World Without Tears
by Lucinda Williams

World Without Tears by Lucinda Williams
Year: 2003
Release date: 2003-04-08
Overall rank: 3,869th   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
75/100 (from 62 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 2003 (75th)
Award Top albums of the 2000s (657th)
Award Best albums of all time (3,869th)

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LUCINDA WILLIAMS WORLD WITHOUT TEARS - VINYL 2-LP SET " NEW, SEALED "
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Lucinda Williams - World Without Tears CD NEW factory Sealed
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Lucinda Williams- World Without Tears-Australasian Tour Edition 2004 CD NMtoM
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Lucinda Williams bestography

World Without Tears is ranked 3rd best out of 25 albums by Lucinda Williams on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Lucinda Williams is Car Wheels On A Gravel Road which is ranked number 759 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 2,274.

Lucinda Williams album bestography « Higher ranked (3,614th)
Lucinda Williams
This album (3,869th)
World Without Tears
Lower ranked (5,169th) »
The Ghosts Of Highway 20

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

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World Without Tears rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 3,869th | 2000s rank: 657th | 2003 rank: 75th

World Without Tears collection

World Without Tears ratings

Average Rating: 
75/100 (from 62 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album.  | Show all 62 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
70/100
 
06/01/2026 08:30 Exist-en-ciel  Ratings distribution  11,38770/100
 
80/100
 
03/14/2026 22:24 BorderFreeAndrew  Ratings distribution  15,41174/100
 
75/100
 
02/28/2026 01:12 DaveH68  Ratings distribution  1,36376/100
 
85/100
 
01/25/2026 20:34 matterhornrider  Ratings distribution  5,07481/100
 
95/100
 
12/20/2025 06:51 Kingturtle  Ratings distribution  7,57973/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 10% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 74.7/100, a mean average of 73.3/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 75.2/100. The standard deviation for this album is 16.0.

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World Without Tears favourites

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World Without Tears comments

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Rating:  
80/100
From 11/20/2021 03:30 | #276458
Damn fine album. Vulnerable and smart. Maybe her best after Car Wheels.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 08/15/2020 12:15 | #257031
Perhaps I listened to this album at the most appropriate time - because I was totally affected by the emotional lyrics and delivery of Ms. Williams, as well as the powerful electric and acoustic guitar accompaniment. "World Without Tears" (the complete album) was produced with bare bones instrumentation relying on Lucinda's voice to do the work - and work she does - she works her ass off. One hears the desperation, abandonment and loneliness in every lyric as Ms. Williams ramps up the intensity - all while giving the impression that she has nothing left to give. A really mature and fully realized performance.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 06/27/2018 13:45 | #217374
This was my first experience of Lucinda Williams and I was blown away what a voice and her heartfelt lyrics really struck accord with me and now I am a huge fan of everything she has done and will do a woman who knows pain and translates that into music
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 02/15/2018 00:56 | #208240
Another one of her best albums. Perhaps my favourite because it reminds me of my cat. She had a sweet side!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 02/06/2016 12:38 | #158845
Ms. Williams stands in a class by herself. Thoughtful, profound and emotionally raw this record is not for the casual listener.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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