Time (The Revelator) Lyrics
I'm the pretender and I, what I'm supposed to be
But who could know if I'm a traitor
Time's the Revelator
The Fortune Lady came along, she walked beside
But every word seemed to date her
Time's the Revelator, the Revelator
Drive into Corning and all the spindles whine
And every day is getting straighter
Time's the Revelator, the Revelator
I'll go back to Cali where I can sleep out every night
And watch the waves and move the fader
Time's the Revelator, the Revelator
Time's the Revelator
I think it's about Gillian Welch coming to realise that most of her songs are about times and situations that she's not experienced herself. Therefore, though she's in love with the folk music of the '20s and '30s, she can't be considered an authentic voice ("I'm a pretender, I'm not what I'm supposed to be"). She hopes she is doing the music justice ("But who could know if I’m a traitor? Time’s the revelator.").
It is "They caught the Katy and left me a mule to ride". To catch the Katy is to jump onto one of the goods carriages of a moving train and hitch a free ride, common practice for those crossing the country looking for work duing the depression (the authentic voices). She's saying they experienced the real thing, she is left with only an echo of those times.
I think it's "and all the spindles white", i.e. the waggon wheels used as decoration on houses, which are generally painted white. They're meant as tokens of rural authenticity, but ("everyday it's getting straighter"), that they're equally pretenders. She's tired of the pretensions and sets off for California, she no longer feels the need to live the rural life to write songs. Time's the revelator :)
Thank you for your insightful contribution. I've got some thoughts on the KT and the For me Eric the contradiction between the KT express train and the mule is likely the important thing. These bluegrass/Country artists caught the express train to fame and fortune while they left her struggling to find recognition: the mule to ride. Slow and tedious without much support or acknowledgement. But the image also refers to Mary who rode the mule to Bethlehem while pregnant. She was also considered unwelcome and refused hospitality and ended up sleeping in a stable. Yet her gift was ...
Thank you for your insightful contribution. I've got some thoughts on the KT and the For me Eric the contradiction between the KT express train and the mule is likely the important thing. These bluegrass/Country artists caught the express train to fame and fortune while they left her struggling to find recognition: the mule to ride. Slow and tedious without much support or acknowledgement. But the image also refers to Mary who rode the mule to Bethlehem while pregnant. She was also considered unwelcome and refused hospitality and ended up sleeping in a stable. Yet her gift was pure, truthful and profound. A valid comparison. Welch’s gift is pure truthful and profound too and she knows she is truthful but time will eventually show the world if she is truthful or a traitor. Just like time will tell if the world will consider Mary’s gift the Truth or a traitor. And the way it is going in the world now it looks like Mary’s gift is getting trod upon and not understood to an ever increasing degree. As far as the comparison with Welch goes, her enormous talents found ample acknowledgements in the world but still maybe not with the country folk she started her journey out with. I don't know
Thank you for your insightful contribution. I've got some thoughts on the KT and the For me Eric the contradiction between the KT express train and the mule is likely the important thing. These bluegrass/Country artists caught the express train to fame and fortune while they left her struggling to find recognition: the mule to ride. Slow and tedious without much support or acknowledgement. But the image also refers to Mary who rode the mule to Bethlehem while pregnant. She was also considered unwelcome and refused hospitality and ended up sleeping in a stable. Yet her gift was ...
Thank you for your insightful contribution. I've got some thoughts on the KT and the For me Eric the contradiction between the KT express train and the mule is likely the important thing. These bluegrass/Country artists caught the express train to fame and fortune while they left her struggling to find recognition: the mule to ride. Slow and tedious without much support or acknowledgement. But the image also refers to Mary who rode the mule to Bethlehem while pregnant. She was also considered unwelcome and refused hospitality and ended up sleeping in a stable. Yet her gift was pure, truthful and profound. A valid comparison. Welch’s gift is pure truthful and profound too and she knows she is truthful but time will eventually show the world if she is truthful or a traitor. Just like time will tell if the world will consider Mary’s gift the Truth or a traitor. And the way it is going in the world now it looks like Mary’s gift is getting trod upon and not understood to an ever increasing degree. As far as the comparison with Welch goes, her enormous talents found ample acknowledgements in the world but still maybe not with the country folk she started her journey out with. I don't know
The song is Welch's answer to the critics who labelled her unauthentic for her first two albums, saying she had no right to sing bluegrass cos she's from California. This song is her supremely eloquent reply that should have a few music journos jumping off cliffs from shame. nIt's the opening salvo to the best album ever and one that I still listen to daily.
"They caught the Cady and left me a mule to ride "
I believe this should be "They caught the Katy..." in reference to the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad. Also a line the Taj Mahal song "she caught the Katy, and left me on a mule to ride"
@bluedogbeads excellent information thank you. The comparison with the express train and the mule is in my view important here. The express train to fame and fortune was caught by the well supported country artist while they left her a arduous journey without recognition on a mule. Of course that conjures up the image of Mary on the mule to bethlehem also without receiving hospitality and forced to sleep in a stable. The comparison can be drawn out further since Mary's gift was truthful pure and profound, so is Welch's gift to the world. But neither gifts are acknowledged...
@bluedogbeads excellent information thank you. The comparison with the express train and the mule is in my view important here. The express train to fame and fortune was caught by the well supported country artist while they left her a arduous journey without recognition on a mule. Of course that conjures up the image of Mary on the mule to bethlehem also without receiving hospitality and forced to sleep in a stable. The comparison can be drawn out further since Mary's gift was truthful pure and profound, so is Welch's gift to the world. But neither gifts are acknowledged by the people they were mixing with. But time will be the revelator
I think Paega's right on the money here. This song seems like Gillian's answer to her critics who question her "Appalachian authenticity" because of the fact she grew up as a California valley girl. "Who could know, if I'm a traitor? Time's the Revelator"...i.e...only time will tell if her songs will stand up to the classics of Ralph Stanley, Carter Family, etc...
The line about the "Fortune Lady" could be a reference to Emmylou Harris, who was the first major artist to record one of Welch's songs (Orphan Girl). But maybe not ;)
The line "watch the waves and move the faders" seems like a direct reference to recording in a digital type (Pro Tools) environment, where the audio waveforms actually move across the computer screen, and the faders are the volume sliders on the mixing console. This once again points out the collision between "then" (when records were sung into one mic, straight to acetate disk) and "now". But waves also serve as a double reference, with their more obvious meaning being the California ocean.
The last two lines are particularly revealing, and are sung (especially live) with quite an edgy, somewhat bitter tone. "Queen of fakes, and imitator"...almost as if those are the vicious words coming straight out of a critic's mouth.
This is a heck of a song, lyrically AND melodically. David Rawlings has one of the keenest sence of harmony I've ever heard. He perfectly comlements Gillian on this tune.
Really like your point about the waves and faders in reference to sound recording. That makes all of it come together for me....
Really like your point about the waves and faders in reference to sound recording. That makes all of it come together for me....
i feel extremly stupid because i have not a clue what these lyrics mean. BUT i fell in love w/ Gillian Welch when i heard this song cause it's the first on her cd.. then , i found this AMAZING live accoustic version of this song w/ Ryan Adams and Gillian Welch. wow. it's fantabulous... the harmonies... and the guitar... perfecto.
Too many comments to read them all, but I feel a lot of people are on the wrong track with this song. The interpretation that makes sense to me is that when Gillian refers to "they caught the Katy and left me a mule to ride" was that she was referring to is her parents - given she was adopted. Fortunes lady came and walked beside her and things turned out ok. She wonders however whether she is a traitor like her parents who betrayed her???? She knows she is not really who she pretends to be - the people...
Too many comments to read them all, but I feel a lot of people are on the wrong track with this song. The interpretation that makes sense to me is that when Gillian refers to "they caught the Katy and left me a mule to ride" was that she was referring to is her parents - given she was adopted. Fortunes lady came and walked beside her and things turned out ok. She wonders however whether she is a traitor like her parents who betrayed her???? She knows she is not really who she pretends to be - the people who brought her up weren't her real parents - however - queen of fakes and imitators - she behaves like she is their child and one of them, when underneath she really feels she is not. The understanding of this experience (which I feel is also my experience) is expressed in the book on experiences of adoption called "Primal Wound"
hmm i never heard this song but i read the lyrics..
i kind of seems in the beginning of the song, hes flashing back, and then in the middle of the song where he says "They caught the Cady and left me a mule to ride ". i guess someone kidnapped her, i don't know and he is lost without her.
I dont know-- UYI
I just discovered Gillian Welch, but becasue of this song I am hooked. She sings with deep emotion and tells a great story. This song has touched me more than just about any other to date. A must listen!
I don't know what all the lyrics mean, but the theme of the song, to me, is Time Reveals All. Verse 1 - Time reveals the person's intentions. Verse 2 - One's culture reveals her time(age). Have no idea what the rese means.
Check out the rest of her music, she's awesome.
I think it's about Gillian Welch coming to realise that most of her songs are about times and situations that she's not experienced herself. Therefore, though she's in love with the folk music of the '20s and '30s, she can't be considered an authentic voice ("I'm a pretender, I'm not what I'm supposed to be"). She hopes she is doing the music justice ("But who could know if I’m a traitor? Time’s the revelator.").
It is "They caught the Katy and left me a mule to ride". To catch the Katy is to jump onto one of the goods carriages of a moving train and hitch a free ride, common practice for those crossing the country looking for work duing the depression (the authentic voices). She's saying they experienced the real thing, she is left with only an echo of those times.
I think it's "and all the spindles white", i.e. the waggon wheels used as decoration on houses, which are generally painted white. They're meant as tokens of rural authenticity, but ("everyday it's getting straighter"), that they're equally pretenders. She's tired of the pretensions and sets off for California, she no longer feels the need to live the rural life to write songs. Time's the revelator :)
It's getting out. It's discovering that time is moving and everything doesn't always workout alright. I think she is trying to convey that it s easy to glorify time, but when it comes to it, times a revelator.