Harris is truly an innovator. For over 30 years, Emmylou has flowed effortlessly between genres achieving popularity in pop, folk, country and now alternative. The common bridge is an exquisite vocal style and a gift for discovering the heart of a song.
Born in Birmingham, Alabama on April 2, 1947, the daughter of Walter and Eugenia Harris grew up near Washington, D.C. As a college student in the late 60s, she sang with a local folk duo and eventually moved to Greenwich Village. She played the clubs on the local folk scene occasionally sharing the stage with Jerry Jeff Walker and David Bromberg.
Discovered in 1971 by Chris Hillman, Hillman brought Gram Parsons to hear her sing in a small club in the Washington D.C. area. In 1972, she answered the call from Gram to join him in Los Angeles to work on his first solo album, "GP." According to Songfacts, Parsons tragic early death in 1973 left Harris at an emotional and musical crossroads. Her earliest signature song, Boulder To Birmingham was written shortly after Gram's death, and it showed the depth of her shock and pain at losing her friend and mentor.
After the loss of Gram, Emmylou went back to the D.C. area and formed a country band, playing with them until her 1975 major label debut, Pieces of the Sky, when she formed the first version of the legendary Hot Band. Over the years the Hot Band included world class players such as Albert Lee, Rodney Crowell and Hank DeVito.
Emmylou has been called by Billboard Magazine a "truly venturesome, genre-transcending pathfinder." Throughout her career, she has been admired for her talent as an artist and song connoisseur, but it was with her 2000 album, Red Dirt Girl, for which Ms. Harris was awarded her tenth (out of eleven total to date) Grammy, that she revealed she is also a gifted songwriter. Continuing the trend with her September 2003 album, Stumble Into Grace, Emmylou wrote ten of the album's eleven tracks. Though Emmylou is the most admired and influential woman in contemporary country music, her scope extends far beyond it. She has recorded with such diverse artists as Ryan Adams, Beck, Elvis Costello, Johnny Cash, Lucinda Williams, Bob Dylan, Tammy Wynette, Neil Young, The Chieftains, Lyle Lovett, Roy Orbison, The Band, Willie Nelson and George Jones.
She sings with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt on the incomparable albums Trio and Trio II, making all three artists living American legends.
A longtime social activist, Harris has lent her voice to many causes. She is active in cultural preservation issues, notably the Country Music Foundation and the Grand Ole Opry. As an animal rights activist and the owner of several dogs and cats, Emmylou also supports PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and the Humane Society. Since 1997 she has been the most visible spokesperson for the Campaign for a Landmine Free World, drawing public attention and notable musical artists to the cause.
Ballad Of A Runaway Horse
Emmylou Harris Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Say a prayer for the cowgirl her horse ran away
She'll walk till she finds him her darlin' her stray
But the river's in flood and the roads are awash
And the bridges break up in the panic of loss.
And there's nothin' to follow nowhere to go
And the crickets are breaking her heart with their song
As the day caves in and the night is all wrong.
Did she dream it was he who went galloping past
And bent down the fern broke open the grass
And printed the mud with the well hammered shoe
That she nailed to his speed in the dreams of her youth.
And although he goes grazin' a minute away
She tracks him all night she tracks him all day
And she's behind to his presence except to compare
Her injury here with his punishment there.
Then at home on a branch on a high stream
A songbird sings out so suddenly
And the sun is warm and the soft winds ride
On a willow tree by the riverside.
Ah, the world is sweet and the world is wide
He's there where the light and the darkness divide
And the steam's comin' off him he's huge and he's shy
And he steps on the moon when he paws at the sky.
And he comes to her hand but he's not really tame
He longs to be lost she longs for the same
And he'll bolt and he'll plunge through the first open pass
To roll and to feed in the sweet mountain grass.
Or he'll make a break for the high plateau
Where there's nothing above and nothing below
It's time for their burden the whip and the spur
Well she ride with him or will he ride with her.
So she binds herself to her galloping steed
And he binds himself to the woman in need
And there is no space just left and right
And there is no time but there is day and night.
Then she leans on his neck and whispers low
Whither thou goest I will go
And they turn as one and the head for the plain
No need for the whip oh no need for the rein.
Now the clasp of this union who fastens it tight
Who snaps it asunder the very next night
Some say it's him some say it's her
Some say love's like smoke beyond all repair.
So my darlin', my darlin' just let it go by
That old silhouette on the great western sky
And I'll pick out a tune and they'll move right along
And they're gone like smoke and they're gone like this song.
Say a prayer for the cowgirl...
The Ballad of a Runaway Horse is a song written by Leonard Cohen and performed by Emmylou Harris. This song tells the story of a cowgirl whose horse has run away, leaving her to tirelessly search for him through harsh weather conditions and across vast land. There's a sense of loss and yearning throughout the song as she searches for her beloved horse. The cowgirl is tormented by the crickets' song, signaling the coming of the end of another day without him. Meanwhile, the horse grazes peacefully, a mere minute away from her but out of her reach, and she reflects on the dream she had when he galloped past and left his imprint on the mud.
Despite the cowgirl's determination, the prospect of finding her horse seems increasingly impossible until she hears a songbird singing from a branch on a high stream. The moment she sings with the bird, it feels like something has shifted, and the world has become more vibrant. Finally, she reunites with her horse, but the song ends without telling us what happens afterward, leaving the listeners to ponder what happened. The song seems to be about the elusive nature of love and the bond that exists between two creatures, both wild and free.
Line by Line Meaning
Say a prayer for the cowgirl her horse ran away
Let's pray for the cowgirl who lost her horse and is trying to find him.
She'll walk till she finds him her darlin' her stray
She won't stop until she finds her beloved horse, who she considers her stray.
But the river's in flood and the roads are awash
Unfortunately, the river is overflowing, and the roads are flooded, making it difficult for her to search.
And the bridges break up in the panic of loss.
The bridges are breaking because of the current water flow, and her anxiety over losing her horse is not helping.
And there's nothin' to follow nowhere to go
She has no trail to follow and nowhere to go since her horse is missing.
He's gone like the summer gone like the snow
Her horse vanished like a summer season or a snowfall, with no traces left behind.
And the crickets are breaking her heart with their song
The sound of crickets is making her feel more mourning for her horse.
As the day caves in and the night is all wrong.
The day feels despairing and the night feels uncomfortable for her as she's searching for her horse.
Did she dream it was he who went galloping past
She might have dreamed that she saw him galloping past her.
And bent down the fern broke open the grass
She imagined that her horse broke the grass and bent over the ferns.
And printed the mud with the well hammered shoe
She saw her horse's well-hammered shoe imprint on the mud.
That she nailed to his speed in the dreams of her youth.
She dreamed of nailing him with his speed, like she did in her teenage years.
And although he goes grazin' a minute away
Even if he's only a few minutes away from where she is, and grazing somewhere close, she still can't find him.
She tracks him all night she tracks him all day
She does not stop searching and tracks him during the day and night.
And she's behind to his presence except to compare
She's behind in his presence except for her ability to compare her injury with his punishment.
Her injury here with his punishment there.
She compares her hurt with his punishment which he might receive.
Then at home on a branch on a high stream
In her peaceful moments at home, on a branch near the high stream,
A songbird sings out so suddenly
she experiences the restorative capacity of nature, like when a songbird unexpectedly sings nearby.
And the sun is warm and the soft winds ride
The sun is warm, and the gentle winds sways, a reminder that the world is full of beautiful things.
On a willow tree by the riverside.
She observes a willow tree by the side of the river, swayed by the natural breeze.
Ah, the world is sweet and the world is wide
The world is beautiful, vast and full of opportunities.
He's there where the light and the darkness divide
Her horse is found in the place where the light and the dark divide, meaning the horizon toward which she was traveling.
And the steam's comin' off him he's huge and he's shy
Her horse is a giant yet with a shy nature, and steam radiates off his body because he's just run, adding to his majestic quality.
And he steps on the moon when he paws at the sky.
He's so tall that when he attempts to reach the sky while pawing at it, he appears to be treading on the moon.
And he comes to her hand but he's not really tame
Although he approaches her, he’s not entirely domesticated.
He longs to be lost she longs for the same
Both her and her horse have a desire for a house in the wild where they would be free, and both long for the same thing.
And he'll bolt and he'll plunge through the first open pass
At any moment, he will sprint and jump whenever he sees an opening.
To roll and to feed in the sweet mountain grass.
He'll revel in the delicious, highland grass by rolling around and grazing.
Or he'll make a break for the high plateau
He could flee to the higher plateau, an isolated place where there is nothing else around.
Where there's nothing above and nothing below
The high plateau has no structures or people above or below it but only the sky above and the earth below.
It's time for their burden the whip and the spur
It’s time for her to let him take the reigns, and motivate him to move faster.
Well she ride with him or will he ride with her.
She contemplates whether her horse will ride with her or it'll be the other way around.
So she binds herself to her galloping steed
She agrees to be tethered to her horse while they are galloping because it can be dangerous if she's not.
And he binds himself to the woman in need
The horse will allow her to grip onto him as a form of support while they ride.
And there is no space just left and right
They are focused on moving forward together and not getting sidetracked.
And there is no time but there is day and night.
They are ignoring time constraints but are going with the hours given to them.
Then she leans on his neck and whispers low
She leans closer to her horse and softly whispers to him.
'Whither thou goest I will go'
She informs him hungrily that wherever he goes, she intends to go with him also.
And they turn as one and the head for the plain
They both immediately turn and look towards the destination originally intended.
No need for the whip oh no need for the rein.
She doesn't need any whip or instrument to manipulate him while riding because they are in congruity
Now the clasp of this union who fastens it tight
Who connects this merger of the woman and the horse together, keeping them tightly bound.
Who snaps it asunder the very next night
What could separate them from their quest so quickly, and so utterly?
Some say it's him some say it's her
There is no clear indication on who is to blame if something were to break them apart.
Some say love's like smoke beyond all repair.
Love is often fleeting and unable of rescue once dissipated like smoke.
So my darlin', my darlin' just let it go by
So, sweetheart, let go of the love that's about to vanish.
That old silhouette on the great western sky
Sometimes actions can be lost, and their silhouettes forever embedded in the pristine and unpopulated western sky.
And I'll pick out a tune and they'll move right along
She plays a song as they continue on their adventure.
And they're gone like smoke and they're gone like this song.
Somehow, they're gone in a blink of an eye, akin to the vanishing smoke and her tune.
Contributed by Brayden S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.