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.
No Time To Cry
Iris DeMent Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The rooster started crowing when they carried Dad away
There beside my mother, in the living room, I stood
With my brothers and my sisters knowing Dad was gone for good
Well, I stayed at home just long enough to lay him in the ground
And then I caught a plane to do a show up north in Detroit town
Because I'm older now and I've got no time to cry
I've got no time to look back, I've got no time to see
The pieces of my heart that have been ripped away from me
And if the feeling starts to coming, I've learned to stop 'em fast
Cause I don't know, if I let them go, they might not want to pass
And there's just so many people trying to get me on the phone
And there's bills to pay, and songs to play, and a house to make a home
I guess I'm older now and I've got no time to cry
I can still remember when I was a girl
But so many things have changed so much here in my world
I remember sitting on the front porch when an ambulance went by
And just listening to those sirens I would breakdown and cry
But now I'm walking and I'm talking doing just what I'm supposed to do
Working overtime to make sure that I don't come unglued
I guess I'm older now and I've got no time to cry
I've got no time to look back, I've got no time to see
The pieces of my heart that have been ripped away from me
And if the feeling starts to coming, I've learned to stop 'em fast
Cause I don't know, if I let them go, they might not want to pass
And there's just so many people trying to get me on the phone
And there's bills to pay, and songs to play, and a house to make a home
I guess I'm older now and I've got no time to cry
Now I sit down on the sofa and I watch the evening news
There's a half a dozen tragedies from which to pick and choose
The baby that was missing was found in a ditch today
And there's bombs a-flying and people dying not so far away
I'll take a beer from the 'frigerator and go sit out in the yard
And with a cold one in my hand I'm gonna bite down and swallow hard
Because I'm older now and I've got no time to cry
In Iris DeMent's song No Time To Cry, she describes a pivotal moment in her life - the day her father died. She paints a picture of that day with vivid imagery, like the rooster crowing as her father was carried away, and the family gathered in the living room. Despite the grief she must have felt, she quickly leaves to do a show up north in Detroit, demonstrating her commitment to her music career. Throughout the song, she repeats the phrase "I've got no time to cry" as a reminder of the busy life she leads and her need to keep moving forward. She lists the many responsibilities that come with being an adult - bills to pay, songs to play, a house to make a home - emphasizing her lack of time to dwell on loss or sadness.
While the song seems to be a rejection of mourning, it also reveals the complex relationship we have with grief. Iris remembers how she used to cry at the sound of an ambulance, but now has learned to suppress those feelings. The constant barrage of tragedy on the news only adds to the numbness she feels, and she finally allows herself a moment of vulnerability when she sits outside with a beer and swallows hard. The song is a poignant exploration of how we cope with loss in our own way, and the different strategies we use to keep going.
Line by Line Meaning
My father died a year ago today,
It has been a year since my father passed away.
The rooster started crowing when they carried Dad away
The rooster crowed when they carried my dad's body away.
There beside my mother, in the living room, I stood
I stood in the living room with my mother and siblings.
With my brothers and my sisters knowing Dad was gone for good
We all knew that our dad was gone for good.
Well, I stayed at home just long enough to lay him in the ground
I only stayed home long enough to bury him.
And then I caught a plane to do a show up north in Detroit town
After the funeral, I flew to Detroit to perform a show.
Because I'm older now and I've got no time to cry
I am older and have no time to grieve.
I've got no time to look back, I've got no time to see
I cannot dwell on the past or what has been taken away from me.
The pieces of my heart that have been ripped away from me
The parts of me that are emotionally wounded and missing due to loss.
And if the feeling starts to coming, I've learned to stop 'em fast
If I start to feel emotional pain or sadness, I suppress it quickly.
Cause I don't know, if I let them go, they might not want to pass
If I allow myself to cry, the emotions may become overwhelming and take over.
And there's just so many people trying to get me on the phone
People are constantly trying to contact me and take up my time.
And there's bills to pay, and songs to play, and a house to make a home
I have responsibilities to take care of such as paying bills, performing music, and maintaining a home.
I can still remember when I was a girl
I remember my childhood.
But so many things have changed so much here in my world
My world has gone through many changes.
And just listening to those sirens I would breakdown and cry
Hearing sirens would make me emotional and cause me to cry.
But now I'm walking and I'm talking doing just what I'm supposed to do
I am functioning normally and doing what I am expected to do.
Working overtime to make sure that I don't come unglued
I am working hard to keep myself from falling apart emotionally.
Now I sit down on the sofa and I watch the evening news
I spend time watching the news in the evening.
There's a half a dozen tragedies from which to pick and choose
The news is filled with many tragic events.
The baby that was missing was found in a ditch today
A missing baby was discovered dead in a ditch.
And there's bombs a-flying and people dying not so far away
There are bombings and deaths happening nearby.
I'll take a beer from the 'frigerator and go sit out in the yard
I'll grab a beer and go outside to sit.
And with a cold one in my hand I'm gonna bite down and swallow hard
I'll take a sip of beer and try to hold back the dam of emotions.
Because I'm older now and I've got no time to cry
I'm too busy to cry and have learned to suppress my emotions.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANDREW ELDRITCH, CRAIG DAVID ADAMS, GARY MARX, WAYNE HUSSEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Morris Starkey
Every note she sings has a tear in it...
NO TIME TO CRY
[Verse 1]
My father died a year ago today
The rooster started crowing when they carried Dad away
There beside my mother, in the living room, I stood
With my brothers and my sisters, knowing Dad was gone for good
Well, I stayed at home just long enough
To lay him in the ground and then I
Caught a plane to do a show up north in Detroit town
Because I'm older now and I've got no time to cry
[Chorus]
I've got no time to look back, I've got no time to see
The pieces of my heart that have been ripped away from me
And if the feeling starts to coming, I've learned to stop 'em fast
Because I don't know, if I let 'em go, they might not wanna pass
And there's just so many people trying to get me on the phone
And there's bills to pay, and songs to play
And a house to make a home
I guess I'm older now and I've got no time to cry
[Verse 2]
I can still remember when I was a girl
But so many things have changed so much here in my world
I remember sitting on the front yard when an ambulance went by
And just listening to those sirens I would breakdown and cry
But now I'm walking and I'm talking
Doing just what I'm supposed to do
Working overtime to make sure that I don't come unglued
I guess I'm older now and I've got no time to cry
[Chorus]
[Verse 3]
Now I sit down on the sofa and I watch the evening news:
There's a half a dozen tragedies from which to pick and choose
The baby that was missing was found in a ditch today
And there's bombs a'flying and people dying not so far away
And I'll take a beer from the refrigerator
And go sit out in the yard and with a cold one in my hand
I'm going to bite down and swallow hard
Because I'm older now: I've got no time to cry
[Chorus]
[Outro]
I guess I'm older now
I just ain't got no time to cry
No time to cry.[x3]
Rick Broderick
No Time to Cry...lyrics
Iris DeMent
My father died a year ago today.
The rooster started crowing when they carried Dad away.
There beside my mother, in the living room, I stood,
With my brothers and my sisters, knowing Dad was gone for good.
Well, I stayed at home just long enough,
To lay him in the ground and then I,
Caught a plane to do a show up north in Detroit town.
Because I'm older now and I've got no time to cry.
I've got no time to look back, I've got no time to see,
The pieces of my heart that have been ripped away from me.
And if the feeling starts to coming, I've learned to stop 'em fast.
'Cause I don't know, if I let 'em go, they might not wanna pass.
And there's just so many people trying to get me on the phone.
And there's bills to pay, and songs to play,
And a house to make a home.
I guess I'm older now and I've got no time to cry.
I can still remember when I was a girl.
But so many things have changed so much here in my world.
I remember sitting on the front yard when an ambulance went by,
And just listening to those sirens I would breakdown and cry.
But now I'm walking and I'm talking,
Doing just what I'm supposed to do.
Working overtime to make sure that I don't come unglued.
I guess I'm older now and I've got no time to cry.
I've got no time to look back, I've got no time to see,
The pieces of my heart that have been ripped away from me.
And if the feeling starts to coming, I've learned to stop 'em fast.
'Cause I don't know, if I let 'em go, they might not wanna pass.
And there's just so many people trying to get me on the phone.
And there's bills to pay, and songs to play,
And a house to make a home.
I guess I'm older now and I've got no time to cry.
Now I sit down on the sofa and I watch the evening news:
There's a half a dozen tragedies from which to pick and choose.
The baby that was missing was found in a ditch today.
And there's bombs a'flying and people dying not so far away.
And I'll take a beer from the 'fridgerator,
And go sit out in the yard and with a cold one in my hand,
I'm gonna bite down and swallow hard.
Because I'm older now: I've got no time to cry.
I've got no time to look back, I've got no time to see,
The pieces of my heart that have been ripped away from me.
And if the feeling starts to coming, I've learned to stop 'em fast.
'Cause I don't know, if I let 'em go, they might not wanna pass.
And there's just so many people trying to get me on the phone.
And there's bills to pay, and songs to play,
And a house to make a home.
I guess I'm older now and I've got no time to cry.
I guess I'm older now: I just ain't got no time to cry.
No time to cry.
No time to cry.
No time to cry.
Source: Musixmatch
Randy Ward
Been listening to Iris for many years.Never gets old.Wonderful voice and Great songwriter
Devin Gademan
Thank you for your beautiful music, Iris Dement. You have touched my heart with your albums. Greetings from Germany!
Trebor Retsehc
Unbelievable voice, amazing lyrics.
shoutinghorse
Beautiful song, Beautifully sung by a Beautiful lady with a Beautiful voice. You can't get much more perfect than that.
Ray Smith
Love her voice.
Stuart Thompson
What I admire most about Iris is that she has always done it her way. No selling out in her genes.
Neal Baker
Very true.
Vicki Gauerke
While I let her rest for awhile, I always go back to Iris. Songs like this remind me why I do.
No one is close to her voice and phrasing .
wendy woodward
Brilliant !!!
simplyDiann
I'm wanting to cry. My God, I miss my parents. This is a beautiful, poignant song.