Ferron is featured in the documentary on women's music, Radical Harmonies 2002.
Ferron's rough-hewn voicing, chewy phrasing, and poetic songwriting has brought many favorable comparisons, including Kitty Wells, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen (cf. Stephen Holden 1994). One wit aptly summed up Ferron's legendary status by calling her "the Johnny Cash of lesbian folksinging" (Bett Williams 2000).
She learned to play guitar at age 11, and left home at 15. Ferron attended Total Ed, an alternative high school in Vancouver, graduating in 1973 (Thomas 2002). She made her professional debut in 1974, playing the song "Who Loses" at a benefit for the Women's Press Gang. She subsequently established her own record label, Lucy Records, and released her debut album in 1977. The album, Testimony, was her first professionally produced record, and brought her much interest in the United States, particularly in the women's music community.
Her 1984 album Shadows on a Dime received a four-star review (highest rating) from Rolling Stone magazine. Awarded a Canada Arts Council grant to further develop her musicianship, she took several years off from touring, returning in 1990 with Phantom Center. The album featured backing vocals by a then unheard of Tori Amos, and consequently is highly sought after by collectors. It was re-released with a duet with The Indigo Girls on the first track.
Between 1992 and 1994, Ferron released three albums on her own Cherrywood Station label. Driver was then picked up by Earthbeat! Records, and was highly acclaimed by critics as a masterwork and nominated for a Juno Award in 1995. Warner Bros. Records signed Ferron which gave her great freedom in the studio to produce Still Riot with db Benedictson. She received an Outmusic Award for Lifetime Achievement at the Gay & Lesbian American Music Awards in 1996.
As a benefit for the Institute for Musical Arts (IMA), Ferron released Inside Out (1999), covering well-known tunes from the 1950s-1970s. She published a handmade book, THe (h)UNGeR POeMs, while she was teaching classes at IMA. She gathered some of her earlier, then out-of-print recordings to create Impressionistic (2000), a retrospective double album with a 24-page, autobiographical booklet.
Ferron continues to tour and teach master classes in writing, and in 2004 she returned to the very island where some of her earliest recorded songs were written to create Turning Into Beautiful produced by db Benedictson.
The Cart
Ferron Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Has been let loose by wearing thin
By wearing thin, by biting through
The shift in power leans to you
And the cart is on a wheel
I've wept with joy for the things I've done
For what I left undone
For what I couldn't deem mine
For what I thought was yours
And so I drew the line
And the cart is on a wheel
And the wheel is on a hill
I heard someone fall
I saw another one flail
I saw an arm dig deep
Where there was no rail
Well there is no rail
And there's no "because"
Though the body be strong
The Spirit is law
And the cart is on a wheel
And the wheel is on a hill
And the hill is shifting sand
And inside these laws we stand.
If we are lives and souls to keep
If we are Love, I hope we do not sleep
I hope we do not sleep
I hope we stay our ground
Hold fast to the Mother as she turns us 'round.
'Cause the cart is on a wheel
And the wheel is on a hill
And the hill is shifting sand
And inside these laws we stand.
Hold fast to the Mother...hold fast.
Ferron's "The Cart" is a song that invites interpretation as it has metaphorical lyrics. The song speaks about a cart that is on a wheel and the strap that holds the cart in rein has worn thin, leading to a shift in power. The song speaks about a person who has done things for which they've wept with joy and others for which they wept as hard because of what they left undone. The line that says, "For what I thought was yours and so I drew the line" is profound and suggests that the persona has taken a stand, probably against a person or system they felt was taking advantage of their goodness, leading to the shift in power alluded to in the first verse.
In the second verse, the persona speaks about hearing someone fall and seeing another flail, describing situations that are probably dangerous, with no rail or support. It appears the persona is commenting on life, saying, there is no "because," but there are laws, and the spirit is law, though the body may be strong. The persona encourages listeners to stay grounded and hold fast to the mother, which presumably is a symbol for something that keeps them steady, even though they know the hill on which the cart sits is shifting sand.
Line by Line Meaning
The strap that holds the cart in rein
The force that restrains the direction of one's life is weakening
Has been let loose by wearing thin
The weakening force that once constrained one's direction is now broken
By wearing thin, by biting through
The force weakened by being worn down and eventually breaking
The shift in power leans to you
As the restraining force weakens, the direction of one's life is shifting towards their control
And the cart is on a wheel
Life is constantly moving and changing, with or without our control
I've wept with joy for the things I've done
There have been moments of great happiness from accomplishments in life
And I've wept as hard for what I left undone
Equally, there have been moments of great sorrow caused by regrets of missed opportunities
For what I couldn't deem mine
Things that were seemingly out of one's control or reach
For what I thought was yours
Things that were assumed to belong to someone else
And so I drew the line
Setting boundaries to protect oneself from negative emotions and experiences
I heard someone fall
Witnessing someone's failure or weakness
I saw another one flail
Seeing someone struggle without success
I saw an arm dig deep
Watching someone put in great effort and determination
Where there was no rail
Despite the absence of guidance or support
Well there is no rail
Acknowledgement of the lack of external guidance or support
And there's no "because"
Not everything in life has a clear reason or explanation
Though the body be strong
Even with physical strength or power
The Spirit is law
The internal, intangible force often dictates one's actions and direction in life
If we are lives and souls to keep
If our lives and souls are important to us
If we are Love, I hope we do not sleep
If we are filled with love, may we remain aware and awake, not missing out on any opportunities
I hope we do not sleep
An emphasis to remain awake and aware
I hope we stay our ground
To stand firm in one's beliefs and values
Hold fast to the Mother as she turns us 'round.
To hold onto the Earth, the source of life, as it revolves and changes
And the hill is shifting sand
Life often changes and is unpredictable
And inside these laws we stand.
We must navigate life within its often complex and confining rules
Hold fast to the Mother...hold fast.
An emphasis to remain grounded and true to oneself
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: FERRON FOISY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind