Sweet Baby James - James Taylor cover

Sweet Baby James
"Sweet Baby James" is a song written and recorded by James Taylor which serves as the opening and title track from his 1970 breakthrough album Sweet Baby James. Although never released as a single, it is one of his best-known and most popular tunes, and arguably his signature song.

The song was written by Taylor for the son of his older brother Alex, who was also named James (and indeed was named after him). Deliberately a cross between a cowboy song and a lullabye, it was first thought up by Taylor as he was driving to meet his infant nephew for the first time.

Taylor spent considerable effort on the lyrics, whose verses he later said used the most intricate rhyming pattern of his career.

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
The chorus echoes the lullabye sentiment, with a reference to "Rock-a-bye Baby".

"Sweet Baby James" was included on Taylor's diamond-selling Greatest Hits 1976 compilation.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Sweet
• Baby
• James
• taylor
• acoustic
• cover
• fingerstyle
• fingerpicking
• strat2caster
• Mike
• Rice
• 414ce
• cowboy
• range
• horse
• cattle
• saddle
• canyon
• pastures
• moon
• rises
• fire
• rain
• finger
• picking

[JelloDVDs]

Is this James Taylor singing or someone else?

[strat2caster]

its me singing and playing

[JustPlainDB]

Great song, great voice... and the video is unique...

[strat2caster]

thanks a lot DB ;o)

[Travelersole]

hey mike, just making my rounds this is one of my favorite songs of all time. great job. and I like the video angle too. Take care Gary

[strat2caster]

thanks bro the cat knocked it over and i looked at the monitor and thought it was cool ;o) see ya next week !

[JelloDVDs]

@pinchold I am neither. I had just never heard his music before. All I knew was his name. But since I wrote that first comment I had been to one of his concerts and know most of this music. So relax. :)

[pinchold]

@JelloDVDs you deaf? or an ass-licker?

[pilgrim561]

minute you sound so wonderful ......love pen

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[hellasgrl1821]

CAN YOU PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THE CHORDS ARE FOR THIS SONG????? THE ONES THAT YOU ARE PLAYING???????????? PLEASE PLEASE!!! i'm 13 and i love james taylor, so does my dad. i want to play this song on my guitar for him as a suprise! PLEASE let me know what the chords are!!!!!!

[squeezebox1able]

Very good

[iGOTtheZAG]

i love james taylor....good cover you sound alot like him

[iluvjacob765]

i luv this song. i sang it all the time @ camp

[JelloDVDs]

I know the diference now, but I hadn't hear james taylor before some recommeced his music to me so I went looking for it and found this.

[SlaveTraders]

Id like to be able to get a cd or download all of your songs.