Sweet Baby James

Listen while you read:  Rockabye

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 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 dogies retire
He sings out a song which is soft but it's clear
As if maybe someone could hear

Goodnight, you moonlight ladies
Rockabye sweet baby James
Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose
Won't you let me go down in my dreams
And rockabye sweet baby James

Now the first of December was covered with snow
So was the turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston
The Berkshires seemed dreamlike on account of that frosting
With ten miles behind me and ten thousand more to go
There's 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

So goodnight, you moonlight ladies
Rockabye sweet baby James
Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose
Won't you let me go down in my dreams
And rockabye sweet baby James

~  James Taylor

James Taylor did not write this song about himself . . . or did he? The "sweet baby" in the song is his older brother Alex's son. When 21-year-old James learned that his brother had named his newborn son after him, he wrote the song. It was released on the album of the same name back in 1970. In an interview with Rolling Stone in 2015, Taylor said that this was his best song. "It starts as a lullaby, then the second half of the song - 'the turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston' - talks about what music means to me. It gets pretty spiritual by the end." Aha! So he did write the song about himself!

The Berkshires seemed dreamlike on account of that frosting. That has to be one of my favorite lines ever. So evocative. I have driven through the Berkshires, although not in winter, but I have never met a forest I didn't like, whatever the season. I also like the way the song evokes the loneliness of living in the remote outdoors. Reminds me of The Eagles' "Desperado": The sky won't snow and the sun won't shine / It's hard to tell the nighttime from the day. Loneliness.

Last night, I attended the wedding of James and Jessyca. James is the son of JoAnn, my best friend for many years before her death in 2000. My heart was full of joy and sorrow as I observed this event and spoke to people that I knew from the years when JoAnn and I were so close. As joyous as this celebration was, I could not help but mourn the loss of my dear friend, who should have been the beaming mother-of-the-groom at this wedding. I was not the only one feeling this.

When James was born, I gave JoAnn the Sweet Baby James album. I believe she sang this song to little James, who is now a grown man, possibly facing the daunting task of parenthood himself before long. I hope he has a song to sing to his future children, and that JoAnn will be humming along, wherever she may be.