Lori McKenna’s first name is actually Lorraine. She is named after the mother she lost when she was only seven, but whose impact on Lori’s life reverberates to this day. In her sixth album, Lorraine, she considers the influence of her mother, who died at roughly the same age Lori is now, as well as her own place in relationship to her husband, family and community. It is her most personal album to date.
On the title track, Lori thinks back to scenes she remembers from her childhood (or thinks she does: “Well I don’t know if this part is true/How memories lie the way they do”) and how they reflect on her mother’s character: hard working, uncomplaining, sacrificing and loving, despite the health challenges that would eventually take her from her family. Lori allows the small details to carry the story. She remembers her mother smiling and dancing to a Judy Garland Carnegie Hall concert recording: “She said her cousin had a balcony seat.” If you lean in closely, you see the portrait of Lorraine taking shape. Her mother found joy in the music and joy that someone close to her had been lucky enough to be there, but no hint of feeling deprived for not experiencing it herself. Lorraine’s place was with her family, and she found contentment there. In the last verse, Lori looks at herself with the hope that she’s worthy of the name she was given, and the recognition that she might just be falling short (“I swear I’ve tried to be worthy of/The name they gave me when I was young/But I ain’t that pretty and I ain’t that brave/My kids have seen me cry/They should have given her name to my sister Marie/That don’t mean a thing to you but it does to me”).
Lori’s unusual combination of professional and personal life, at least in the context of the modern music industry, is well-documented. She grew up in Massachusetts in a musical household. Her father was an excellent singer, and her mother played the piano. Two of her older brothers were songwriters, one of whom (Richard) she considers largely responsible for her career. He accompanied a reluctant Lori to open mic nights and gave her confidence that she was good enough. She began performing her songs in public at age 27, after she and her husband Gene already had three children. She and Gene continue to maintain a happy home in Stoughton, Massachusetts, adding two more children to their full lives. In addition to family, place has an important role in Lori’s songs.
“Buy This Town” almost didn’t make the album. It was written the day after the album was completed, but Lori felt so strongly about the song, she and album producer Barry Dean went back to the studio to record it. It’s a love letter to Stoughton, replete with images of the working class environment and the good, hard-working people that are her neighbors. In the last verse of the song, she writes of a firefighter at the high school football game because his kid is playing. “That’s my neighbor John,” she says, “and his son Lucas is on the football team.” She also speaks about how place plays a role in some of her strongest and most enduring memories. It’s moments like a tearful one at the kitchen sink in the home she shares with Gene that Lori holds most dear (”If I could buy one night, I wouldn’t buy the one you’d think/I’d buy the one when my eyes teared up by the light above the kitchen sink/And you held me tight, and you begged me not to cry/If I could buy the sweetness of one kiss, that’s the one I’d buy/If I could buy one night”). The love of home and community is not some abstraction for Lori. It’s central to who she is.
She eventually became a staple of the Boston folk music scene, where she became friendly with Mary Gauthier. “We were the two old ladies in a sea of young faces,” she jokes. When Gauthier picked up and left for Nashville, she brought Lori’s music to the attention of her publisher. They got her music into the hands of Faith Hill, who fell hard for Lori’s songs. Hill recorded three of them for her album Fireflies. Lori’s way of articulating the love, pain and pathos of domestic life had a huge impact on Hill, and Hill’s very public championing of Lori’s music led other artists to Lori’s songs. Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood, Alison Krauss, Keith Urban and LeAnn Rimes are among the many that have recorded her songs in recent years.
That Lori is a master at chronicling the small, difficult moments between romantic partners as they navigate their relationships is a big reason her songs have been so popular with other artists. Though she and Gene have a strong and happy marriage, they, like all couples, have their moments when they are not connecting. Lori channels the vulnerability of those moments in songs that give voice to anyone who has felt insecure even in the most committed of relationships. In the lead track of the album, “The Luxury Of Knowing,” the protagonist’s constancy is juxtaposed against her partner’s mercurial nature (“But just when I think you’re a hurricane/You freeze right over and all that rain/Turns to ice and your whole world just starts snowing/And I don’t have the luxury of knowing”), leaving her unable to feel secure in the relationship (“Damn it must be easy/Being in love with someone so blind/Cuz I’ll tell you right now the only thing I really know/Is that you might change your mind”). There are also moments that celebrate the love that accompanies the daily grind. “You Get A Love Song” is a fun romp that reminds us that often there’s no gold star or plaque for just showing up every day for your loved one, but at least for Gene, he gets the starring role in one of his wife’s songs.
The increased acclaim for her song craft led to a record deal with Warner Brothers, who released her 2007 album Unglamorous. Working with Tim McGraw (who co-produced the album), an appearance on Oprah and an opening slot on McGraw and Faith Hill’s Soul2Soul tour were heady experiences, and Lori is grateful for them. “The whole experience was wonderful, and there were several at Warner Brothers that worked so hard for my album,” she says, but there was always a sense that her music and their goals were not going to result in a perfect professional marriage. “Recording in Nashville, as good as the experience has been in many ways, is not exactly the safest way to guard your creative instincts.” Sales levels that would seem astronomical by the standards of the folk community that nurtured her were not enough for a subsequent regime at Warner Brothers, and they parted amicably. “One thing that did come out of that experience was a much deeper confidence in myself as an artist,” says Lori, which was one reason she decided to take the reins back in her professional life. By choice, she has no label and no manager for the first time in her career.
The album closes with a prayer to Lorraine. Lori used to pray to her mother when she was a child: there was a strong sense that Lorraine was watching over her. “I think I made better choices in my life because I felt she was there,” Lori says. “Still Down Here” is a prayer that Lorraine and all the loved ones who leave their earthly burdens behind remember the ones still here on Earth, still in need of their love and guidance. With a daughter so empathetic to the human condition and so loyal and loving to her family and community, one guesses that Lorraine is looking down, very proud.
www.lorimckenna.com
God Will Thank You
Lori McKenna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
by Lori McKenna
I was born a sickly little child,
I nearly died just after my birth.
Five years I fought the illness,
My mother prayed and prayed for what it's worth.
At that time we traveled along, back home to Ireland.
I should have died right there and then by their hands.
Mother called it an overdose,
They called it an oversight.
But since then, I've never been sick a day in my life.
Call it divine purpose,
Call it fate.
Watch Mass on channel 56 and that way you'll never be late.
And God will thank you.
Well, I've seen the heavens open up.
I've seen the angels fly.
I've seen children kill and I've seen grown men cry.
I know all about Noah's ark,
The rain's been falling all the while.
And I heard about Adam and Eve,
But I still believe she never got a fair trial.
Call it divine purpose,
Say it's untrue
Well, they never brought anything back from Roswell
So who are you going to pray to?
God will thank you.
Maybe I only read the Bible
When I'm staying at the Holiday Inn.
I see church on Easter and Christmas
But every other Sunday I just can't fit it in.
But I'm coming from a true place,
I'm shining like a new light.
I'm thanking God for everything I have in my life.
Call it divine purpose,
Call it fate.
Or maybe you believe in God
Because the Big Bang theory don't hold much weight.
Lori McKenna's song "God Will Thank You" is a thought-provoking examination of faith and purpose. The lyrics are grounded in the singer's personal experiences, beginning with her difficult birth and the subsequent healing that her mother credited to divine intervention. The song then transitions to a broader exploration of spiritual belief, touching on everything from biblical stories to contemporary scientific theories.
"God Will Thank You" challenges listeners to consider the nature of faith and the role it plays in our lives. The song questions the idea of fate, asking whether our experiences are truly predetermined or simply the result of chance. It also addresses the notion of sin and redemption, suggesting that even those who don't attend church regularly can still find solace and meaning through their belief in a higher power.
One of the most interesting aspects of the song is its use of storytelling to convey its message. McKenna weaves personal anecdotes with biblical tales and references to historical events, creating a tapestry of meaning that invites listeners to parse out the details and come to their own conclusions. At its core, "God Will Thank You" is a song about faith that manages to be both introspective and universal, offering something for believers and skeptics alike.
Line by Line Meaning
I was born a sickly little child,
I was born with a weak body and health issues.
I nearly died just after my birth.
My condition was so critical that I was at the brink of death soon after I was born.
Five years I fought the illness,
I was ill for five long years and underwent a prolonged struggle against it.
My mother prayed and prayed for what it's worth.
My mother earnestly prayed for my recovery, hoping it would make a difference.
At that time we traveled along, back home to Ireland.
Around that time, we went on a trip back to our homeland, Ireland.
I took sick and the doctors admit
I fell sick again, and even the doctors accepted that.
I should have died right there and then by their hands.
The doctors believed that I was on the brink of death, and they might have failed to save me.
Mother called it an overdose,
My mother believes that the doctors overdosed me with medication which led to my critical condition.
They called it an oversight.
The doctors consider it a mere accidental error of judgement.
But since then, I've never been sick a day in my life.
After that incident, I have never been ill again.
Call it divine purpose,
Someone could call it an act of God, a part of a divine plan.
Call it fate.
Some can refer it to fate, meaning it was destined to happen by divine will.
Watch Mass on channel 56 and that way you'll never be late.
Tune into channel 56 to stay up to date with the Mass and avoid being late to church.
And God will thank you.
By doing so, you'll please God, and He will thank you.
Well, I've seen the heavens open up.
I witnessed the beauty and splendor of the universe.
I've seen the angels fly.
I witnessed the mesmerizing sight of the heavenly angels soaring in the skies.
I've seen children kill and I've seen grown men cry.
I have seen the dark side of humanity, where children can commit horrific acts and grown men can break down and cry.
I know all about Noah's ark,
I am familiar with the biblical story of Noah and the great flood.
The rain's been falling all the while.
It has been raining continuously and heavily without abating.
And I heard about Adam and Eve,
I am aware of the tale of Adam and Eve, the first humans according to the Bible.
But I still believe she never got a fair trial.
However, I think it was unfair to hold Eve responsible for humanity's downfall in the Garden of Eden.
Say it's untrue
Some may refute the existence or influence of a divine power.
Well, they never brought anything back from Roswell
Some may argue that there is no concrete proof of aliens' existence, citing the Roswell incident.
So who are you going to pray to?
The rhetorical question suggests that even skeptics may feel the need to reach out to a higher power in times of need or despair.
Maybe I only read the Bible
I may not be a devout follower of the faith, and my reading of the Bible may be sporadic.
When I'm staying at the Holiday Inn.
I may read the Bible only during my stays at a hotel chain called Holiday Inn.
I see church on Easter and Christmas
I only attend church on significant occasions like Christmas and Easter.
But every other Sunday I just can't fit it in.
I find it hard to make time or prioritize visiting church on other Sundays.
But I'm coming from a true place,
Despite my infrequent visits to church or lack of strict religious adherence, I genuinely believe in God.
I'm shining like a new light.
My faith in God fills me with positivity and hope, making me feel renewed and radiant from within.
I'm thanking God for everything I have in my life.
I am grateful to God for my blessings and express my gratitude in prayer.
Or maybe you believe in God
The lyrics imply that some people believe in God, while others may not have faith.
Because the Big Bang theory don't hold much weight.
Some may doubt the scientific explanation for the creation of the universe with the Big Bang theory, finding it hard to believe.
Contributed by Sophia R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.