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.
Calling For You
Iris DeMent Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't ask me how but I got through
The floor of this room I've been pacing
trying to drown out the sound my heart's making
It's calling for you
We said, "It looks like we won't make it.
You hurt me, I hurt you, and we can't take it".
but the heart, it's too wise for deceiving
and it's calling for you
[Chorus:]
You've had enough, I know I've had enough
and we don't know what else now to do
We could both walk away but there's too much at stake
you love me and I know I love you
I walked over and I opened the curtain
It's pouring down rain and, man, it's hurting
The phone on the table is ringing
and I knew before I heard you speaking
you were calling for me
[Chorus]
You've had enough, I know I've had enough
and we don't know what else now to do
We could both walk away but there's too much at stake
you love me and I know I love you
I woke up this morning without you
Don't ask me how but I got through
The floor of this room I've been pacing
trying to drown out the sound my heart's making
It's calling for you
In Iris DeMent's song "Calling For You," the lyrics describe the aftermath of a failing relationship. The singer wakes up alone and tries to distract herself from the pain she feels by pacing around the room. She acknowledges the failed attempts to fix the relationship and realizes that the heart cannot be deceived. The lyrics repeat the line "It's calling for you" which emphasizes that the heart still loves the other person despite the hurt and pain caused by the failed relationship.
The chorus highlights the dilemma of the situation. Both parties have had enough but the love they have for each other is still present. The singer looks out the window to see it raining, which mirrors the sadness she feels inside. She hears the phone ringing and knows before she answers that it is the person she loves, calling for her. The lyrics end with the repetition of the first verse, implying that the cycle of pain and longing will continue until the issue is addressed and resolved.
Overall, the lyrics of "Calling For You" emphasize the complexity of love and relationships, highlighting the pain of letting go and the difficulty of moving on.
Line by Line Meaning
I woke up this morning without you
I started my day without you, feeling lost and alone.
Don't ask me how but I got through
I managed to survive this day without you, even though it was difficult.
The floor of this room I've been pacing
I've been walking back and forth in this room, anxious and unable to relax.
trying to drown out the sound my heart's making
I'm trying to ignore my strong feelings and emotions for you.
It's calling for you
My heart still longs for you and can't forget you.
We said, "It looks like we won't make it.
We acknowledged that our relationship was in trouble and might end.
You hurt me, I hurt you, and we can't take it".
We both caused pain to each other and couldn't handle the emotional suffering anymore.
so we fixed it, we thought, just by leaving
We believed that separating would solve our issues.
but the heart, it's too wise for deceiving
However, our hearts are too smart to be fooled by our temporary solution and still crave each other's love.
You've had enough, I know I've had enough
We've both been through a lot and reached a breaking point.
and we don't know what else now to do
We're lost and don't know how to proceed further.
We could both walk away but there's too much at stake
We could choose to end it, but consider our love for each other and what's at risk.
you love me and I know I love you
We're aware that we're in love and share mutual feelings.
I walked over and I opened the curtain
I approached the window and revealed the rainy, gloomy atmosphere outside.
It's pouring down rain and, man, it's hurting
The heavy rainfall outside reflects the pain and sadness that we're both feeling.
The phone on the table is ringing
The phone starts to ring, signaling a call from you.
and I knew before I heard you speaking
I anticipated the sound of your voice and knew it was you before you even spoke.
you were calling for me
You were reaching out for me and expressing your desire to reconnect.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IRIS DEMENT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind