Blood Is Thicker Than Time

Album: The Voice (1993)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Mavis Staples recorded two albums under the direction of Prince: Time Waits for No One in 1989 and The Voice in 1993. She told Mojo magazine how at first she couldn't get the Purple One to talk.

    "He's painfully shy," she said. "He would sit there and roll his big eyes. I said, 'How is he gonna write for me if they don't talk to me? A light bulb went off in my head. I started writing to him, I would write 13, 14 pages at a time. I let him into my life."

    Among the lifetime experiences Staples recounted was her happy memories of going to Sunday School as a child. She loved going there because her mom "would dress me in a little cute dress, my little patent leather shoes and my leather purse."

    Prince filtered the material in Staples' letters into the songs he wrote for the two albums. "Blood Is Thicker Than Time" is a tribute to familial love that makes reference to Staples' recollections of going to Sunday School as a kid.

    We went to church on Sunday mornin' (Oh yeah)
    All dressed up lookin' mighty fine
    The spirit came without a warning
    Intoxicated us all like wine
  • In the sleeve notes for The Voice, Staples described Prince as "My Earth Angel," adding, "Heaven must have sent you."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

David Bowie Lyrics Quiz

David Bowie Lyrics QuizMusic Quiz

How well do you know your David Bowie lyrics? Take this quiz to find out.

Rick Springfield

Rick SpringfieldSongwriter Interviews

Rick has a surprising dark side, a strong feminine side and, in a certain TV show, a naked backside. But he still hasn't found Jessie's Girl.

They Might Be Giants

They Might Be GiantsSongwriter Interviews

Who writes a song about a name they found in a phone book? That's just one of the everyday things these guys find to sing about. Anything in their field of vision or general scope of knowledge is fair game. If you cross paths with them, so are you.

Jon Foreman of Switchfoot

Jon Foreman of SwitchfootSongwriter Interviews

Switchfoot's frontman and main songwriter on what inspires the songs and how he got the freedom to say exactly what he means.

Daniel Lanois

Daniel LanoisSongwriter Interviews

Daniel Lanois on his album Heavy Sun, and the inside stories of songs he produced for U2, Peter Gabriel, and Bob Dylan.

Sam Phillips

Sam PhillipsSongwriter Interviews

Collaborating with T Bone Burnett, Leslie Phillips changed her name and left her Christian label behind - Robert Plant, who recorded one of her songs on Raising Sand, is a fan.