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/
Night Train to Paris
Jack Hardy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I hold out my hand to the rain
The tracks are glistening in shadow
The ties, the steel, and the train
Stand in the cold at the station
Though it really isn't you at all
The snare of infatuation
The desperate ledge of a fall
Chorus:
Take the night train to paris
Hoping to escape all the rules
Take the night train to paris
You hopelessly romantic fool
Oftentimes love is a pageant
Of kings and queens and of pawns
More often love it seems stagnant
The subject of tedious yawns
The theatre, the alleys of vision
The characters waiting to strike .
The collectors of garbage and wisdom
Who catalogue all that is not right
I waited for the cafes to open
I watched pigeons peck in the rain
That endless rain of confusion
The cat in my lap did the same
I hated to disturb her slumber
Sleeping so peacefully through the night
The unfinished letter lay crumpled
An unfinished heart has its price
The opening lines of Jack Hardy's song Night Train to Paris, "All that is open is the window, I hold out my hand to the rain," immediately set the tone for a melancholy journey. The singer is standing at a train station, looking out at the tracks and the rain, feeling a sense of despair, as he realizes that infatuation has led him to the edge of the fall. In this moment, he decides to escape from all the rules that have been imposed upon him and make a journey to Paris.
The chorus, "Take the night train to Paris, hoping to escape all the rules, take the night train to Paris, you hopelessly romantic fool," is the heart of the song. The singer is aware that his decision is driven by romanticism and is not going to solve the problem that he is facing. He is aware that more often than not, love becomes stagnant and tedious, but in this moment, he craves the freedom and sense of belonging that a journey to Paris can offer.
The third verse mentions how the singer watches pigeons in the rain, yet he is unable to find peace like the cat sleeping in his lap. The unfinished letter crumpled in his hand serves as a metaphor for the singer's own heart, which is broken and incomplete.
Overall, the song can be interpreted as the struggle with the desire for companionship and freedom, and the realization that sometimes these two things are incompatible.
Line by Line Meaning
All that is open is the window
There is nothing else open in the room except for the window
I hold out my hand to the rain
I extend my hand to feel the raindrops fall on it
The tracks are glistening in shadow
The train tracks are shining in the shadowy light
The ties, the steel, and the train
The railroad ties, steel, and train itself is standing still
Stand in the cold at the station
I am standing outside in the cold at the train station
Though it really isn't you at all
Although you are not actually here with me
The snare of infatuation
The trap of being deeply in love
The desperate ledge of a fall
The dangerous edge of a potential downfall
Take the night train to Paris
Board the train that will take me to Paris at night
Hoping to escape all the rules
Wishing to flee from all restrictions
You hopelessly romantic fool
Calling myself a hopeless romantic and, possibly, a fool
Oftentimes love is a pageant
Love is often like a grand show
Of kings and queens and of pawns
Full of royalty and ordinary people alike
More often love it seems stagnant
Love frequently feels unchanging and dull
The subject of tedious yawns
Boring and causing the desire to sleep
The theatre, the alleys of vision
The imaginative and creative places in one's mind
The characters waiting to strike .
The personalities ready to make an impact in one's life
The collectors of garbage and wisdom
Those who gather both worthless and valuable information
Who catalogue all that is not right
Compiling a list of everything that is wrong
I waited for the cafes to open
I anticipated the opening time of the cafes
I watched pigeons peck in the rain
I observed the birds pecking food in the rain
That endless rain of confusion
The never-ending feeling of being bewildered
The cat in my lap did the same
The feline on my lap performed a similar action
I hated to disturb her slumber
I loathed waking the animal up from her nap
Sleeping so peacefully through the night
Sleeping soundly throughout the evening
The unfinished letter lay crumpled
The incomplete message was crumpled on the surface
An unfinished heart has its price
Failing to complete something has consequences
Contributed by Lauren L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.