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
Pieces of Me
Lori McKenna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With really not too much to say
So you can push me anywhere you like
But you can't push me away
My life is written down on papers in my room
And yours is bottled up somewhere
So I'll send you letters from half across the moon
Pieces of me can't help you
Pieces of me can't let you fall down
Where you want to be
I can hold you like water in my hands
Yet you say that you can't leave
But I am dripping wet with things to understand
And you are trying to believe
Pieces of me can't help you
Pieces of me can't let you fall down
Where you want to be
Tired arms can't pull the sun back in the sky
Angry hearts can't remember why they even try
I have been a poet all my life
With really not too much to say
You can push me anywhere you like
But I won't let you push me
Down, where you want to be
Oh down, where you want to be
In "Pieces of Me" by Lori McKenna, the singer professes to being a poet all their life, but not really having much to say. This paradox sets the tone for a song that explores the complexities of relationships and communication. The singer seems to be in a situation where they have a lot of emotions and understanding to offer, however, the person they are addressing is not receptive to their help. Despite this, the singer is determined to be present for this person, even if they can only send letters "half across the moon" that the receiver will never open. The crux of the song is in the first verse, where the singer says that they can be pushed anywhere, but won't be pushed away. Essentially, they are stating that they are willing to stick by the person, even in the face of resistance, but they won't compromise who they are in the process.
The chorus section seems to be a message to the person about the limitations of the singer's ability to help them. "Pieces of me can't help you, pieces of me can't let you fall down where you want to be" suggests that the singer has tried to offer what they can, but it's not enough to make a difference. They are aware of their limits and cannot take the person to where they want to go. In the final verse, the singer says that "tired arms can't pull the sun back in the sky, angry hearts can't remember why they even try," which are poetic ways of saying that there are some things that cannot be fixed or undone. Overall, the song is a beautifully written, bittersweet meditation on the nature of relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
I have been a poet all my life
I have always expressed myself through words and creativity
With really not too much to say
Although I write a lot, I have trouble expressing my true feelings and experiences
So you can push me anywhere you like
Others may try to influence or control me, but I will not resist
But you can't push me away
No matter what people do, they cannot force me to abandon my passions and identity
My life is written down on papers in my room
I document my thoughts, experiences, and emotions in written form
And yours is bottled up somewhere
You keep your innermost thoughts and feelings to yourself
So I'll send you letters from half across the moon
I will reach out to you and attempt to bridge the gap between us, despite being far apart
And it will cross your mind but you won't dare
Though you may consider responding, you will not have the courage to do so
Pieces of me can't help you
My own struggles and experiences cannot provide direct aid to you
Pieces of me can't let you fall down
My actions or words cannot prevent you from experiencing hardship or failure
Where you want to be
In the place or state of being that you desire for yourself
I can hold you like water in my hands
I am capable of providing care and support
Yet you say that you can't leave
You are resistant to receiving help or making changes in your life
But I am dripping wet with things to understand
I have much to learn and gain insight on
And you are trying to believe
You are attempting to maintain hope and faith in your own life
Tired arms can't pull the sun back in the sky
Exhaustion or fatigue cannot change the past or undo mistakes
Angry hearts can't remember why they even try
Feelings of resentment or frustration can cloud our sense of purpose and motivation
But I won't let you push me down, where you want to be
I will not let you influence me to conform to your desires or expectations
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Lori McKenna
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind