Though born in New York, Peter's was raised in Boulder, Colorado, and then moved to Nashville in the late 1980s. There, she found work as a songwriter, composing hits for Martina McBride, Etta James, Trisha Yearwood, Patty Loveless, George Strait, Anne Murray, as well as for Neil Diamond and co-writing songs with Bryan Adams. She has twice been nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Song, in 1995 and 1996, and was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Song in 2003.
Peters has released a string of studio albums of her own. The title track of her 1996 debut album The Secret of Life was later recorded by Faith Hill in 1999.
In the case of her new album, 'Blackbirds,' "juice" is certainly understatement. Recorded in Nashville, the album features a who's who of modern American roots music: Jerry Douglas, Jason Isbell, Jimmy LaFave, Will Kimbrough, Kim Richey, Suzy Bogguss and more. But it's not the guests that make 'Blackbirds' the most poignant and moving album of Peters' storied career; it’s the impeccable craftsmanship, her ability to capture the kind of complex, conflicting, and overwhelming emotional moments we might otherwise try to hide and instead shine a light of truth and understanding onto them.
'Blackbirds' is, in many ways, an album that is unafraid to face down mortality. But rather than dwell on the pain of loss, the music finds a new appreciation for the life we're given.
If anyone can open up that conversation, it's Peters. Inducted into the prestigious Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014, she has long been one of Music City's most beloved and respected artists, known never to shy away from darkness and struggle in her writing. Martina McBride's recording of her stirring "Independence Day," a song that deals with domestic abuse, was nominated for a Grammy and took home Song of the Year honors at the CMAs, and her work has been performed by everyone from Etta James and Neil Diamond to George Strait and Trisha Yearwood. "If Peters never delivers another tune as achingly beautiful as 'On A Bus To St. Cloud,'" People Magazine wrote, "she has already earned herself a spot among country's upper echelon of contemporary composers."
'Blackbirds' follows Peters' 2012 album 'Hello Cruel World,' which NPR called "the album of her career" and Uncut said "establishes her as the natural successor to Lucinda Williams." If anything, though, 'Blackbirds' truly establishes Peters as a one-of-a-kind singer and songwriter, one in possession of a fearless and endlessly creative voice.
Natural Disaster
Gretchen Peters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
surely to god i’m not the only one
who’d trade this day for a hurricane
blow 500 miles cross a landlocked state
earthquake shook the California ground
took a freeway out and some buildings down
well i’ve never felt the earth move under my heels
i got pictures hangin’ on the walls
a history that haunts these halls
of you and me, before and after
a natural disaster
we tore through each other like an avalanche
you and me baby we were bound to crash
the higher we flew the harder we fell
from the hem of heaven, to the gates of hell
like a landslide baby on a suicide run
no thought to the damage done
headed straight downhill, faster and faster
a natural disaster
they say it was a miracle no one died
just two people hurt and some wounded pride
love takes everything in its path
and leaves you breathless in the aftermath
And there’s a hole where your heart once stood
you know it won’t kill you but you wish it would
cause you don’t want to face the morning after
your natural disaster
weatherman says no chance of rain
but I’m still waiting’ for that hurricane…
The song "Natural Disaster" by Gretchen Peters speaks of two different kinds of disasters - natural and human-made. The singer starts by saying that the weatherman predicts sunny days, but she would prefer a hurricane. It suggests that her life is mundane, and something drastic needs to happen to her. She reminisces about the earthquake that shook the ground in California, which she didn't experience. However, she paints a picture of what it might have felt like, taking out the freeway and some buildings.
The singer then shifts focus to a more human-made disaster, describing her relationship with someone as an avalanche crashing down. She says that they "tore through each other" and flew high before they fell hard. She compares their fall to a landslide on a suicide run that wreaked havoc on everything in its path. The love took everything, leaving them wounded and breathless. The morning after is a hole in their hearts they wish they could fill.
Overall, the song gives the listeners a sense that the singer wants excitement in her life, albeit through a natural disaster. However, in reflecting on the past, the song reveals the aftermath of the human-made natural disaster that destroyed a relationship. It shows that sometimes we seek out things that can do us harm on either side of the coin.
Line by Line Meaning
weatherman says there’s gonna be sun
The forecast predicts sunshine.
surely to god i’m not the only one
who’d trade this day for a hurricane
The singer is having a bad day and would prefer a hurricane to come instead.
blow 500 miles cross a landlocked state
A hurricane blowing across a landlocked state would be unusual and noteworthy.
earthquake shook the California ground
took a freeway out and some buildings down
An earthquake caused damage to California's infrastructure.
well i’ve never felt the earth move under my heels
but i got a pretty good idea just how it feels
The artist has not experienced an earthquake firsthand, but understands the concept of how it feels.
i got pictures hangin’ on the walls
a history that haunts these halls
of you and me, before and after
a natural disaster
The singer has pictures that represent their relationship before and after its demise, which they view as a natural disaster.
we tore through each other like an avalanche
you and me baby we were bound to crash
The singer and their partner's relationship was destructive and inevitably headed towards failure.
the higher we flew the harder we fell
from the hem of heaven, to the gates of hell
The higher their relationship escalated, the harder it was to come crashing down.
like a landslide baby on a suicide run
no thought to the damage done
headed straight downhill, faster and faster
a natural disaster
Their relationship was like a fast-moving landslide, causing damage and ultimately leading to disaster.
they say it was a miracle no one died
just two people hurt and some wounded pride
Despite the damage their relationship caused, nobody was physically hurt.
love takes everything in its path
and leaves you breathless in the aftermath
The end of the relationship has left the singer reeling and struggling to breathe.
And there’s a hole where your heart once stood
you know it won’t kill you but you wish it would
cause you don’t want to face the morning after
your natural disaster
Although the artist understands that their heartbreak won't kill them, they feel a strong desire to escape the painful aftermath of the relationship's end.
weatherman says no chance of rain
but I’m still waiting’ for that hurricane…
Despite the forecast saying it's unlikely, the singer still hopes for a hurricane to come as a metaphor for escaping their troubles.
Contributed by Joseph J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.