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.
Near The Cross
Iris DeMent Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There a precious fountain-
Free to all, a healing stream-
Flows from Calv'ry's mountain.
In the cross, in the cross,
Be my glory ever.
Till my raptured soul shall find
Near the cross, a trembling soul,
Love and Mercy found me.
There the bright and morning star
Sheds its beams around me.
In the cross, in the cross,
Be my glory ever.
Till my raptured soul shall find
Rest beyond the river.
Near the cross, O Lamb of God,
Bring its scenes before me.
Help me walk from day to day,
With its shadows o'er me.
In the cross, in the cross,
Be my glory ever.
Till my raptured soul shall find
Rest beyond the river.
Near the cross I'll watch and wait
Hoping, trusting ever.
Till the golden strand I reach,
Just beyond the river.
In the cross, in the cross,
Be my glory ever.
Till my raptured soul shall find
Rest beyond the river.
The lyrics of "Near the Cross" express a deep devotion to Jesus and a desire to remain close to Him. The singer invokes Jesus to keep her near the cross, where a precious fountain, free to all, flows from Calvary's mountain. The image of the cross, the place where Jesus was crucified and died for the sins of humanity, is central to the song's message. The singer finds love and mercy near the cross, where the bright and morning star sheds its beams around her.
The repetition of the phrase "in the cross, in the cross" reinforces the importance of the cross and its redemptive power. The singer asks Jesus to be her glory ever, until her soul can find rest beyond the river. The river is a metaphor for death, and the singer hopes to find peace and rest in the afterlife.
As the song progresses, the singer continues to meditate on the significance of the cross. She asks Jesus to bring its scenes before her and help her to walk with its shadows over her. Despite the challenges she may face, she wants to remain close to the cross and to Jesus. She will watch and wait near the cross, hoping and trusting ever, until she can reach the golden strand just beyond the river.
Overall, "Near the Cross" is a hymn of deep faith and devotion. It expresses a desire to remain close to Jesus and to be saved by His sacrifice on the cross. The cross is a powerful symbol of redemption and hope, and the song encourages listeners to find strength and comfort in its shadow.
Line by Line Meaning
Jesus, keep me near the cross,
I pray to Jesus to keep me close to the cross, where a precious fountain of healing water flows freely from the mount of Calvary.
There a precious fountain-
At the cross, there is a precious fountain of healing, freely available to all who seek it.
Free to all, a healing stream-
The healing stream at the cross is available to everyone, without cost or condition.
Flows from Calv'ry's mountain.
The healing stream flows from the mountain of Calvary, where Jesus was crucified.
In the cross, in the cross,
I find my glory and hope in the cross.
Be my glory ever.
Let the cross be my everlasting glory.
Till my raptured soul shall find
Until my soul is taken up to heaven in the rapture,
Rest beyond the river.
I will find my eternal rest on the other side of the river of death.
Near the cross, a trembling soul,
As a trembling soul, I am drawn near to the cross where I find love and mercy.
Love and Mercy found me.
At the cross, I find the love and mercy of God.
There the bright and morning star
At the cross, the bright and morning star shines its light upon me.
Sheds its beams around me.
The bright and morning star shines its beams of light around me, comforting me and lighting my path.
Near the cross, O Lamb of God,
O Lamb of God, as I draw near to the cross,
Bring its scenes before me.
Please bring the scenes of the cross before me, so I may dwell upon them and find solace in them.
Help me walk from day to day,
Help me to live my life day by day,
With its shadows o'er me.
With the shadow of the cross constantly present in my life, guiding me and giving me hope.
Near the cross I'll watch and wait
I will keep watch and wait near the cross,
Hoping, trusting ever.
Hoping and trusting always in the love and mercy of God.
Till the golden strand I reach,
Until I reach the golden shore of heaven, where there will be no more pain or sadness.
Just beyond the river.
On the other side of the river of death, eternal life and joy await me.
In the cross, in the cross,
Always and forever, the cross is my source of hope and salvation.
Be my glory ever.
May the cross be my eternal glory and guide in life.
Till my raptured soul shall find
Until the day when my soul is taken up in the rapture,
Rest beyond the river.
I will find my eternal rest and peace on the other side of the river of death.
Contributed by Taylor B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.