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/
You Only Leave Your Heart Once
Jack Hardy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of you spread out 'cross the plains
Left your heart in Oklahoma
Left it lying out in the rain
Left your arms in too many places
With your eyes as big as fun
Calling cards and other traces
Can I get it get it back?
Can I give it once again?
Said this cowboy to his shadow
Which was made of wind and of rain
When I touch you I feel distance
Never know if yours or mine
Have I left it has it left me
Oh my darling Clementine
The blistering heat and the hay down your shirt
The barbed wire fences where the greenhorns get hurt
At a campfire in Colorado
Or a beach on some dark sea
A smoke-filled room in El Dorado
Singing nearer my god damn to thee
Damp leather and faster horses
And a south wind bringing rain
Too many miles for changing courses
Pushing on the point of pain
Left your arms in too many places
With your eyes as big as guns
Calling cards and other traces
But you only leave your heart once
The song "You Only Leave Your Heart Once" by Jack Hardy is about a cowboy who has left pieces of himself in different places, specifically in Oklahoma, Colorado, and El Dorado. The lyrics suggest that he has lived a life of adventure and has given his heart to many different people and places, leaving behind only traces of himself. He asks the question, "Can I get it back? Can I give it once again?" indicating a desire to regain what he has lost and to find his way back to the people and places he has loved.
The imagery in the lyrics is powerful, for example, "Left it lying out in the rain" and "blistering heat and the hay down your shirt." These allusions to the harsh realities of the cowboy life evoke a sense of longing and nostalgia. The cowboy's voice is plaintive, as he seems to be searching for his identity and his place in the world. The song touches on themes of home, identity, and the human need for connection and meaning.
Line by Line Meaning
All those people who have pieces
The people who have affected you and taken parts of you with them
Of you spread out 'cross the plains
Scattered across different places far away from each other
Left your heart in Oklahoma
Your emotions were left behind in that specific place
Left it lying out in the rain
Your heart is vulnerable and exposed to the harshness of the world
Left your arms in too many places
You have embraced too many things and they've all become a part of you
With your eyes as big as fun
You've seen too much and it's left you with a sense of wonder and curiosity
Calling cards and other traces
You've left remnants of yourself everywhere you went
But you only leave your heart once
Despite all the places you've been to and people you've met, your heart only truly leaves you once
Can I get it get it back?
Can you regain what you've lost in terms of emotions and experiences?
Can I give it once again?
Is it possible to give your heart to someone or something all over again?
Said this cowboy to his shadow
The singer is speaking to himself about the things he's lost
Which was made of wind and of rain
The shadow represents the fleeting nature of life and the fact that things can be easily lost
When I touch you I feel distance
There's a sense of disconnect between the singer and others
Never know if yours or mine
The distance between people is unknown and could be coming from either person
Have I left it has it left me
He's uncertain if he's lost parts of himself or if the world has taken it from him
Oh my darling Clementine
The artist is addressing a loved one and expressing his feelings
The blistering heat and the hay down your shirt
Summer experiences on a farm with hay bales and harsh sunlight
The barbed wire fences where the greenhorns get hurt
The difficulties that come with farm work and the injuring of inexperienced workers
At a campfire in Colorado
A memorable experience in Colorado around a fire
Or a beach on some dark sea
A beach experience at an unknown location
A smoke-filled room in El Dorado
A hazy and memorable experience in a different place
Singing nearer my god damn to thee
The artist is expressing his emotions and the idea of being closer to something
Damp leather and faster horses
Experiences related to the wild west
And a south wind bringing rain
Elements of nature that have impacted the artist's life
Too many miles for changing courses
It's too late to change the past and the things that have already happened
Pushing on the point of pain
Continuing to face hardships despite the difficult circumstances
Left your arms in too many places
The previous idea is reiterated regarding the singer embracing too many things
With your eyes as big as guns
The artist has seen too much and it's made him desensitized to the world
Calling cards and other traces
Reiterating the fact that remnants of yourself are scattered everywhere
But you only leave your heart once
The theme is reiterated once again about the heart only leaving once despite other things being left behind
Contributed by Aaron W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.