Career
Hansard quit school at age 13 to begin busking on local Dublin streets. He formed his own band The Frames in 1990, and the group have been gigging regularly in Ireland since. Hansard came to international attention as guitar player Outspan Foster in the 1991 Alan Parker film The Commitments. He has often stated that he regretted taking the role because he felt it distracted him from his music career. In 2003, he presented the television programme Other Voices: Songs from a Room, which showcased Irish music talent on RTÉ.
On 22 April 2006, he released his first album without The Frames, The Swell Season, on Overcoat Recordings in collaboration with Czech singer and multi-instrumentalist Markéta Irglová, Marja Tuhkanen from Finland on violin and viola, and Bertrand Galen from France on cello. Hansard also spent part of 2006 in front of the cameras for the music-infused Irish film Once, in which Hansard plays a Dublin busker, and Irglová an immigrant street vendor. The film had its United States premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007 and received the Festival's World Cinema Audience Award. During the promotional tour, he and Irglová began dating. Said Hansard about his relationship with Irglova: "I had been falling in love with her for a long time, but I kept telling myself she's just a kid".
Hansard had recorded a version of Bob Dylan's "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" for the film I'm Not There in 2007. In 2009, Hansard said that he and Irglova were no longer romantically linked, and that they are now "good friends".
Aside from his projects with The Frames and Irglová, Hansard also took part as a member of the band on the 2006 Oxfam charity album, The Cake Sale. Hansard has recorded several cover songs, both alone and with band member Colm Mac Con Iomaire, for the Today FM discs Even Better than the Real Thing. Songs that he has recorded include Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me a River" on Even Better than the Real Thing Vol. 1 and Britney Spears' "Everytime" on Vol. 2.
He voiced a role on an episode ("In the Name of the Grandfather") on The Simpsons as an Irish busker. A new album of original songs recorded as The Swell Season with Markéta Irglová and entitled Strict Joy was released on 27 October 2009 on the ANTI- record label.
In the summer of 2011, he joined Eddie Vedder on his American solo tour in support of Vedder's solo album, Ukulele Songs. He played a solo concert at the opening of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Guitar Heroes exhibit in New York City in May 2011. and on Cape Cod at the Cape Cinema on 17 June.
In September 2011, he played at Pearl Jam's 20th Anniversary Festival PJ20 at the Alpine Valley Theatre outside of East Troy, Wisconsin. Hansard plays several guitars, including a very recognisable battered Takamine NP15 acoustic guitar (even sporting a large hole), which he calls "The Horse".
In a November 2011 interview in The Huffington Post with Irglova, it was revealed that Hansard was preparing a solo album and that there was a very possible third release from The Swell Season. This solo album was later revealed to be titled Rhythm and Repose.
American Songwriter included Hansard's "Love Don't Leave Me Waiting" on its The Muse July Sampler. Another song of his featured in a film soundtrack is This Gift, which appears in The Odd Life of Timothy Green.
Hansard sang the song "Take the Heartland" on the soundtrack for the 2012 film The Hunger Games. Another song he wrote, "Come Away to the Water", is featured on the soundtrack, but is covered by Maroon 5 and Rozzi Crane. Hansard can be found singing "Come Away to the Water" on the deluxe edition of his first solo album Rhythm and Repose. He guest-starred in an episode of the TV series, Parenthood, playing himself. In the episode, "Trouble in Candyland", he performed "High Hope", a single from his solo debut album Rhythm and Repose. In 2015, Hansard and Lisa Hannigan recorded a song, "On Love", for the soundtrack for the 2014 film Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet. Hansard sang Coyote at the Joni Mitchell 75th birthday concert Joni 75: A Birthday Celebration in Los Angeles in December 2018.
Influences
Hansard has remarked about his musical influences: "In my house, when I was a kid, there was the holy trinity, which was Leonard Cohen, Van Morrison, and Bob Dylan with Bob sitting centre." Hansard and The Frames toured as the support act for Bob Dylan in Australia and New Zealand in August 2007 and Hansard often performs Van Morrison's songs in concert. Two such songs include "Into the Mystic", and "And the Healing Has Begun" which were included on the collector's edition of the soundtrack for the film Once.
Hansard is a devotee of Krishna and performed for the 80th birthday of Swami Prabhupada in London, staying at a manor donated to the Hare Krishna movement by The Beatles' George Harrison, who was a Hare Krishna devotee. In July 2013, he sang with Bruce Springsteen at Nowlan Park, Kilkenny, Ireland. In July 2015, he performed "Raglan Road" with Ed Sheeran in Croke Park, Dublin.
Other
In 2008, Hansard took a four-week filmmaking workshop at the New York Film Academy.
In 2016, Hansard was a prominent member of the Home Sweet Home Group, a coalition of activists and homeless. The group broke into Apollo House in Dublin and illegally occupied it. They eventually had to vacate the premises due to trespassing.
Leave
Glen Hansard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the heartfelt welcome in your eye
From far away on the deep black ocean
You're the one I'll come back to find
So say goodbye to the long cold winter
And farewell to all we've left behind
From far away on the deep black ocean
So sing the song that your mother taught you
Of the gypsy heart that never rests
And wait a while for the arms that once held you
And pull them close into your breast
So say goodbye to the long cold winter
And farewell to all we've left behind
And leave a light on and come out of the shadows
You're the one I'll come back to find
You're the one I'll come back to find
The song "Leave" by Glen Hansard is a ballad about a person who is leaving their loved one behind as they travel on a long journey. The lyrics are full of hope and anticipation for the return of the person who has left. The chorus of the song provides an image of the lonely window, which illuminates with a light, waiting for the person to return. The lyrics of the song suggest that there is a heartfelt welcome in the eye of the person's loved one who is waiting for them to return. The imagery of the deep black ocean that separates the two lovers creates a sense of distance and longing.
The lyrics then shift to a description of the season, where the person is saying goodbye to the long, cold winter and bids farewell to everything that they have left behind. The imagery of the deep black ocean is brought back, emphasizing the distance between the two lovers. The person then suggests that their loved one sings the song their mother taught them, which speaks of the gypsy heart that never rests. The person advises their partner to wait for them and hold them close to their breast.
The song seeks to encapsulate the idea of the romantic wanderer. The lyrics suggest that the person is leaving on a journey but intends to return to their loved one. The image of the lonely window with the light on creates a sense of anticipation for the person's return. The idea of the gypsy heart that never rests is played up in the final part of the song. The person suggests that their partner should wait for them, showing patience and hope in their love.
Line by Line Meaning
And leave a light on in your lonely window
Keep a light on in your window to show me the way back to you and let me know you're waiting for me.
And the heartfelt welcome in your eye
I know I'll receive a warm welcome from you when I find my way back to you.
From far away on the deep black ocean
Even though I'm far away, I know you'll still be waiting for me.
You're the one I'll come back to find
No matter where I go, I'll always come back to you because you mean so much to me.
So say goodbye to the long cold winter
Leave behind the hard times and struggles we've faced together and look forward to happier days ahead.
And farewell to all we've left behind
Say goodbye to everything we've left behind us, whether it's good or bad, and focus on moving forward together.
So sing the song that your mother taught you
Remember the song your mother taught you – of the free-spirited gypsy who can never settle down, and embrace your wild heart.
Of the gypsy heart that never rests
Your heart is like that of a gypsy – wild and free, always in motion, never settling down.
And wait a while for the arms that once held you
Take some time to remember the past and the love that once held you, and know that I'll be back to hold you again.
And pull them close into your breast
When I come back to you, hold me close to your heart and never let me go again.
And leave a light on and come out of the shadows
Don't hide yourself away – keep a light on and be ready for me when I come back to you.
You're the one I'll come back to find
No matter what happens or where life takes me, I'll always come back to you because you're the most important person in my life.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Glen James Hansard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mayarelnashar2026
I can't wait forever is all that you said
Before you stood up
And you won't disappoint me
I can do that myself
But I'm glad that you've come
Now if you don't mind
Leave, leave,
And free yourself at the same time
Leave, leave
I don't understand, you've already gone
And I hope you feel better
Now that it's out
What took you so long
And the truth has a habit
Of falling out of your mouth
But now that it's come
If you don't mind
Leave, leave
And please yourself at the same time
Leave, leave,
Let go of my hand
You said what you have to now
Leave, leave
Let go of my hand
You said what you came to now
Leave, leave
Leave, leave
Let go of my hand
You said what you have to now
Leave, leave..
@brstrom
I've seen Glen live twice. He sings "like his life depends on it."
@714iceberg
Bruce S thats why i love him!!
@jennifersuleiman7190
That is EXACTLY what he does. What a great way to articulate it. I attended a show last month and it blew my mind to the point of tears -- big, great, sorrowful tears -- and it was a catharsis of the best kind. What beauty, grace, and POETRY.
@greekretrogamer4355
Bruce S true
@liisw7212
amazing. :)
@thebluevelvetriver
Yes he does!
@newsieslvr4ever91
More passion then I've ever heard any man sing with...THAT'S why I love Glen Hansard...
@FerryLuckyMan
Richard Ashcroft is another great performer.
@keeganvd7
I saw him in Chicago front row, opening for Eddie Vedder, and half through this song, he started crying. One of the most spiritual things I've ever seen. One of the most underrated songwriters of this generation.
@catgill1764
Would love to have been there