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.
Trying
Glen Hansard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't even know if I'll ever see you again
Is it a choice that we even have?
Bang, bang down on piano 'til I smash the keys
Living alone with the melodies
Everything's gone and I don't know where
'Cause the house is burning
I'm trying to pull myself away
I'm caught in a pattern and I can't escape
I'm trying to pull myself away
Lately when I get lost there's this thing I know
Even the dogs have somewhere to go
Everything comes if you just let it be
Work, work, brighten the corners that'll never see
Untangle the thoughts that you know what they mean
I hope that the answer didn't come too late
And the rule of thumb don't apply on me
'Cause the tables are turning
I'm trying to pull myself away
I'm caught in a pattern and I can't escape
I'm trying to pull myself away
Caught in a pattern and I can't escape, can't escape
Everything's gone, everything's gone, everything's gone
Trying to pull myself away
Everything's gone, everything's gone, everything's gone
Everything's gone, everything's gone, everything's gone
Everything's gone, everything's gone, everything's gone
Trying to pull myself away
Everything's gone, everything's gone, everything's gone
Everything's gone, everything's gone
The song Trying to Pull Myself Away by Glen Hansard is about a breakup and the difficulty of moving on. The lyrics describe a final goodbye at a train station and the uncertainty of whether the two people will ever see each other again. The singer is struggling to let go of the relationship and feeling stuck in a pattern that he can't escape. He tries to distract himself by playing the piano and working on other things, but everything reminds him of the lost love.
The line "And the rule of thumb don't apply anymore, 'Cause the house is burning" refers to the fact that in times of crisis or emergency, the usual rules or guidelines no longer apply. The singer is experiencing a similar situation in his personal life, where the usual rules of relationships and patterns of behavior are no longer working. He wants to break free from the pattern and escape, but he is struggling to find a way out of the emotional trap.
The song ends with the repeated phrase "everything's gone" which emphasizes the finality of the breakup and the emptiness left behind. Despite the sadness and loss, the song also implies that there may be hope for the singer to move on and find a new path.
Line by Line Meaning
Breaking up in the station, a final train
Our last goodbye is happening in the station before the final train, which emphasizes the finality of the situation.
I don't even know if I'll ever see you again
The uncertainty of the future and the possibility of never seeing the other person again adds to the complexity of the situation.
Is it a choice that we even have?
The singer is questioning whether or not staying together is even an option or if there are other circumstances that may prevent it from occurring.
Bang, bang down on piano 'til I smash the keys
The artist is using music to cope with the pain and frustration they feel.
Living alone with the melodies
The artist's musical creations have become a source of comfort since they are feeling lonely.
Everything's gone and I don't know where
The singer is feeling lost and uncertain about what the future holds after separating from their partner.
And the rule of thumb don't apply anymore
After having their world turned upside down, the singer doesn't believe in the rules they once followed.
'Cause the house is burning
The artist feels like their world is burning down around them, leaving them with little left to hold onto.
I'm trying to pull myself away
Despite the pain and uncertainty, the artist is trying to find a way to move on and let go of the past.
I'm caught in a pattern and I can't escape
The artist feels trapped in their current situation and unable to break free from it.
Lately when I get lost there's this thing I know
Amidst the turmoil, the singer has found something reliable to hold onto.
Even the dogs have somewhere to go
Even if things feel hopeless and confusing, the fact remains that everyone has a place in the world they can call their own.
Everything comes if you just let it be
The singer believes that things will work out eventually so long as they are able to let go and move forward.
Work, work, brighten the corners that'll never see
The singer is trying to focus on improving themselves and their own life, even if they can't see the results in the immediate future.
Untangle the thoughts that you know what they mean
Despite the confusion and uncertainty they are feeling, the singer is determined to sort through their thoughts and find clarity.
I hope that the answer didn't come too late
The artist is trying to hold out hope that things can still work out, but they fear it may be too late for them to make a difference.
And the rule of thumb don't apply on me
Once again, the artist is disregarding conventional wisdom and attempting to make their own path forward.
'Cause the tables are turning
Although the singer has been feeling stuck and helpless, things are starting to shift and change in their life.
Caught in a pattern and I can't escape, can't escape
Despite their best efforts, the singer still feels stuck and unable to break free from their current situation.
Everything's gone
The artist has lost everything they once held dear.
Trying to pull myself away
Despite the pain, the artist is trying to find a way to move on and start a new chapter in their life.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: COLM MAC CON IOMAIRE, GLEN HANSARD, GLEN JAMES HANSARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind