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
Sweethearts On Parade
M. Ward Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They go marching through
Oh sweethearts on parade
And how I cried
As they passed me by
Those sweethearts on parade
Well they won't even look
Cause it takes more than one to join the army of love
So how I pine
Just to fall in line
With those sweethearts on parade
Sweethearts on parade
Sweethearts on parade
Sweethearts on parade
Sweethearts on parade
Sweethearts on parade
The lyrics of M. Ward's song Sweethearts On Parade describe the experience of someone watching a group of couples go by, moving in perfect unison, and representing the army of love. The first verse sets the scene as the couples march by “two by two”. The phrase “sweethearts on parade” is repeated throughout the song and is a metaphor for a march in which the participants are not military troops, but rather lovers aligned as a group. The second verse reveals the singer’s melancholy, as they watch the march, feeling a sense of exclusion, and “how I cried” suggests emotional pain. The third verse reveals the singer's desire to belong and join the group of couples, however, their attempt fails as they do not meet the standard requirements of being part of the ‘army of love’. The metaphor serves as commentary on the ephemeral quality of love and the notion that love must be earned, rather than being given freely.
The song was released in M. Ward's 2003 album Transfiguration Of Vincent and has since been attributed as one of his career-defining songs. Ward cites the 1956 version of the song by Louis Armstrong and his All-Stars as one of his primary influences, and the bluesy, mournful sound is a nod to that era. Interestingly, Sweethearts On Parade also refers to a well-known jazz standard written by Carmen Lombardo and was recorded by several artists in the 1930s and 40s, including Louis Armstrong.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh two by two
The sweethearts are walking in pairs
They go marching through
The sweethearts are walking in a parade-like manner
Oh sweethearts on parade
The singer is watching the parade of sweethearts
And how I cried
The artist is feeling emotional and crying
As they passed me by
The sweethearts are walking past the artist
Those sweethearts on parade
The singer is watching the parade of sweethearts
I'd love to join them but
The singer wants to join the parade of sweethearts but something is stopping them
Well they won't even look
The sweethearts aren't paying attention to the artist
Cause it takes more than one to join the army of love
It takes two people to have a romantic relationship
So how I pine
The artist is longing and yearning
Just to fall in line
The singer wants to be part of the parade of sweethearts
With those sweethearts on parade
The artist wants to be with the parade of sweethearts
Sweethearts on parade
Reiteration of the parade of sweethearts
Sweethearts on parade
Reiteration of the parade of sweethearts
Sweethearts on parade
Reiteration of the parade of sweethearts
Sweethearts on parade
Reiteration of the parade of sweethearts
Sweethearts on parade
Reiteration of the parade of sweethearts
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CARMEN LOMBARDO, CHARLES NEWMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind