Ward was previously with the band Rodriguez, which included bassist Kyle Field (of Little Wings fame) and drummer Mike Funk. They recorded and released on cassette Box Plots and Cash Crops and then the album Swing Like a Metronome in 2000. Duet for Guitars #2 was released on Howe Gelb's Ow Om record label. Ward's 2001 album, End of Amnesia, was released by Future Farmer Records, and his subsequent albums have been released on Merge Records. A collection of live recordings, Live Music & the Voices of Strangers, was a self-released disc that was sold at his shows. His next album, Transfiguration of Vincent, was released in 2003, followed by Transistor Radio in 2005. A year later, Post War was released.
In 2006, he contributed a song to, and helped produce, the John Fahey tribute album, I Am the Resurrection. He also contributed the song "Transfiguration #1" from Transfiguration of Vincent to the Brushfire Records soundtrack for A Brokedown Melody, a Jack Johnson surfing film.
His album, Hold Time, was released in 2009. The album A Wasteland Companion followed in 2012. The album title alludes to T.S. Eliot's 1922 modernist poem, The Waste Land. In 2016, he released More Rain. On June 8, 2018, M. Ward released What a Wonderful Industry.
Side Projects
In 2008 M. Ward combined forces with Zooey Deschanel and became She & Him. They have released two albums so far, Volume One in 2008 and Volume Two in 2010. He is also one fourth of the folk supergroup, Monsters of Folk, alongside Jim James from My Morning Jacket, and Conor Oberst & Mike Mogis from Bright Eyes. Their self-titled release, Monsters of Folk, was released in 2009.
* Official website
From a Pirate Radio Sermon 1989
M. Ward Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And might won't be might anymore
And I am waiting for the day when I will finally know surrender
And the weak will not be weak anymore
Lost won't be lost anymore
Hard won't be hard anymore
And I am waiting for the day when I will finally know surrender
And I'll be waiting like a stranger for a train
For a headlight through the rain
I don't know the day or hour
But I can sense the final power
Yours won't be yours anymore
Theirs won't be theirs anymore
I am waiting for the day when I will finally know surrender
And the weak will not be weak anymore
No the weak will not be weak anymore
The lyrics in M. Ward's From a Pirate Radio Sermon 1989 are a commentary on power and control. The song speaks to the fleeting nature of these concepts, suggesting that the things we value as sources of strength might not hold up over time, bound to crumble when the reckoning arrives. Through the lines "Wise won't be wise anymore / And might won't be might anymore", the song suggests the idea that knowledge and strength are not absolute and can be relative based on changes in circumstance. In a sense, these lines suggest that what we think of as power is often an illusion, created by the circumstances of the moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Wise won't be wise anymore
Intelligence will no longer prevail or be respected
And might won't be might anymore
Power will no longer dominate or dictate
And I am waiting for the day when I will finally know surrender
I am patiently waiting for the moment when I will fully let go and accept defeat
And the weak will not be weak anymore
Those who are vulnerable or disadvantaged will no longer be overlooked or oppressed
Lost won't be lost anymore
Confusion and disorientation will no longer persist
Hard won't be hard anymore
Difficulty and adversity will no longer be present
And I am waiting for the day when I will finally know surrender
I am anticipating the moment when I will fully release control and let go
And the weak will not be weak anymore
The marginalized and oppressed will no longer be powerless
And I'll be waiting like a stranger for a train
I will be waiting with uncertainty and anticipation for something that may come or may not come
For a headlight through the rain
Looking for a sign of hope or guidance amidst trying circumstances
I don't know the day or hour
I am unaware of when this transformative moment will occur
But I can sense the final power
I can perceive the ultimate force or energy that will bring about change
Yours won't be yours anymore
Individual ownership or identity will no longer exist
Theirs won't be theirs anymore
Group ownership or identity will no longer exist
I am waiting for the day when I will finally know surrender
I am eagerly awaiting the moment when I will fully relinquish control
And the weak will not be weak anymore
The powerless will no longer be marginalized or discriminated against
No the weak will not be weak anymore
Emphasizing the importance and significance of this transformation
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Matthew Stephen Ward
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind