She received much critical acclaim for her 2005 release, Paradise Hotel, which contains songs that strike a chord with listeners in light of recent events. "Requiem" honors Hurricane Katrina and tsunami victims with hopeful pleas to the Virgin Mary, while "Man of God" is a bitter, unapologetic denouncement of President George W. Bush and his administration.
"The actions of this regime do not follow the teachings of Christ, what I call real Christianity," Gilkyson said in August 2005. "I just don't appreciate the religious right acting like I don't love God and my country just because I'm not in their corner. I'm mad and I want other people to be mad about this too."
In 2008, her album Beautiful World came out, again on Red House Records. The songs vary from pop to folk and points in-between, with songs ranging from intimate ballads to rallying cries against the imperialist machine. She recently collaborated on a new album entitled Red Horse with two of her Red House Records label-mates John Gorka and Lucy Kaplansky.
In 2011, she came out with Roses at the End of Time. Recorded at her home with the help of her son and co-producer Cisco Ryder, Gilkyson took a longer time in the studio and came out with a more eclectic and personal album. She continues to tour about 150 dates per year in the United States and overseas.
www.elizagilkyson.com
Death In Arkansas
Eliza Gilkyson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just as the last great tree was felled
Like many that came before
It was used for table and a door
A palette and a long hall rack
Hung my great grandfather's hat
A stable and a barn, a bed and a seat
A roof and fence and a floor that creaked
And a coffin leanin against the wall
When there was a death in Arkansas
I liked the wagons and the wheels
The wind that knocked us down in the fields
And the girls with the southern drawl
And those that came before were the pictures on the wall
And the lone dogs howled and the crows would caw
When there was a death in Arkansas
We were laid to rest out under the sun
And we breathed our last
And it was done
And the air redeemed us and we would learn
That a life was hallowed and we wouldn't burn
Hands folded gently to say goodbye
It was just this place underneath the sky
Do you see our bones hidin like a toad
In the old red dirt that is now a road
Beneath the sign that blinks off on
And a shopping mall where the house is gone
Forgetting that a soul may call
When there is a death in Arkansas
And a quilten patch of new concrete
Helps the trucks roll down the street
There's a Dollar Store by the setting sun
And a sign on the church says His Will is Done
I can't see the birds or find the fields
That hold my bones beneath the wheels
And a mother worries that her son won't call
And a tv stares at a blinking wall
But the lone dogs howl and the crows still call
When there is a death in Arkansas
Eliza Gilkyson's song "Death In Arkansas" is a poetic narrative that reflects on memories of the past and how they have been erased by modernity. The lyrics begin with an evocative depiction of a once-lush forest that has been stripped bare, leaving only the memory of its sweet aroma. The singer then offers a list of items fashioned from the wood, including a coffin, which draws a connection between the cycle of life and death, the passage of time and the changing of people's priorities.
As the song progresses, the singer reflects on people, places and things from the past that are now gone, but continue to linger in the present, haunting us like ghosts. The singer recalls wagons, wheels, and fields that are now lost to urbanization and concrete. The singer describes how we lay in rest underneath the sun, and how the air that surrounds us redeems us. The song ends with a melancholic tone, suggesting that we have forgotten the lessons of the past, that we have sold our souls for progress and material gain.
The song is a haunting reflection on the toll that human progress takes on our memories, our landscapes and our spirits. It is a lament for the loss of the natural world and for the loss of the human connections that once grounded us in a sense of place and purpose. It also speaks to the universality of death, which touches all of us, regardless of our race, class, religion or background.
Line by Line Meaning
I remember how the wood would smell
I recall the fragrance of freshly-cut timber
Just as the last great tree was felled
Right after the final magnificent tree had been chopped down
Like many that came before
Like so many others that were previously taken down
It was used for table and a door
The wood was made into a table and a door
A palette and a long hall rack
It also served as a painter's palette and a storage rack
Hung my great grandfather's hat
It held my great grandfather's hat on a hook
A stable and a barn, a bed and a seat
Additionally, it was part of a stable, a barn, a bed, and a seat
A roof and fence and a floor that creaked
Moreover, it formed the roof, the fence, and the creaky floor
And a coffin leanin against the wall
And finally, a coffin leaning against the wall
When there was a death in Arkansas
All these wooden objects would be present at a wake or a funeral in Arkansas
I liked the wagons and the wheels
I enjoyed watching the wagons and their wheels
The wind that knocked us down in the fields
I also experienced the gusts of wind that knocked us off our feet in the fields
And the girls with the southern drawl
I was fond of the girls who spoke with a southern drawl
And those that came before were the pictures on the wall
The previous generations were represented by the pictures hanging on the wall
And the lone dogs howled and the crows would caw
In the event of a death in Arkansas, the only sounds would be the howling of dogs and the cawing of crows
When there was a death in Arkansas
These sounds would occur only when someone had died in Arkansas
We were laid to rest out under the sun
We were buried outside, under the sun
And we breathed our last
We took our final breath
And it was done
And that was the end
And the air redeemed us and we would learn
The air around us purified us and we would come to realize
That a life was hallowed and we wouldn't burn
That a life was sacred and we would not perish eternally in a fiery hell
Hands folded gently to say goodbye
Our hands were clasped together gently in the farewell
It was just this place underneath the sky
The only thing that mattered was this spot under the sky
Do you see our bones hidin like a toad
Are you able to spot our bones that are hidden like a toad
In the old red dirt that is now a road
Buried under the old red dirt that has now become a road
Beneath the sign that blinks off on
Underneath the sign that blinks on and off
And a shopping mall where the house is gone
And now there is a shopping mall where the houses used to be
Forgetting that a soul may call
Forgetting that a soul may seek for peace
When there is a death in Arkansas
When someone dies in Arkansas
And a quilten patch of new concrete
A small patch of new concrete like a quilt
Helps the trucks roll down the street
Assists the trucks in moving down the street
There's a Dollar Store by the setting sun
A Dollar Store exists near the place where the sun sets
And a sign on the church says His Will is Done
The sign on the church indicates that God's will has been done
I can't see the birds or find the fields
I'm unable to locate the birds or the fields
That hold my bones beneath the wheels
That conceal my bones under the wheels
And a mother worries that her son won't call
A mother is worried that her son won't call her
And a tv stares at a blinking wall
A television set stares at a wall that blinks on and off
But the lone dogs howl and the crows still call
Regardless, the solitary dogs continue howling and the crows still caw
When there is a death in Arkansas
When someone passes away in Arkansas
Contributed by Aiden H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.