According to the Walking In Memphis Songfacts, Cohn was discovered by Carly Simon in the mid-'80s when he was with a 14-piece band called The Supreme Court. Atlantic Records signed him in 1989, but the first attempts to record his debut album with Tracy Chapman 's producer David Kerschenbaum failed. Ten months later, he tried again, producing the set himself with help from the little-known Ben Wisch, who had helped him with his demos. Finally released in 1991 when Cohn was 31 years old, his self-titled debut album was a huge hit, thanks to the massive success of "Walking In Memphis." Cohn won the 1991 Grammy for Best New Artist award, beating out both Boyz II Men and Seal. Cohn never matched the chart success of this song, but like his musical heroes Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell and Jackson Browne , he remained a critical and artistic success as a songwriter and performer.
He has issued two other studio albums to date, The Rainy Season (1993) and Burning the Daze (1998), both on Atlantic Records. A self-released live compilation, Live 04-05 (2005), is being sold at concerts on his current tour.
He is the most famous graduate of Beachwood High School in Beachwood, Ohio, a Cleveland suburb. He attended Oberlin College as well. In addition, Cohn is notably married to ABC News journalist Elizabeth Vargas whom he met at the 1999 US Open after being introduced by Andre Agassi. Cohn and Vargas have two sons: Zachary Raphael (born on January 31, 2003) and Samuel Wyatt (born on August 16, 2006). Cohn has two other children— Max and Emily—from a previous marriage.
On August 7, 2005, Cohn was shot in the head during an attempted carjacking, following a concert with Suzanne Vega in Denver, Colorado. He was hospitalized and released the next day. The remaining concerts on the tour were cancelled.
Cohn released The Very Best Of Marc Cohn in June 2006, and his 4th studio album, Join The Parade, was released on October 9, 2007. He continues to tour to this day. For photographs and additional information visit Marc's official website, www.MarcCohn.net.
Dance Back From The Grave
Marc Cohn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every day was like parole before the levees overflowed; I refuse to think it could all just disappear (I refuse to think)
How long before the street car rattles down St. Charles Avenue and beads swing from two hundred year old trees
How long before they walk down long Lake Pontratrain with the smell of just magnolia on the breeze
Yeah I've seen people laughing all the way down to the cemeteries just to send another soul off on its way
Yeah I've seen them dance right up to the edge of it
But this time their gonna dance back from the grave
Dance back
Dance back
Dance back from the grave
Well a thousand souls crossed over and they were greeted by an all-star band
And while the saints go marching in there's still hell to pay back down in Dixie Land
Yeah the storms are headed south again and the hour's getting pretty late
Somebody better build that levee its already Mardi Gras at heavens gate (yeah)
Dance back
Dance back
Dance back
Dance back from the grave
Dance back
Dance back
Get your tambourines, slide trombones
And dance… back from the grave
Oh yeah, ooh yeah, ooh yeah
So don't shed a tear for them tonight as they circle and swoop and promenade
They're just carrying their torches and marching in a heavenly parade
No don't shed a tear but take their cue there's only one thing left to do in the name of every soul we didn't save
From the ninth ward to the quarter to the Mississippi border dance back from the grave
Dance back
Dance back
Dance back
Dance back from the grave
Dance back
Dance back
Get your tambourines, slide trombones
And dance… back from the grave
Oh yeah, oh yeah
Get your tambourines, slide trombones
And dance… back from the grave
In "Dance Back From The Grave" by Marc Cohn, the singer paints a picture of life in New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005. The singer acknowledges that everyday life in New Orleans felt like "parole" and that the inevitable tragedy of water and levee breaches was always looming nearby. The singer then asks how long it will take for the streetcars to jingle down the historic street of St. Charles and for the sweet smell of magnolia to drift over the waters of Lake Pontchartrain. Despite the inherent tragedy that hangs over life in the city, the singer recalls the way that New Orleanians still celebrated life to the fullest, even celebrating the dead by dancing "right up to the edge of it." But this time, in the wake of the tragedy, they're going to "dance back from the grave."
The second half of the song talks about what happens after Hurricane Katrina. The singer imagines a thousand souls crossing over and being welcomed by a heavenly band. But while heaven may be a haven, there is still "hell to pay down in Dixie Land." The singer calls for someone to "build that levee" before the next storm hits. Despite the fact that New Orleans is still recovering from the aftermath of the hurricane, the singer encourages everyone to not shed a tear for those that were lost, but instead to take their cue from the joyous way that they celebrated life and to "dance back from the grave."
Overall, "Dance Back From The Grave" is a song about resilience, hope and the spirit of New Orleans. It acknowledges that tragedy is never far away, but that even in the face of that, life in New Orleans is full and joyful.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to wake up every morning saying I must be getting away with something here
I felt like I was constantly getting lucky and that I was going unpunished for things I did
Every day was like parole before the levees overflowed; I refuse to think it could all just disappear (I refuse to think)
Every day felt like I was on borrowed time and I didn't want to believe that it could all be taken away in a flash
How long before the street car rattles down St. Charles Avenue and beads swing from two hundred year old trees
I wonder how long it will be until the streets come back to life and the Mardi Gras tradition returns
How long before they walk down long Lake Pontratrain with the smell of just magnolia on the breeze
I wonder how long it will be until the people can enjoy the simple pleasures of life, like walking by the lake smelling Magnolia flowers
Yeah I've seen people laughing all the way down to the cemeteries just to send another soul off on its way
I have seen people celebrating the life of the dead as they are buried in the cemetery
Yeah I've seen them dance right up to the edge of it
I have seen them live life on the edge and embrace every moment
But this time their gonna dance back from the grave
This time they will dance back to life from the depths of despair
Well a thousand souls crossed over and they were greeted by an all-star band
A lot of people have died and if there is an afterlife, they might be greeted by famous musicians
And while the saints go marching in there's still hell to pay back down in Dixie Land
Even though some people might be going to heaven, there is still a lot of trouble going on in this land
Yeah the storms are headed south again and the hour's getting pretty late
The storms are coming again and time is running out
Somebody better build that levee its already Mardi Gras at heavens gate (yeah)
We better fix the levees before it's too late, because even heaven is having a party
So don't shed a tear for them tonight as they circle and swoop and promenade
Don't be sad for the dead, because they might be dancing and enjoying themselves
They're just carrying their torches and marching in a heavenly parade
They are carrying their light and moving on to the next chapter of their lives
No don't shed a tear but take their cue there's only one thing left to do in the name of every soul we didn't save
Don't be sad, but be inspired to do something good in honor of those whose lives could not be saved
From the ninth ward to the quarter to the Mississippi border dance back from the grave
No matter where you are from or where you are, embrace life and dance back to it from the brink of death
Get your tambourines, slide trombones
Be joyful and make music
And dance back from the grave
Come back to life, overcome death and dance to the rhythm of life
Contributed by Elliot V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.