Henry was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, but grew up in the Detroit area where he met Melanie Ciccone, Madonna's sister, whom he married in 1987. In 1985 he moved to Brooklyn, New York, where he played at small clubs. His debut album Talk of Heaven came out in 1986. He signed to A&M Records and released two albums, Murder of Crows (1989) and Shuffletown (1990)
After Henry and his wife moved to Los Angeles in 1990, he left A&M in 1992 to join the independent label Mammoth, located in North Carolina. He released Short Man's Room and Kindness of the World, on which members of the Jayhawks provided instrumental backing.
In the mid-1990s Henry decided "to do something decidedly more eclectic" instead of continuing with country-rock. He turned to producer Patrick McCarthy, in making his next album Trampoline (1996). Trampoline also employed metal guitarist Page Hamilton, who demonstrated his own eagerness to stretch by collaborating on the album.
Asked to contribute a song to a benefit album for singer Vic Chesnutt in 1996, Henry also collaborated with his famous sister-in-law on a cover of Chesnutt's "Guilty by Association" (Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation, The Songs of Vic Chesnutt, 1996).
In 1999 Henry released the experimental album Fuse with trip hop shadings. His eighth album, Scar, followed in 2001. The band on the record consisted mainly of jazz musicians (Marc Ribot, Brian Blade and Brad Mehldau among others) and Jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman guesting on the track "Richard Pryor Addresses a Tearful Nation".
In 2001, Henry sang on the song "Alleluia" from Julia Fordham's album, Concrete Love. His self-produced album Tiny Voices appeared on Epitaph's Anti label in 2003.
Henry produced Teddy Thompson's 2000 album Teddy Thompson, a critically acclaimed album from the son of British folk legends, Linda Thompson and Richard Thompson. Henry also produced Solomon Burke's 2002 album Don't Give Up On Me, which won Best Contemporary Blues Album at the 2003 Grammy Awards. 2005 releases produced by Henry include Ani DiFranco's Knuckle Down, Aimee Mann's 1970s concept album The Forgotten Arm, and Bettye LaVette's I've Got My Own Hell to Raise.
He also produced the multi-artist album I Believe to My Soul, which featured Allen Toussaint, Mavis Staples, Ann Peebles, Irma Thomas and Billy Preston.
In 2006, Henry teamed with Toussaint, producing his collaborative album with Elvis Costello, The River in Reverse.
In September of 2006, Henry and his longtime hero Loudon Wainwright III began composing the music for the Judd Apatow movie Knocked Up. Snippets of instrumentals were used as background score for the film, but the full versions of the songs make up Wainwright's 2007 album Strange Weirdos. Henry produced Mary Gauthier's 2007 album Between Daylight and Dark.
Henry's 10th album, "Civilians," was released in 2007 on the Anti label. His 11th album, Blood From Stars, followed in 2009, and his 12th, Reverie, was released in 2011.
http://www.joehenrylovesyoumadly.com/
Civil War
Joe Henry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I came home late and there it sat,
You rose to show what hats are for
When living through a civil war,
When living through a civil war
Christmas mornings and New Years Days
They flood with dreams and drift away,
Riding out this civil war,
Riding out this civil war
Some fighters came and pitched a tent
And everyone around here, we went,
The fix was in, but we bet and we swore
From both sides of a civil war...
We build this up and we knock this down
We call our little mob a town,
We nail a sign up above the door
"God bless our little civil war,"
"God bless our little civil war"
Three dogs at a party an a boat at night
Play checkers in a lantern light,
They sing a song out to the shore
Of women, gold, and civil war...
Every truth carries blame
And every light reveals some shame,
Progress rides with thieves and whores
The stowaways of civil war,
The stowaways of civil war.
The lyrics to Joe Henry’s song Civil War paint a vivid picture of a community dealing with the effects and aftermath of a war. The opening lines suggest a sense of unfamiliarity or displacement in the singer’s life, as a hat left by someone unknown to them has been left in their home. However, they then acknowledge that this sense of displacement can be attributed to living in the midst of a civil war, where circumstances force us to become accustomed to anything that can offer shelter and protection. The line “You rose to show what hats are for” can thus be interpreted as a metaphorical acknowledgement of the way in which we adapt to our circumstances and draw comfort from things that seem strange or unfamiliar at first.
The second verse seems to emphasize the passage of time and the transience of our hopes and desires, as the singer refers to Christmas mornings and New Year’s Days as occasions that are fleeting, and which serve as a reminder of our fleeting dreams. The imagery of logs and cupboard doors suggests a sense of isolation or confinement, as if the characters are confined to their homes and unable to leave due to the war. The singer refers to “riding out this civil war,” which may suggest a sense of endurance and resilience in the face of adversity - that they are waiting for the war to pass, and that they have faith that they will see it through.
The final verse introduces new characters - three dogs playing checkers and singing songs about women and gold - which seems to suggest a sense of detachment from reality, or a retreat into fantasy as a way of coping with the reality of the war. The lines “Every truth carries blame/And every light reveals some shame” suggest a sense of moral ambiguity, where neither side in the war is entirely blameless, and where it is impossible to discern objective truths. Progress and change are presented as ambivalent forces, capable of bringing about both positive and negative outcomes, and always accompanied by darker elements such as thieves and whores.
Overall, the song Civil War presents a nuanced and complex portrait of a community living through a war, and the various ways in which they navigate the challenges and hardships it brings. It suggests a sense of resilience and endurance, as well as a willingness to find comfort and solace in unexpected places.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't know you to wear a hat
I'm not used to seeing you wear a hat
But I came home late and there it sat
I got home late and saw the hat just sitting there
You rose to show what hats are for
You put on the hat to show the purpose of hats
When living through a civil war
During times of conflict and turmoil
Christmas mornings and New Years Days
Days of celebration and joy
They flood with dreams and drift away
They bring hopes and fade away
They cling to logs and cupboard doors
Memories are preserved in small things
Riding out this civil war
Enduring through the trying times
Some fighters came and pitched a tent
People fighting for their beliefs camped nearby
And everyone around here, we went
Everyone around here was involved
The fix was in, but we bet and we swore
We knew the odds were against us, but we still fought on
From both sides of a civil war
From opposing sides of a conflict
We build this up and we knock this down
We create and destroy everything around us
We call our little mob a town
We name our community
We nail a sign up above the door
We mark our territory
"God bless our little civil war,"
"May our conflict be blessed by a higher power"
Three dogs at a party an a boat at night
Strange and unexpected things happening together
Play checkers in a lantern light
Playing a simple game in a simple and dim environment
They sing a song out to the shore
They sing a sad and melancholic song
Of women, gold, and civil war...
About the things people fight for
Every truth carries blame
Every truth has consequences
And every light reveals some shame
There's always something that shouldn't be exposed
Progress rides with thieves and whores
Every step forward has its downsides and shadowy parts
The stowaways of civil war
The hidden and unwanted remnants of conflict and strife
The stowaways of civil war.
The things we carry with us after conflict has ended
Contributed by Joshua J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
John Bruno
This is really sweet. Wonderful song. His self accompaniment is just great. Hard to get better than this.
Ron Kopald
Love this guy. Ever since "Bright Mississipoi". And agree with John Bruno, his playing is absolutely perfect accompaniment. Dude has skills
Songpoets - Ramcey
Brilliant.... just like almost anything that Joe Henry musically touches. Ramcey in Nashville
ozbluesman
A songwriter's songwriter. Brilliant.
Ken McKay
Thanks! Made my day.
olgoat52
Is his tuning here DADF#AD? (Open D)?
Jonathan Holleb
I am almost 100% sure that it is Open D.
Ron Kopald
Based on how he's playing the V chord at the bottom seems like a safe bet