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
Solitary Singer
Eliza Gilkyson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Most good people have gone to rest
But us poor fools who wake at night
When we're lonely, we sing our best
Listen and hark, out in the dark
A mockingbird in a tall tree
Busts his throat on a high sweet note
Nobody knows he's there but me
Nobody's listening
But me
Dark comes down like a heron's wing
Honeysuckle is in the air
That's when I like to sit and sing
Nobody listens, but I don't care
Out in a swamp, by a firefly ramp
An old frog fiddles his double bass
Over the hill, a whippoorwill
Sings her note from a secret race
She sings her best when nobody's listening
Nobody's listening
But me
We sing our best when nobody's listening
Nobody's listening
But me
Dark comes down like a bird in flight
Most good people have gone to rest
But us poor fools who wake at night
When we're lonely, we sing our best
Listen and hark, out in the dark
A mockingbird in a tall tree
Busts his throat on a high sweet note
Nobody knows he's there but me
He sings his best when nobody's listening
Nobody's listening
But me
Dark comes down like a heron's wing
Honeysuckle is in the air
That's when I like to sit and sing
Nobody listens, but I don't care
Out in a swamp, by a firefly ramp
An old frog fiddles his double bass
Over the hill, a whippoorwill
Sings her note from a secret race
She sings her best when nobody's listening
Nobody's listening
But me
We sing our best when nobody's listening
Nobody's listening
(End)
Eliza Gilkyson's song Solitary Singer paints a picture of the night and the different creatures that come out to sing their songs. She starts by describing how night falls like a bird in flight, the good people have gone to rest, and the lonely people who are awake sing their hearts out. She then talks about how a mockingbird in a tall tree sings a high sweet note that nobody hears but her. She describes how the mockingbird sings its best when nobody is listening, like it has a secret that's only meant for her, and it's a beautiful moment between them.
This idea of singing the best when nobody is listening is extended throughout the song. Eliza talks about how she likes to sit and sing when nobody is around to listen, and how other creatures like an old frog or a whippoorwill also sing their best when nobody is listening. The message is clear: when we're alone, we're free to be ourselves and sing our hearts out without worrying about judgment or criticism.
The song is a beautiful reminder that, sometimes, we need to be alone to express ourselves freely. It's an ode to the night and to the different creatures that come out to sing under the cover of darkness.
Line by Line Meaning
Dark comes down like a bird in flight
Night falls like a bird soaring overhead.
Most good people have gone to rest
Most people have already gone to sleep for the night.
But us poor fools who wake at night
Those of us who can't sleep at night are the only ones still awake.
When we're lonely, we sing our best
When we feel lonely, we give our best effort while singing.
Listen and hark, out in the dark
Listen carefully in the darkness of night.
A mockingbird in a tall tree
A mockingbird is singing in a tall tree.
Busts his throat on a high sweet note
The mockingbird puts all his effort into singing a beautiful note.
Nobody knows he's there but me
I am the only one who can hear the bird singing.
He sings his best when nobody's listening
The mockingbird sings his best when there is no one around to hear him.
Dark comes down like a heron's wing
The darkness of the night is like the wing of a heron.
Honeysuckle is in the air
The scent of honeysuckle is in the air.
That's when I like to sit and sing
I like to sing when the scent of honeysuckle is in the air.
Nobody listens, but I don't care
I don't mind that no one is listening to me sing.
Out in a swamp, by a firefly ramp
In a swamp, where fireflies fly, there is something happening.
An old frog fiddles his double bass
An old frog makes music with his double bass.
Over the hill, a whippoorwill
A whippoorwill is singing from across the hill.
Sings her note from a secret race
The whippoorwill is singing her song as part of a secret contest.
She sings her best when nobody's listening
The whippoorwill sings her best when there is no one around to hear her.
We sing our best when nobody's listening
We all put our hearts into singing when there is no one around to listen.
Nobody's listening
There is no one around to hear us sing.
Writer(s): Terry Gilkyson
Contributed by Alice F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
jujugrill
Lovely. Not the first time that Eliza G has revisited a song. This one was first on "Redemption Road". Another is "Bird of Paradise" on "More than a Song" which she reworked as "Paradise Hotel" a bit later. I like it when songs are reinvented. A true original songwriter and great singer. Lots of UK tours over the years, but I wish she had been invited to and played at a big festival here, like Cambridge Folk Fest (maybe she did and I missed it?).
trappist07
A lovely reinterpretation of the song
Paolo Baldessarini
Sento per la prima volta questa cantautrice, e trovo molto interessante la sua voce, una bella scoperta non c'è che dire! Paolo Baldessarini Nago Tn Italy