It is a strange mix of themes ranging from the American West to the ballads and jigs of Celtic ancestors that somehow seems to make sense in the musical world Jack Hardy has created. And it is a separate world to which the listener is transported; a timeless place inhabited by tinkers and cowboys, saints and sinners, elves, virgins and crones. From his extensive travels and reading he has forged an endearing non-academic approach to literature, one that is more at home in the pub than in the classroom. "He clearly seems to enjoy making his listeners think. He may dare his audience to figure out what he is saying, but he also credits them with the intelligence to do so" (Tom Nelligan, Dirty Linen, 1998).
In Europe, where Hardy has toured extensively for over 20 years, he is accepted as an ambassador for American music. In an Italian encyclopedia of rock Jack has a larger entry than many prominent rock stars.
"Nothing adventuresome is created in a vacuum," Jack says, "you get people together and the creative sparks fly." The weekly songwriters workshop which he has hosted for many years taught and nurtured countless songwriters, not the least of which are Suzanne Vega, John Gorka, Shawn Colvin, Richard Shindell and David Massengill. The Fast Folk Musical Magazine, which he founded and edited, released the first recordings of most of the artists currently headlining folk festivals. This collection of over 100 compilation albums has now been taken over by the Smithsonian.
Gregarious and outgoing when talking about his songs and songwriting in general, Jack fiercely guards the privacy of his personal life. Jack Hardy was born in Indiana, his father a musician, his mother a painter. He grew up in New York, Colorado, and Connecticut, studied opera and literature in college.
In 1998, Prime CD reissued his first ten albums in a box set as well as his eleventh album The Passing. In 1996, BCN Records released a tribute album The Songs of Jack Hardy: Of the White Goddess, a collection of his Celtic ballads (all sung by women). In 1997, Jack was the recipient of The Kate Wolf Memorial Award, given yearly to "an artist who makes a difference through his music" by the World Folk Music Association. In 2000, Prime CD has released Jack's twelfth album Omens.
Omens was recorded live to 24 track analog in two days, using the vintage recording equipment of Prime CD's Theater 99 recording studio in New York City, with no overdubs. The fourteen songs range from the uptempo Celtic "Sile na gCioch" where a tinker finds a dress on the side of the road and gives it to a young lass, to the majestic "West of Dingle" where a woman faces a choice between her lover and her fiddle; from the biting barrage of juxtaposed media images of "I Ought to Know" to the romantic ballad "Only One Sky" and back to the uptempo humorous Clancy Brother-ish "The Boney Bailiff." This album takes you on quite a musical voyage with some of Jack's best poetic imagery, but it is the sweeping beautiful melodies that carry these songs directly into your memory. The players include Jack's current touring band: Tom Duval on electric guitar and harmony (also heard on Jack's albums The Hunter and Civil Wars), Mike Laureanno on Hofner bass and harmony, Dave Anthony on Drums (also heard on Jack's album The Passing), and Kate MacLeod on fiddle. The album also features a buried bonus track containing 19 minutes of Suzanne Vega interviewing Jack on the subject of songwriting. Hardy's 16th album, Rye Grass, arrived on Great Divide in 2009. Jack Hardy passed away on March 11, 2011.
source and more infos: http://www.jackhardy.com/
Lady-O
Jack Hardy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and the locket had a key
the princess had so many things
she would not let them see
so many cursed the locket
though many held the key
many is the open book
with print too large to read
Oh... lady-o
where do they come from
where do they go
and if you have a heart
do not let it show
oh... lady-o
Strike while the iron is hot
he heard the soldiers say
marching in formation
to guard the palace gate
though he had seen those soldiers
fall along the way
they line them up and shoot them
for the heresies they say
Oh... lady-o
where do they come from
where do they go
and if you have a heart
do not let it show
oh... lady-o
But he was not a soldier
in his torn and ragged coat
resembling the jester
he came across the moat
and all the guards of kingdom come
would have let him pass
with eyes that looked right through them
and songs about their past
Oh... lady-o
where do they come from
where do they go
and if you have a heart
do not let it show
oh... lady-o
She had always pictured it
on a sunny afternoon
in some secluded forest
with the flowers all in bloom
it did not look at all
like this god-forsaken room
but the thing that's long awaited
often comes too soon
Oh... lady-o
where do they come from
where do they go
and if you have a heart
do not let it show
oh... lady-o
The singer introduces the listeners to a princess who owned a locket that was kept locked with a key. The singer expresses that the princess had many secrets she chose not to share, and so many people had access to the key, but not the secrets within. There were also those that cursed the locket because they were unable to unlock it. Despite its complexities, the princess and her locket are compared to an open book with print too large to read, indicating that she was an enigma to the world.
The second verse elucidates a different story involving a man trying to pass the palace gates in a torn and ragged coat. He appears similar to a jester, making his way across the moat, and the guards allow him to pass. The singer notes that although the man is not a soldier, he hears the soldiers who guard the palace gate, who are dispatched immediately if they speak heresies.
The final verse introduces a woman who is contemplating a life experience that she had always romanticized but reality had not met those expectations. The singer uses the line ‘but the thing that's long awaited often comes too soon’ to emphasize that long-awaited experiences don't always live up to our expectations.
Line by Line Meaning
The princess had a locket
The princess owned a locket
and the locket had a key
The locket had a key to unlock it
the princess had so many things
The princess possessed numerous items
she would not let them see
She kept her possessions hidden from view
so many cursed the locket
Many people disliked the locket
though many held the key
Despite the number of people with the key to the locket
many is the open book
There are many people who are open books
with print too large to read
With stories too overwhelming to comprehend
Oh... lady-o
Addressing Lady O
where do they come from
Asking where people come from
where do they go
Asking where people go
and if you have a heart
Referring to someone who has emotions
do not let it show
Advising not to reveal their emotions
Strike while the iron is hot
Seize an opportunity while it exists
he heard the soldiers say
He listened to what the soldiers said
marching in formation
Walking in a specific arrangement
to guard the palace gate
To protect the entrance of the palace
though he had seen those soldiers
Despite having witnessed those soldiers
fall along the way
Die during the march
they line them up and shoot them
They execute them in firing line
for the heresies they say
For the beliefs they express
But he was not a soldier
He was not a member of the military
in his torn and ragged coat
Wearing a damaged garment
resembling the jester
Appearing like a clown
he came across the moat
He crossed the moat
and all the guards of kingdom come
All the guards of the kingdom
would have let him pass
Would have allowed him to proceed
with eyes that looked right through them
With eyes that seemed to see beyond them
and songs about their past
Singing about their history
She had always pictured it
She always imagined it
on a sunny afternoon
During sunny daylight hours
in some secluded forest
In a private woodland area
with the flowers all in bloom
With many blossoming flowers present
it did not look at all
It was unlike her expectation
like this god-forsaken room
Like this desolate room forsaken by God
but the thing that's long awaited
But the thing that was anticipated for a long time
often comes too soon
Sometimes appears before expected
Contributed by Micah O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.