- and got his first break when Paul McCartney signed him to the Beatles' Apple Records in 1968. By then, he had already endured a 10-month stay in a psychiatric hospital for depression and was battling heroin addiction. That back-story colored his music. The collision of confessional songwriting and bright, catchy acoustic pop on Taylor's early records established the model for legions of folk-poppers. He continued racking up hits throughout the '70s with a combination of breezy originals and rootsy covers. The template has hardly changed in the ensuing decades, though hints of jazz and the classic pop songbook shine through on later albums.
Are You a James Taylor Fan?
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- Paris in SD Paris in SD Jun 2, 2009 @ 4:14 am
- JAMES TAYLOR has ALWAYS been my #1 FAVORITE!!!!!!... His incredible, beautiful music has been there with me~ so close to my heart~ throughout my lifetime~ since I was 16 years old. I'm now 54. IT'S AS SIMPLE AS THIS: JAMES TAYLOR IS TOO AWESOME FOR WORDS.
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- sunworld sunworld Apr 4, 2009 @ 3:15 pm
- James Taylor is one of America's finest song writers. His creativity continues to flourish and grow after some forty years. Great lens. 5*
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- AndyPo AndyPo Feb 1, 2009 @ 12:46 pm
- Great lens
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- Jewelsofawe Jewelsofawe Jan 29, 2009 @ 5:38 pm
- I like some of his songs like Fire and Rain
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- Intuitive Intuitive Jan 29, 2009 @ 11:13 am
- My dad was a huge James Taylor fan when he (Dad) was in his forties. 5* I like him more now myself. Except I loved Mockingbird at the time.
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- JacquelineM JacquelineM Jan 28, 2009 @ 7:46 pm
- Very nice lens, I had no idea he had done so much!
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- nightbear nightbear Jan 28, 2009 @ 5:18 pm
- I like some of his songs. But not a huge fan. But I do love your lens. Great looking.
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