"Can't You See" is a song written by

Toy Caldwell Toy Talmadge Caldwell Jr. (November 13, 1947 – February 25, 1993) was an American musician who was most notable as the lead guitarist and main songwriter of the 1970s Southern Rock group The Marshall Tucker Band. A founding member of the b ...

The Marshall Tucker Band The Marshall Tucker Band is an American rock band from Spartanburg, South Carolina. Noted for incorporating blues, country and jazz into an eclectic sound, the Marshall Tucker Band helped establish the Southern rock genre in the early 1970s. Wh ...

. The song was originally recorded by the band on their 1973 debut album, ''

'', and released as the album's first single. ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' called it "a strong rhythm item that continually builds and builds." A live version was released in 1977 and peaked at number 75 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

. Cover versions of "Can't You See" have charted for

Waylon Jennings Waylon Arnold Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He is considered one of the pioneers of the Outlaw country, outlaw movement in country music. Jennings started playing ...

(in 1976) and the Zac Brown Band with Kid Rock (2010). A live version, recorded live at the

Performing Arts Center Performing arts center/centre (see spelling differences), often abbreviated as PAC, is usually a complex housing performance spaces for various performing arts, including dance, music, and theatre. In some cases it refers to a single multi-use s ...

in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 31, 1974, is included as the final track on the band's 1975 album, '' Searchin' for a Rainbow''. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said of it that it showcased "their distinctive guitar and flute sounds." The original recording is noted for its

flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

introduction and ending, both by

Jerry Eubanks Jerry Eubanks (born March 9, 1950) is an American musician best known as the original saxophonist, keyboardist and flautist for The Marshall Tucker Band. His flute and sax solos were a signature of the band. Eubanks left the Marshall Tucker Band ...

Artistry

The song, musically, is a cross between

country rock Country rock is a music genre that fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal sty ...

and

Southern rock Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music and a genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country and blues, and is focused generally on electric guitars and vocals. History 1950s and 1960s: origin ...

. The lyrics are noted as being dark, reflecting heartache and "a man running as far away as he can to begin the process of healing himself".

Cover versions

Waylon Jennings

"Can't You See" was covered by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

artist

Hank Williams Jr. Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), known professionally as Hank Williams Jr. or Bocephus, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style has been described as a blend of rock, blues, and country. He is the son of count ...

for his 1975 album '' Hank Williams Jr. and Friends'' and also by

for his 1976 album ''

Are You Ready for the Country ''Are You Ready for the Country'' is The 23rd studio album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released on RCA Victor in 1976. Recording and composition ''Are You Ready For the Country'' was the first solo LP Jennings released aft ...

''. Jennings' version was released as the album's first single in July 1976 and peaked at number 4 on the ''Billboard''

Hot Country Singles Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

chart. It also reached number 1 on the ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...

'' Country Tracks chart in Canada.

Other versions

Matt Minglewood's The Minglewood Band recorded a version on 1979's ''Minglewood Band'' album. It is a staple in his live shows to this day, and includes a preamble about the song being about loneliness, painting a picture of a man leaving the rural East Coast of Canada for the Big City and how when his love leaves he's lonely.

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

covered the song regularly while touring but never released it as a single. It would end up on their 1988 live album with lead vocals by

Jeff Cook Jeffrey Alan Cook (August 27, 1949 – November 7, 2022) was an American country musician. He was best known for being a founding member of the band Alabama, in which he contributed to occasional lead vocals, guitar, fiddle, piano and other mus ...

Halfway to Gone Halfway to Gone is an American heavy metal band from New Jersey. The band formed in 1999 when bassist and founding member of Solarized, Lou Gorra got together with Lee Stuart (Solarized's touring guitarist), and drummer Danny Gollin. Chuc ...

covered the song on their 2002 album ''Second Season''.

Black Stone Cherry Black Stone Cherry is an American hard rock band formed in Edmonton, Kentucky in 2001. They were signed to Roadrunner Records until 2015; the band is now signed to Mascot Label Group. The band consists of Chris Robertson (vocals, guitar), Ben W ...

covered the song on their 2011 album '' Between the Devil & the Deep Blue Sea''.

Chart performance

The Marshall Tucker Band

Waylon Jennings

Zac Brown Band with Kid Rock

References

{{authority control 1976 singles 1977 singles 1973 songs Waylon Jennings songs The Marshall Tucker Band songs Zac Brown Band songs Kid Rock songs Capricorn Records singles RCA Records Nashville singles Rock ballads Country ballads 1973 debut singles