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.
Lost Unto this World
Emmylou Harris Lyrics
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Some daddy's little girl
More precious than the ruby
More cherished than the pearl
My heart was full of mercy
And my forehead full of curl
Now I am nothing and am lost unto this world
I am lost unto this world...
They herded me like cattle
Cut me down like corn
Took me from my babies
Before they could be born
You can blame it on the famine
You can blame it on the war
You can blame it on the devil
It don't matter anymore
I am lost unto this world...
I was tortured in the desert
I was raped out on the piain
I was murdered by the high way
And my cries went up in vain
My blood is on the mountain
My blood is on the sand
My blood runs in the river
That now washes through their hands
I am lost unto this world...
Can I get no witness this unholy tale to teil
Was God the only one there watching
And weeping as l feil
O you among the living
Will you remember me at all
Will you write my name out
With a single finger scrawl
Across a broken window
In some long forgotten wall
That goes stretching out forever
Where the tears of heaven fall
I am lost unto this world...
The lyrics of Emmylou Harris's song "Lost Unto this World" tell the heartbreaking story of a woman who was once valued and cherished, but is now nothing in the eyes of the world. In the first verse, she describes how she was once loved and adored as someone's daughter, with curly hair and a heart full of mercy. But now, she is lost and has no place in the world.
The second verse reveals the reason for the woman's decline. She was treated like a piece of property, taken from her children before they were even born, and subjected to famine and war. She speaks of being tortured, raped, and murdered, with her blood now washing through the hands of those who caused her suffering. The woman's story is one of staggering loss, trauma, and inhumanity.
In the final verse, the woman herself addresses the listener, asking if anyone will bear witness to her story or remember her at all. She wonders if God was the only one watching and weeping as she fell. She imagines her name scrawled on a broken window, in a place where the tears of heaven fall. Ultimately, the woman is lost unto this world, her story only remembered by the soulful lyrics of Emmylou Harris.
Line by Line Meaning
I was once some mother's darlin'
I was once a beloved child to my parents
Some daddy's little girl
Especially adored by my father
More precious than the ruby
Highly valued like a ruby gemstone
More cherished than the pearl
More loved than a rare and expensive pearl
My heart was full of mercy
I used to possess a compassionate heart
And my forehead full of curl
I had curly hair once
Now I am nothing and am lost unto this world
I'm currently lost and worthless in this world
They herded me like cattle
I was treated like a farm animal
Cut me down like corn
I was treated like a crop that can easily be harvested or destroyed
Took me from my babies
They separated me from my unborn children
Before they could be born
My kids weren't even given a chance to be born
You can blame it on the famine
The people's scarcity of food can be blamed for my situation
You can blame it on the war
The ongoing battles in the area caused my suffering
You can blame it on the devil
One can attribute my misfortune to the devil himself
It don't matter anymore
It's pointless to blame anyone or anything
I was tortured in the desert
I was forcefully subjected to pain and cruelty in the hot, dry wilderness
I was raped out on the plain
I was sexually abused in an open and wide flat land
I was murdered by the highway
My life ended in a violent way on a road
And my cries went up in vain
No one was able to hear or respond to my screams for help
My blood is on the mountain
I lost my life on a high, rocky area
My blood is on the sand
My blood also stained the sandy ground where I was killed
My blood runs in the river
My blood is now mixed with the water that flows in the river
That now washes through their hands
The people who caused my death are now touched by the same waters that wash my blood
Can I get no witness this unholy tale to teil
Is there nobody who can testify to the terrible things that happened to me?
Was God the only one there watching
Did God just observe and not do anything to intervene?
And weeping as l feil
And did he cry along with me when I fell?
O you among the living
People who are still alive
Will you remember me at all
Will you keep me in your memories?
Will you write my name out
Will you make an effort to mention me?
With a single finger scrawl
Using just one finger to scribble something
Across a broken window
On a damaged and abandoned opening of a building
In some long forgotten wall
On a wall that no one bothers to remember or fix
That goes stretching out forever
A wall that goes on endlessly
Where the tears of heaven fall
The place where the rain from heaven constantly pours down
I am lost unto this world...
I am still lost and have no place or purpose in this world
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: EMMYLOU HARRIS, DANIEL ROLAND LANOIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind