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.
My Dear Companion
Emmylou Harris Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
© 1976 Geordie Music Pub Co.
Oh have you seen my dear companion
For he was all this world to me
I hear he's gone to some far country
And that he cares no more for me
I'd fly to a high and lonesome place
I'd join the wild birds in their crying
Thinking of you and your sweet face
Oh have you seen my dear companion
For he was all this world to me
But now the stars have turned against me
And he cares no more for me
Oh when the dark is on the mountain
And all the world has gone to sleep
I will go down to the cold dark waters
And there I'll lay me down and weep
Oh have you seen my dear companion
Oh have you seen my dear companion
Oh have you seen my dear companion
For he was all this world to me
"My Dear Companion" is a poignant song about lost love and regret. The singer is searching for a companion who was once everything to her, but has now gone to some far-off country and seems to have forgotten her. The tone of the song is desolate and pensive, but also filled with yearning and hope. The singer wishes she were a swallow so she could fly away to a high and lonesome place and join the wild birds in their crying. She is thinking of her lost love and his sweet face.
The song is a haunting and tender exploration of the pain of lost love and the yearning for companionship. The lyrics are sparse but evocative, capturing the emotions of the singer with a simple yet powerful language. The last two stanzas of the song are particularly heart-wrenching, as the singer contemplates the darkness of the mountain and the cold dark waters into which she will lay to weep.
Overall, "My Dear Companion" is a beautiful and moving song that speaks to the universal experience of lost love and the yearning for companionship.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh have you seen my dear companion
The singer is asking if anyone has seen their beloved.
For he was all this world to me
The person was everything to the singer.
I hear he's gone to some far country
The singer has heard that their beloved has gone to a distant land.
And that he cares no more for me
The artist believes that their beloved no longer has feelings for them.
I wish I were a swallow flying
The artist wishes they could be a bird, flying freely.
I'd fly to a high and lonesome place
If the singer were a bird, they would fly to a lonely and desolate location.
I'd join the wild birds in their crying
The singer would join the birds in their sorrowful cries.
Thinking of you and your sweet face
The artist would think of their beloved and their attractive appearance.
But now the stars have turned against me
The artist thinks that fate has turned against them.
And he cares no more for me
The artist continues to believe that their beloved has lost feelings for them.
Oh when the dark is on the mountain
The singer is talking about when it is nighttime and the darkness has fallen on the mountain.
And all the world has gone to sleep
The artist imagines a time when everyone has gone to sleep.
I will go down to the cold dark waters
The singer contemplates going down to a body of water that is dark and cold.
And there I'll lay me down and weep
The singer will lay down at the body of water and cry.
Oh have you seen my dear companion
The singer repeats their opening question of whether anyone has seen their beloved.
Oh have you seen my dear companion
The artist repeats their question of whether anyone has seen their beloved.
Oh have you seen my dear companion
The artist repeats their question of whether anyone has seen their beloved.
For he was all this world to me
The singer repeats that their beloved was everything in this world to them.
Lyrics © ESTATE OF JEAN RITCHIE PICKOW
Written by: JEAN RITCHIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind