I thought this would be a cool song to post for Poetry Wednesday this week, especially when nothing’s really going on.

Renowned for her elastic contralto and jazz-scat vocal gymnastics, singer Phoebe Snow was born Phoebe Laub on July 17, 1952 in New York City. During her childhood in Teaneck, New Jersey, she initially studied piano, but switched to the guitar in her teens, writing poetry which gradually mutated into her first songs. Overcoming her stage fright, Snow began playing Greenwich Village clubs in the early 1970s, honing an eclectic set which spotlighted both folk and pop sounds as well as jazz, blues and even torch songs.

After signing to Leon Russell’s Shelter label, Snow issued her self-titled debut LP in 1974; on the strength of her Top Five smash “Poetry Man,” the album itself rose to the number four position. A tour with Paul Simon followed, along with an appearance on his hit “Gone at Last”; after returning to the studio, Snow emerged in 1976 with Second Childhood, another highly successful effort which, like its predecessor, achieved gold-selling status.

Poetry Man is a simple, sweet song about a woman singing about her longing for a man that she can never have because he’s married. Of course, you don’t realize that until the end of the song.

Poetry Man by Phoebe Snow

You make me laugh
Cause your eyes they
light the night
They look right through me
You bashful boy
You’re hiding something sweet
Please give it to me yeah, to me

Talk to me some more
You don’t have to go
You’re the Poetry Man
You make things all rhyme

You are a genie
All I ask for is your smile
Each time I rub the lamp
When I am with you
I have a giggling teen-age crush
Then I’m a sultry vamp

Talk to me some more
You don’t have to go
You’re the Poetry Man
You make things all right

So once again
It’s time to say so long
And so recall the cull of life
You’re going home now
Home’s that place
somewhere you go each day
To see your wife

Talk to me some more
You don’t have to go
You’re the Poetry Man
You make things all rhyme.

[mp3j track=”poetryman.mp3″]
Poetry Man by Phoebe Snow

deletereply sanssouciblogs wrote on Aug 26, ’08 I am happy to see this (thanks for the break).I always liked her voice, Isn’t it interesting–never knew this was about love with a married man. Very sensual, too-rubbing the lamp? Hmmmm. She’s a New Yorker who was exposed to the blues at a young age–then lived them. She had a sad life, failed marriage,very brain damaged daughter who she cared for until she was 31; she died last year. Probably now we’ll start to see more of her; she’s sung with so many people: from Wiki “Lou Rawls, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Dave Grusin, Avenue Blue with Jeff Golub, Garland Jeffreys, Jewel, Donald Fagen, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Queen, Hiroshi Fujiwara, Jackson Browne, Dave Mason, Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Michael McDonald, Boz Scaggs, Cyndi Lauper, Roger Daltrey, Chaka Khan, CeCe Peniston, Take 6, Michael Bolton, Thelma Houston, Mavis Staples, Laurie Anderson, Tracy Nelson, and The Sisters of Glory (with whom she performed at the second Woodstock festival), among many, many others. She also sings the title track on the 1997 Laura Nyro tribute album, Time and Love, and recently Snow joined the pop group, Zap Mama, who recorded its own version of “Poetry Man,” in an impromptu duet on the PBS series, “Sessions At West 54th.” Hawaiian girl group Na Leo also had a hit on the Adult Contemporary chart in 1999 with their cover version of “Poetry Man.” Decorating an already vibrant career, in May of 1998, Snow received the Cultural Achievement Award by New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. She is also the recipient of a Don Kirschner Rock Award, several Playboy Music Poll Awards, New York Music Awards and the Clio Award.

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Aug 26, ’08 Wow ! thanks for all that information about her. She’s accomplished quite a lot hasn’t she ? I love this song. It’s so pretty !

deletereply forgetmenot525 wrote on Aug 26, ’08 lovely voice and great song thanks……….

deletereply vickiecollins wrote on Aug 26, ’08 Ah great poetry…cant hear the song, but I bet I would like that also. http://vickiecollins.multiply.com/journal/item/454/Poetry_Wednesday_Meaves_Sorrowful_Way_Home

deletereply instrumentalpavilion wrote on Aug 26, ’08 This is great….thank you. I haven’t given a thought to her in ages.

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Aug 26, ’08 I haven’t heard this song in years. It has a very haunting melody.

deletereply starfishred wrote on Aug 26, ’08 Great pick lovely poem I did Jim Croce Time in a Bottle cause he was great an died so young-

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Aug 27, ’08 I’m not as familiar with the other songs from Phoebe Snow, but maybe I’ll check it out.

deletereply sweetpotatoqueen wrote on Aug 27, ’08 Laurita: I haven’t listened to this music in years…and the lyrics are lovely indeed. Thanks for this,my friend!

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Aug 27, ’08 Thanks for visiting, sweetpotato, the melody is very haunting, too.