DeMent was born in Paragould, Arkansas, the 14th and youngest child of Pat DeMent (1910–1992) and wife Flora Mae (1918–2011). Iris's mother had harbored dreams of going to Nashville and starting a singing career. Although she put those plans on hold to get married, her singing voice was an inspiration and influence for her youngest daughter Iris. DeMent was raised in a Pentecostal household. Her family moved from Arkansas to the Los Angeles area when she was three. While growing up, she was exposed to and influenced by country and gospel music. Singing at age five as one of "the little DeMent sisters", Iris had a bad experience when she forgot her words during her first performance, which caused her to avoid performing in public for some time.
DeMent was inspired to write her first song, "Our Town," by a drive through a boarded-up Midwest town at the age of 25. The song lyrics came to her "exactly as it is now," without need for re-writing, and she realized then that songwriting was her calling. "Our Town" was played during the closing scene for the final episode (July 26, 1995) of CBS's television series Northern Exposure. The song has been recorded by Kate Rusby, Kate Brislin & Jody Stecher and Trampled by Turtles.
Her first album, Infamous Angel, was released in 1992 on the Rounder-Philo label and explored such themes as religious skepticism, small-town life, and human frailty. "Let the Mystery Be" has been covered by a number of artists, including 10,000 Maniacs and Alice Stuart, and was used in the opening scenes of the film Little Buddha. In the fall of 2015, a version of "Let the Mystery Be" from the Transatlantic Sessions became the musical theme for the opening credits of the HBO series The Leftovers, replacing the original "Main Title Theme" composed by Max Richter, and it would once again serve as the opening theme for the series finale.
In her second album, My Life, released in 1994, she continued the personal and introspective approach. The record is dedicated to her father, who died two years earlier. My Life was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Contemporary Folk Album category.
DeMent's third album, The Way I Should, was released in 1996. Featuring the protest song "Wasteland of the Free", it is DeMent's most political work. It covers topics such as sexual abuse, religion, government policy, and Vietnam.
DeMent sang the duet "Bell Bottomed Tear" as part of The Beautiful South's Much Later with Jools live special in 1997.
In 1998, the song "Iris" by the rock band Goo Goo Dolls was named after her. Singer and songwriter John Rzeznik had already written the lyrics to the song but was having a problem naming it. He opened up the LA Weekly and noticed that DeMent was playing in town and thought her name was beautiful and then decided to name it after her.
She sang four duets with John Prine on his 1999 album In Spite of Ourselves, including the title track. She appeared in the 2000 film Songcatcher, playing the character Rose Gentry and singing on the soundtrack as well. Her duet with Ralph Stanley on "Ridin' That Midnight Train" was the opening track on his 2001 album, Clinch Mountain Sweethearts: Ralph Stanley & Friends.
In 2004 she released Lifeline, an album of gospel songs. It included 12 covers and one original composition ("He Reached Down"). It was the first album she released on Flariella Records, a label she started herself and named after her mother. A shortened version of her rendition of "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" was later used in the closing credits of the Coen brothers' film True Grit. On October 2, 2012, DeMent released her first album of original songs in 16 years, Sing the Delta.
DeMent has sung duets with Steve Earle and Emmylou Harris and is featured on the albums of many other performers. She sang the Merle Haggard song "Big City" on Tulare Dust: A Songwriters' Tribute to Merle Haggard. She has made frequent appearances on Garrison Keillor's radio show A Prairie Home Companion. DeMent contributed harmony vocals to "Pallbearer", a song from country artist Josh Turner's 2012 album Punching Bag.
In 2015, DeMent released The Trackless Woods, an album based upon and inspired by the words of Russian poet Anna Akhmatova, on her own Flariella record label. She reunited with John Prine in 2016 for his second duets album For Better, or Worse and performed on two tracks. DeMent received the Americana Trailblazer Award at the 2017 Americana Music Honors & Awards.
After you're gone
Iris DeMent Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There will be laughter even after you're gone
I'll find reasons to face that empty dawn
'Cause I've memorized each line in your face
And not even death can ever erase the story they tell to me
I'll miss you, oh how I'll miss you
I'll dream of you and I'll cry a million tears
Is the love that you've given to me
[Chorus]
There will be laughter even after you're gone
I'll find reason and I'll face that empty dawn
'Cause I've memorized each line in your face
And not even death could ever erase the story they tell to me
In the song "After You're Gone," Iris DeMent explores the idea of losing someone we love and dealing with the aftermath of their passing. The opening lines of the chorus set the tone for the song: "There will be laughter even after you're gone. I'll find reasons to face that empty dawn." Despite the pain of losing someone, DeMent chooses to focus on the positive memories and love that person brought into her life. She sings about how she has "memorized each line in your face" and how even though the person is no longer with her, the story of who they were and what they meant to her will always live on.
Throughout the verses, DeMent highlights different aspects of the person's life and personality, from the way they walked to the sound of their voice. She also acknowledges the pain of their absence, singing "I'll miss you, oh how I'll miss you. I'll dream of you and I'll cry a million tears." But despite this, she remains steadfast in her belief that love endures beyond death, singing "the sorrow will pass and the one thing that will last is the love that you've given to me."
In this way, "After You're Gone" is a bittersweet tribute to the power of love and memory. It reminds listeners that even when we lose someone we care about deeply, their influence and impact on our lives can never truly be erased.
Line by Line Meaning
There will be laughter even after you're gone
Even in your absence, there will be joy and happiness because your positive impact will continue to live on.
I'll find reasons to face that empty dawn
Although the morning will seem lonely and bleak without you, I will discover ways to carry on and start a new day.
'Cause I've memorized each line in your face
I know every detail of your face, including the wrinkles and expressions, and these memories will stay with me forever.
And not even death can ever erase the story they tell to me
Even though you may no longer be with me physically, the impact you've left on my life will never be forgotten, and your story will live on through me.
I'll miss you, oh how I'll miss you
I will experience a deep sense of loss and longing for you, and it will be difficult to move forward without you by my side.
I'll dream of you and I'll cry a million tears
My grief will be intense, and I will constantly dream of you and shed many tears for the loss of your physical presence.
But the sorrow will pass and the one thing that will last
Although the pain will be great, it will eventually fade away, and what will remain is the love you have given me.
Is the love that you've given to me
Your love is the one thing that will endure and bring me comfort, even in your absence.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IRIS DEMENT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sararemy4484
There'll be laughter even after you're gone
I'll find reasons to face that empty dawn
'Cause I've memorized each line in your face
And not even death can ever erase
The story they tell to me
I'll miss you
Oh, how I'll miss you
I'll dream of you
And I'll cry a million tears
But the sorrow will pass
And the one thing that will last
Is the love that you've given to me
There'll be laughter even after you're gone
I'll find reasons and I'll face that empty dawn
'Cause I've memorized each line in your face
And not even death could ever erase
The story they tell to me
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. This song was played at my mom's funeral. Just hearing it brings me to tears yet somehow uplifts my spirits.
@juliegetschmann8484
There'll be laughter even after you're gone
I'll find reasons to face that empty dawn
'Cause I've memorized each line in your face
And not even death can ever erase
The story they tell to me
I'll miss you
Oh, how I'll miss you
I'll dream of you
And I'll cry a million tears
But the sorrow will pass
And the one thing that will last
Is the love that you've given to me
Read more: Iris Dement - After You're Gone Lyrics | MetroLyrics
@margiedickinson1197
There'll be laughter even after you're gone
I'll find reasons to face that empty dawn
'Cause I've memorized each line in your face
And not even death can ever erase
The story they tell to me
I'll miss you
Oh, how I'll miss you
I'll dream of you
And I'll cry a million tears
But the sorrow will pass
And the one thing that will last
Is the love that you've given to me
There'll be laughter even after you're gone
I'll find reasons and I'll face that empty dawn
'Cause I've memorized each line in your face
And not even death could ever erase
The story they tell to me
@MrsGranpaws
After You're Gone
Iris DeMent
There will be laughter even after you're gone
I'll find reasons to face that empty dawn
'Cause I've memorized each line in your face
And not even death can ever erase the story they tell to me
I'll miss you, oh how I'll miss you
I'll dream of you and I'll cry a million tears
But the sorrow will pass and the one thing that will last
Is the love that you've given to me
There will be laughter even after you're gone
I'll find reason and I'll face that empty dawn
'Cause I've memorized each line in your face
And not even death could ever erase the story they tell to me
Songwriters: Iris Dement
@counterpoint22
There will be laughter even after you're gone
I'll find reasons to face that empty dawn
'Cause I've memorized each line in your face
And not even death can ever erase the story they tell to me
I'll miss you, oh how I'll miss you
I'll dream of you and I'll cry a million tears
But the sorrow will pass and the one thing that will last
Is the love that you've given to me
There will be laughter even after you're gone
I'll find reason and I'll face that empty dawn
'Cause I've memorized each line in your face
And not even death could ever erase the story they tell to me
@pamelajensen2234
My sister sent this song to me as I just lost my cat Ashton Monday. It was just me and him for 15 years and one month. He made me laugh everyday, and was such a gift from the Lord above. I will always miss him.
I will I had this song after losing my Mom and brother 111/2 years ago.
Thank you Iris for a beautiful song. That will help me heal during this difficult time. God bless.
@kevinmunley
So sorry for your loss. Animals become family and they are gone too soon.
@chrisrickel505
I first heard this song at Joey Feek's funeral 5 years ago and again at our beloved son Cary's funeral just 2 months later. I hope to be reunited with Cary when our Lord comes in His Glory to take us home soon where there will be no more tears, sadness or death. What a day that will be when our Jesus we shall see!!
@kevinmunley
Sorry for your loss.
@bettyecraw1672
I played this song at my father's funeral. He was my soul mate, this song said exactly what I felt and still feel 8 yrs later. Got up this morning with this song on my mind. Thank you You Tube where we can relive memories a bit at a time
@Blood_Eagle_wife
I hear it a lot in my head when I think of my late mother.
@tscan54
Same
@keithbird8910
There is something, a haunting melancholy, in Iris's voice that moves me and moves me and moves me. Just wonderful.
@michaeldube6022
I just lost my wife of 43 years a few weeks ago we were celebrating a wonderful event and I was gone for 41 minutes getting her favorite take out food high return to a fire in our house and she didn't make it I just heard when you're gone by Iris for the first time and it's truly a gift from God to me thank you Iris
@harryutley7527
Michael Dube -