Knight was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up in Slaughters, Kentucky. His extended family lives in the same area of Kentucky. Knight has three brothers and a sister. When he was three years old, he asked for a plastic guitar for Christmas. At 15, he became serious and began teaching himself John Prine songs on his older brother's guitar. In an interview, Knight commented "At one point I could play probably 35-40 John Prine songs.
Knight earned a degree in agriculture from Western Kentucky University. He worked for ten years as a mine reclamation inspector and as a miner's consultant for the Kentucky Department of Surface Mining.
Knight started composing when he was 26, but didn't start performing until he was 30. He got his first record deal when he was 37.
On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Chris Knight among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.
Hard Edges
Chris Knight Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ever since she was ten years old
Her bare feet raising dust on a yard
Where the grass wouldn't grow
Slowly spinning round and round
To the music playing in her head
Late at night it could almost drown out
The wrecking yards and dingy bars
And abandoned factories
But down among the jagged souls
A ballerina sways unseen
Hard edges hide a tender heart
Silent as a midnight prayer
Hard edges hide the sweetest part
Till you'd never know it's there
Lisa's in a club downtown
Where the neon burns till dawn
She calls herself Tina now
But she dances to the same old songs
Slowly spinning round and round
In the smoke and the smell of rye
She takes off all her clothes
So they don't see down in her eyes
The scarlet rouge and blue tattoos
Are only painted on
But underneath the dark drumbeat
A ballerina dances on
Hard edges hide a tender heart
Silent as a midnight prayer
Hard edges hide the sweetest part
Till you never know it's there
The song "Hard Edges" by Chris Knight tells the story of Lisa, a young girl who loved to dance since she was ten years old. She would dance barefoot in a yard where the grass never grew, lost in the music that played in her head. Lisa's joy for dancing was a way for her to escape the reality of being raised by an alcoholic father. The lyrics describe how Lisa's dance slowly transforms into something darker as she grows up, taking her into wrecking yards, dingy bars, and abandoned factories.
As Lisa becomes Tina and dances in clubs downtown, she hides behind painted tattoos and a tough exterior. Despite the hard edges she puts up, there is still a ballerina dancing on the inside. The lyrics suggest that Lisa's heart is still tender and sweet, but it is hidden behind the hard edges. The song expresses a sense of empathy for Lisa and others who put up hard edges as a way of protecting themselves.
Overall, "Hard Edges" is a poignant and introspective song about the masks people wear and the ways in which they protect themselves from the world around them. It's a reminder that beneath the surface of every tough exterior, there is often a tender and vulnerable heart waiting to be seen.
Line by Line Meaning
Lisa used to love to dance
Lisa enjoyed dancing in her youth
Ever since she was ten years old
She has been dancing since she was ten years old
Her bare feet raising dust on a yard
She danced barefoot on a yard with minimal grass
Where the grass wouldn't grow
The yard had grass that would not grow well enough
Slowly spinning round and round
She spins around slowly
To the music playing in her head
She listens to music in her head while spinning
Late at night it could almost drown out
The music in her head is so loud that it covers up other sounds
The whiskey on her old man's breath
There is someone drinking alcohol near her
The wrecking yards and dingy bars
Her surroundings include junk yards and shabby bars
And abandoned factories
She visits abandoned factories
But down among the jagged souls
There are rough people in her environment
A ballerina sways unseen
She is a talented dancer in disguise
Hard edges hide a tender heart
She may seem tough on the surface but is sensitive underneath
Silent as a midnight prayer
She is quiet like a midnight prayer
Hard edges hide the sweetest part
A gentle part of her personality is not easily visible
Till you'd never know it's there
It is not apparent until you get to know her
Lisa's in a club downtown
She is now in a club in the city
Where the neon burns till dawn
There are bright signs that stay lit until the morning
She calls herself Tina now
She goes by a different name now
But she dances to the same old songs
She still enjoys dancing to the same music
In the smoke and the smell of rye
She is dancing in an environment where people are smoking and drinking rye whiskey
She takes off all her clothes
She removes all of her clothing
So they don't see down in her eyes
She does not want people to see her true feelings
The scarlet rouge and blue tattoos
She has colorful tattoos on her skin
Are only painted on
The tattoos are not permanent
But underneath the dark drumbeat
Underneath the loud music
A ballerina dances on
She is still dancing gracefully
Writer(s): Craig Michael Wiseman Copyright: Almo Music Corp.
Contributed by Mateo J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
shawn the farmer
this song just brakes my heart to pieces. i know this girl. many of us do.
shawn the farmer
@Michele Grant stay strong.
Michele Grant
Im that little girl-- misplaced for years
Tyler Thomas
I give all of his songs a blue ribbon. How he hasn't hit the big times I don't know unless he chose not to. And if that is the case, can't say that I blame him. Music Row went to hell in a handbasket.
Tony Farnam
This guy is one of my favorite writers. He's got the scars and callouses and mournful heart of a coal miner...but he's got the timing, articulation, and sensitivity of a Shakespeare. That sounds funny because that's two things you don't normally keep in the same drawer. You don't expect that poetic sensibility in a working class hard edges kind of guy from that side of the tracks. That's a unique twist and a big part of his appeal, for me anyway. As far as radio play....i see his not being radio played as a plus. He writes from the heart and the gut. Back in Hank's days (Sr.), that got played. It was real and another 60 years down the road, people will still be covering his material. I can't say that for the Taylor Swift's of the world. . Radio doesn't want that these days though. So... If he fit into the American Idol, next pop star, kiss the industry's ass mold, he'd be just another clone pumping out the next manufactured single he was told to do. My two cents...
benberse44664
I just found out about this guy on pandora through hank III radio. I love this shit
Joel Dixon
Me as well.
mrsurestop
I've been done with Nashville for years, because this is how Country music should sound.
Thor Pedersen
Hank III
Adrian Miller
amen to that. Im so disgusted with Trashville these days.