In 1999, Delmhorst released a live album with The Vinal Avenue String Band, consisting of herself, Sean Staples, and Ry Cavanaugh.
Delmhorst is married to Jeffrey Foucault. In 2003, Delmhorst, Foucault, and Peter Mulvey released an album entitled Redbird.
Delmhorst's more recent albums include Strange Conversation (2006), Shotgun Singer (2008), and Cars (2011).
Strange Conversation
Kris Delmhorst Lyrics
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He held his frail head up and said I think I wish I'd never tried
To dive down through the darkness, to climb up through the blue
Because beauty without cruelty is ever so much worse than untrue
Let it burn, let it burn, let it burn
And even the divine inspiration of Orpheus' song
It ends with the singing, the spell can only last as long
The wild beasts rise back up and spill the blood of innocents
Let it burn, let it burn, let it burn
And our arms branched out like rivers,
Our body filled the world,
The moon hung in our hair,
And the starry night unfurled…
Now are all the waves set to foaming on Ilium's strand
And all my life's labor feels like just a feather in my hand
So no more I'll be your keeper, or sing these songs for you
Take all these useless verses and please take this useless body too
Let it burn, let it burn, let it burn
Kris Delmhorst's "Strange Conversation" is a song that seems to be about coming to terms with one's own mortality and reflecting upon the things that we hold important in our lives. The song begins by describing the strange conversation that occurred the night Virgil died, where he expressed regret at attempting to "dive down through the darkness, to climb up through the blue" because the beauty he sought was "ever so much worse than untrue." The singer seems to be exploring the idea that there is a fine line between beauty and cruelty, and wonders if it is better to never risk pursuing beauty at all.
The second stanza continues this exploration, using the example of Orpheus and his divine inspiration, which ultimately led to blindness and bloodshed. The singer seems to be cautioning against the pursuit of beauty or inspiration, suggesting that it inevitably leads to pain and suffering. The final stanza becomes more introspective, as the singer describes how they once felt that their "arms branched out like rivers" and their "body filled the world," but now their life's work feels insignificant in the grand scheme of things. They declare that they no longer want to be responsible for others, and would like to be released from the burdens of life and creativity. The repeated refrain throughout the song, "let it burn," seems to suggest a desire to let go of everything and simply accept what is.
Line by Line Meaning
I heard they had a strange conversation the night Virgil died
There was an unusual discussion on the night Virgil died.
He held his frail head up and said I think I wish I'd never tried
Virgil wished he’d never tried to dive down through the darkness and climb up through the blue.
To dive down through the darkness, to climb up through the blue
To find something beautiful, Virgil tried to explore unknown territories in both the sky and the sea.
Because beauty without cruelty is ever so much worse than untrue
Virgil thought that beauty without cruelty is worse than something which is not true.
Let it burn, let it burn, let it burn
There is a sense of resignation and letting go in relation to Virgil's feelings.
And even the divine inspiration of Orpheus' song
Even the inspiration that came from Orpheus' song,
It ends with the singing, the spell can only last as long,
Orpheus’ spell can only last as long as he is singing.
Then men fall back to blindness, the streams refind their beds
After the spell is over, people go back to normal as if they were blind before, and the streams go back to their original positions.
The wild beasts rise back up and spill the blood of innocents
Once the spell is over, wild beasts become wild again and start killing innocent people.
Let it burn, let it burn, let it burn
There's a sense of letting everything burn to the ground after the spell is over.
And our arms branched out like rivers,
Their arms looked like rivers flowing in every direction.
Our body filled the world,
Their body filled the whole world.
The moon hung in our hair,
The moon was in their hair.
And the starry night unfurled…
The starry night spread out like an unfurled rug.
Now are all the waves set to foaming on Ilium's strand
The tide is high, and the waves are crashing hard near the Trojan city of Ilium.
And all my life's labor feels like just a feather in my hand
Despite all the work and effort, it feels like it adds up to almost nothing.
So no more I'll be your keeper, or sing these songs for you
After all the labor, they don't want to keep doing it anymore, including performing for someone else.
Take all these useless verses and please take this useless body too
They believe all their work is useless, so they want to be rid of both their body and work.
Let it burn, let it burn, let it burn
They just want to let everything burn to the ground.
Writer(s): DELMHORST KRISTINA S
Contributed by Camilla E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.