Isakov has been described by Boulder Weekly, "Strong, subtle, a lyrical genius" and has been compared to his influences; Bruce Springsteen, Kelly Joe Phelps, Iron & Wine and Gillian Welch. Isakov's humble presence and his overwhelming voice and guitar style has been treasured by an ever-growing and captivated fan base.
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Isakov immigrated to the States with his family and grew up in the Philadelphia area. He started touring at the age of 16 with his first band. In 1999 he sought out his solo acoustic roots and moved to Colorado where he now resides.
Isakov has been taking on the folk music scene with his 2003 release "Rust Colored Stones" LP and his 2005 release "Songs For October". Isakov's song-craft lends to the deepest lyrical masterpieces, and his live performance has been known to quiet and shake the biggest rooms.
Isakov has shared the stage with numerous touring artists such as Rodrigo y Gabriela, Alexi Murdoch, and Fiona Apple. He has performed throughout the United States, playing numerous music festivals such as Falcon Ridge Folk Fest, Rocky Mountain Folks Fest and Southpark Music Festival. Isakov has toured solo and with his band "The Freight".
In 2007, Gregory was named "Best Male Singer-Songwriter" by Westword Magazine.
Subsequent albums have included That Sea, The Gambler (2007), This Empty Northern Hemisphere (2009), The Weatherman (2013), Evening Machines (2018).
O
Gregory Alan Isakov Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sweet morphine
Sweet morphine
Curls a smile when the sadness hits
Finds my face with fingertips
Have you seen her
She's curling up like smoke
Oh city lights fly at this speed
Oh heaven knows
It ain't me behind the wheel
This time
Through the hills, you can hear them sing
Ah Maria, ah Maria
The lyrics of Gregory Alan Isakov's song O are incredibly layered and emotional. The song seems to be narrated by someone who is watching Maria as she struggles with addiction to morphine, at times feeling detached from reality as she "curl[s] up like smoke." The mention of "the daughter of the hum of the highway" suggests that Maria may be homeless or perhaps just constantly on the move, searching for meaning or escape. The singer seems to feel a mixture of love and sadness for Maria, describing her as a "porcelain saint" whose smile can light up a room even in her darkest moments. The reference to "city lights" and "the hum of the highway" suggests a sense of disconnection from nature and the world around them, with both Maria and the singer feeling lost in a sea of man-made noise and chaos.
Line by Line Meaning
Maria's stoned like a porcelain saint
Maria is in a state of numbness, like a statue made of fragile white material
Sweet morphine
She has taken pain medication that makes her feel a pleasant sense of relief
Sweet morphine
Repeating the previous line, emphasizing the feeling of the drug
Curls a smile when the sadness hits
Despite feeling down, she manages to put on a façade of happiness by forcing a smile
Finds my face with fingertips
Maria touches the face of the person singing the song, as if to offer comfort or show affection
Have you seen her
The singer is asking if anyone has seen Maria, perhaps implying that she has gone missing or is hard to find
The daughter of the hum of the highway
Maria is personified as a figurative child of the sound of the cars passing by
She's curling up like smoke
Maria is becoming smaller and less distinct, like a plume of vapor that dissipates into the air
Oh city lights fly at this speed
The artist is observing the lights of the city moving quickly past, creating a blur
Oh heaven knows
An exclamation that suggests uncertainty or doubt
It ain't me behind the wheel
The person singing the song is not driving the car, which implies they are more of a passenger watching the scene go by
This time
The repeated phrase from earlier hints that the situation or relationship is not always the same
Through the hills, you can hear them sing
As they travel through the landscape, the person singing the song can hear an indistinct chorus of voices
Ah Maria, ah Maria
A repeated address to Maria, perhaps expressing concern or longing for her presence
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: GREGORY ALAN ISAKOV
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mike Modelle
on Time Will Tell
A Kansas wheat farmer wonders and worries about the price he will get for his bushels as they pour into some commercial silo.