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.
Infamous Angel
Iris DeMent Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I turned me eyes up to the sky and I prayed "Please help me, Lord,
You know I've sowed my wild oats and now the fun's all gone"
And then I heard these tender words
And I put them in my song:
"Infamous Angel come on home
To someone who loves you and knows you needed to roam
For: Infamous Angel, Destination: Home"
I heard heaven's choir rejoicing as the tears broke from my eyes
And all at once it lifted the weight from my past life
I found a pen and I left a note on the dresser drawer
"Infamous Angel, she don't live here anymore"
Infamous Angel come on home
To someone who loves you and knows you needed to roam
Grab your things, a ticket's waiting at the bus depot
For: Infamous Angel, Destination: Home
Then I hurried out the back door as quickly as I could
I went flying down two flights of stairs 'til on the street I stood
And there I took that final look at my old neighborhood
Then I ran down the street proclaiming "Angel gone for good"
Infamous Angel going home
To someone who loves her and knows she needed to roam
She grabbed her things and claimed the ticket at the bus depot
For: Infamous Angel, Destination: Home
Infamous Angel, Destination: Home
These lyrics describe a moment of redemption and realization for the singer. As the song opens, she describes getting down on her knees and praying for help from God. She acknowledges that she has lived a wild and reckless life, but now realizes that the "fun's all gone." Then she hears a heavenly message of love and redemption, directed specifically to her. The message tells her that she is an infamous angel, and that someone loves her and wants her to come home. With tears in her eyes, the singer accepts this message and feels a weight lifted off her shoulders. She writes a note to let someone know that the infamous angel no longer lives there, and then walks out of her old neighborhood. The song ends with her running down the street, proclaiming that the angel is gone for good.
Symbolically, this song deals with themes of forgiveness, redemption, and the search for a sense of home. The singer has been lost and wandering, seeking out thrills and excitement, but she's ready to start a new chapter in her life. The idea of being an infamous angel is interesting, as it suggests that she's both heavenly and fallen at the same time. Ultimately, she's able to find a sense of peace and belonging by accepting the love that's offered to her, and returning home to someone who cares about her.
Line by Line Meaning
Last night before I went to sleep my knees dropped to the floor
I prayed for redemption and guidance.
I turned me eyes up to the sky and I prayed 'Please help me, Lord,
I was asking for divine intervention.
You know I've sowed my wild oats and now the fun's all gone'
I had my share of carefree living and I am now facing the consequences of my actions.
And then I heard these tender words
I received reassuring divine message.
And I put them in my song:
I wrote a song about the message that I received.
"Infamous Angel come on home
The divine message was an invitation for me to go back home.
To someone who loves you and knows you needed to roam
There is someone who knows me well and wants me back home even though I have been away.
Grab your things, a ticket's waiting at the bus depot
There is already a mode of transportation waiting for me.
For: Infamous Angel, Destination: Home"
The ticket is for me and my destination is my home.
I heard heaven's choir rejoicing as the tears broke from my eyes
I sensed a feeling of relief, hope and joy.
And all at once it lifted the weight from my past life
I experienced a sense of freedom from the burden of my past.
I found a pen and I left a note on the dresser drawer
I left a farewell message.
"Infamous Angel, she don't live here anymore"
I declared that my past self no longer lives in the place I call home.
Then I hurried out the back door as quickly as I could
I left the place quickly.
I went flying down two flights of stairs 'til on the street I stood
I rapidly went down the stairs to reach the street.
And there I took that final look at my old neighborhood
I took one last glance at the place before leaving.
Then I ran down the street proclaiming 'Angel gone for good'
I announced my departure in excitement and relief.
"Infamous Angel going home
The divine message was an invitation for me to head back home.
To someone who loves her and knows she needed to roam
There is someone who understands my need to wander and would still accept me.
She grabbed her things and claimed the ticket at the bus depot
I took my things and retrieved the waiting transportation.
For: Infamous Angel, Destination: Home
My destination is set, and it is home.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IRIS DEMENT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind