Jack Hardy is "a more literate Celtic Townes Van Zandt, grave in his tone a… Read Full Bio ↴Jack Hardy is "a more literate Celtic Townes Van Zandt, grave in his tone and generous in his ideals, as rooted in the present soil and sky of Ireland and America as he is fascinated by the legends of the past" (Roy Kasten, St. Louis Riverfront Times, February 3, 1999).

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/

St. Clare
Jack Hardy Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Call on that saint
And the candle that burns
Keeping her safe
Until her return

Plaster and paint
Holding the fire
A poor woman's saint

Holding all man's desire

Bold little bird
Fly away home
Could I but ride herd
On the wind and the foam

All of the souls
That curl by the fire
They never know
All man's desire

Watercress clings
To the banks of the stream
In the first grip of spring
When the snow melts to green

Barefoot and cold
And holding a lyre
By the side of the road
Holding all man's desire

Call on the saint
When the white candle burns

Keeping her safe
Until her return

Overall Meaning

The song “St. Clare” by Jack Hardy is a beautiful and poetic tribute to the Catholic patron saint of eyes, television, goldsmiths, embroiderers, and other professions, Clare of Assisi. The song begins by asking the listener to “call on that saint,” and refers to “the candle that burns” as a symbol of religious devotion and protection. The verse then describes the saint as “keeping [someone] safe until her return,” implying that St. Clare provides comfort and security during times of trouble or uncertainty.

The second verse of the song describes St. Clare as a “poor woman’s saint” who holds all man’s desire. This line suggests that St. Clare is a symbol of hope and inspiration for those who are struggling or living in poverty. The use of “plaster and paint holding the fire” is poetic and emphasizes the idea that St. Clare represents both practical and emotional support.

The third verse is more metaphorical, using the image of a bird flying home to represent a desire for freedom and the ability to control one’s own destiny. The line “on the wind and the foam” emphasizes the idea of adventure and the unknown. The final verse returns to the theme of St. Clare as a symbol of hope and inspiration, using the image of watercress growing in the spring and a musician by the side of the road to illustrate the idea that beauty and creativity can flourish in unexpected places. The song ends with the repeated idea of St. Clare providing protection and safety for those who call on her.

Line by Line Meaning

Call on that saint
Invoking St. Clare's blessing

And the candle that burns
The burning white candle as a symbol of hope

Keeping her safe
Asking for St. Clare's protection

Until her return
Waiting for her aid to come

Plaster and paint
A reference to religious art used to invoke St. Clare for protection

Holding the fire
Keeping the candle burning

A poor woman's saint
St. Clare as a source of comfort for the disadvantaged

Holding all man's desire
The saint as the keeper of all human desires

Bold little bird
A symbol of freedom and adventure

Fly away home
Escape to a better place

Could I but ride herd
Wishing to have control over one's destiny