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.
Blackhawk
Emmylou Harris Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well I work the double shift
In a bookstore on St. Clair
While he pushed the burning ingots
In Dofasco stinking air
Where the truth bites and stings
I remember just what we were
Blackhawk and the white winged dove
Hold on to your aching heart
I'll wipe the liquor from your lips
A small town hero never dies
He fades a bit and then he slips
Down into the blast furnace
In the heat of the open hearth
And at the punch clock he remembers
Blackhawk and the white winged dove
I remember your leather boots
Pointing up into the sky
We fell down to our knees
Over there where the grass grew high
Love hunters in the night
Our faces turned into the wind
Blackhawk where are you know
Blackhawk and the white winged dove
We were Blackhawk where are you know
We were Blackhawk where are you know
Do you still have the ring I gave you
On the banks of Lake Bear
Where I felt certain that I knew you
My cool and distant debonair
Now we drink at Liberty Station
Another cup of muscatel
Wrapped in the strong arms of the Union
Raisin' kids from raisin' hell
Emmylou Harris's song Blackhawk, written by Daniel Lanois, is a powerful tribute to the memories of a vanished past. The singer reflects on the time she spent with her lover, who worked at Dofasco steel plant while she worked at a bookstore on St.Clair, a humble life that has now become a memory as the place where they built their future together is no longer the same. The song captures the sobering reality of the steel manufacturing industry and the impact it has had on the working people. The plants and factories where Blackhawk worked and where the singer's lovers would have toiled have left behind them a legacy of smoke and pollution, marking their locations with a memory akin to the industrial revolution.
The singer takes us through an emotional journey, describing the pain of the town's life and work disappearing: "Hold on to your aching heart/I'll wipe the liquor from your lips" - a fitting line that speaks to the sensitivity and comfort the singer tries to offer as she watches her lover slip away. They were once "Love hunters in the night" but now, in the blazing heat of the literal and metaphorical open hearth she finds herself singing, "Blackhawk where are you now". The lyrics of Blackhawk capture exactly what Emmylou Harris is known for - her ability to invoke emotions and evoke memories, with her voice transporting the listener to another place and time.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I work the double shift
I work two shifts at a bookstore, and my partner works in a smelting plant.
In a bookstore on St. Clair
The bookstore where I work is on St. Clair street.
While he pushed the burning ingots
My partner works in the stinking air of the smelting plant, pushing heated ingots.
In Dofasco stinking air
The air in the Dofasco plant where my partner works is foul-smelling.
Where the truth bites and stings
The harsh reality of our respective jobs affects us.
I remember just what we were
I recall how we used to be before we started working such difficult jobs.
As the noon bell rings for
The sound of the bell signaling noon reminds me of something.
Blackhawk and the white winged dove
The memory that the bell reminds me of is about Blackhawk and the white winged dove.
Hold on to your aching heart
I will console you, and ease the pain that you feel.
I'll wipe the liquor from your lips
I will help you recover from the effects of drinking.
A small town hero never dies
A local legend will always live on in our memories.
He fades a bit and then he slips
The legend fades away over time, and eventually disappears.
Down into the blast furnace
The heroes of our small town sacrificed everything, even their lives, to work in the dangerous smelting plant.
In the heat of the open hearth
The intense heat of the smelting process is just part of the dangers of the job.
And at the punch clock he remembers
Even though the work is dangerous, people go back to work every day.
Blackhawk and the white winged dove
They remember their small town hero, Blackhawk and the white winged dove.
I remember your leather boots
I have fond memories of times we spent together in the past.
Pointing up into the sky
I remember a specific moment when we were kneeling in the grass, looking up at the sky.
We fell down to our knees
Our love for each other overwhelmed us, and we fell down onto our knees.
Over there where the grass grew high
The moment I remember took place in an open field where the grass was tall.
Love hunters in the night
We were like hunters searching for love in the darkness.
Our faces turned into the wind
We were caught up in the moment, and let the wind blow across our faces.
Blackhawk where are you know
I wonder where our small town hero is now.
Blackhawk and the white winged dove
I can't help but think of Blackhawk and the white winged dove.
Do you still have the ring I gave you
I am curious if you still have a ring I gave you as a gesture of my love.
On the banks of Lake Bear
I gave you the ring during a special moment we shared by Lake Bear.
Where I felt certain that I knew you
At that moment, I believed that I truly understood you.
My cool and distant debonair
I saw you as a cool, calm, and collected person.
Now we drink at Liberty Station
Our current reality is that we often have to resort to drinking muscatel at a local tavern called Liberty Station.
Another cup of muscatel
We have been there many times and have had many drinks.
Wrapped in the strong arms of the Union
Despite our hardships, we take comfort in the support of our community.
Raisin' kids from raisin' hell
Although we lead a difficult life, we are still raising our children as best we can and taking care of them despite it all.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: DANIEL LANOIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John Henry Erasmus
ń Oomblik se onthou
Van ons Vader se ewige trou
Van liefde en genade
Oorvloedig deur al die jare
Skink die beker van geluk
Terwyl ons wag en wag en wag
Want in die silwer jare
Is daar baie om nog voor te hoop
Verhoudings verbrou
Kan herstel word in liefdevolle trou
Eensame nagte
In herinnering bring
Sonder enige berou
Liefdevolle Heer
Skenk asseblief genade
Om my gedagtes
Rondom U alleen te bou
Hier in my silwer jare.
John Henry Erasmus
Vonkelverse, bruisend deur my are
Vonkelverse, ek kom nader
Vonkelverse vir middeljare
Vonkelverse vir aftreejare
Dit borrel in my as ek dit sing
Want wie gee vir aftrede
n Splinternuwe ring
ń Ring van vriendskap
ń Ring van trou
n Ring van net die mooiste in die lewe onthou
Dan sing ons vonkelverse
Want daar is bruising tussen jou en my
Want daar's ń kitaar
En ons het ń lied
ń Vonkelvers wat geheime bied
Ons deel dit met vriende
Ons deel dit met lang lang ure
Vonkelverse, mag daar vir ń oomblik
Net geluk in almal se oë skiet.
Kathleen McNally
I love her voice she really touches a deep place in my soul
Tom Torrell
There's only 1 Emmylou. I'm afraid when the Lord God takes her from us, she'll be irreplaceable. That's how good she is. Fantastic. Love ya Emmy.
allan hughes
There will be others trust me there will but yes it will be a sad day !!
jpalberthoward9
I never see any dislikes or thumbs down or negative comments. It's extraordinary.
In baseball, if you hit 400, you're Ted Williams and they put you in the hall of fame.
Emmylou appears to be batting 1000. I listen to all kinds of music from artists from every era, and this lady has not hit a clunker yet. 50 years of consistently great songs and first rate performances.
She's the poster lady for
"How To Do It Right "
afonso70110
The music of Daniel Lanois is wonderful. And Emmylou too, with his voice that leads us to unknown places. A true wonder. Emmylou is unique.
Kathleen McNally
I love her voice. She touches a place deep in side my soul
Waldemar Rognes
I really love this woman, her voice and her music! ❤️
Waldemar Rognes
I really love this woman - she is from heaven! ❤️
myrjer
Best voice in the universe
Tom Ryan
agree.and best everything else.