Mark Heard released 13 studio albums in his lifetime (as Mark Heard & Ideola) also 1 album with Infinity Plus Three), and produced and performed with many other artists as well, such as Daniel Amos, Sam Phillips, Pierce Pettis, Phil Keaggy, Vigilantes of Love, Peter Buck of R.E.M., John Austin, The Choir, Randy Stonehill and Michael Been of The Call. Heard produced part of Olivia Newton John's The Rumour, which also included a cover of Heard's "Big and Strong".
On July 4, 1992, Heard suffered a heart attack on stage while performing with Pierce Pettis and Kate Miner, at the Cornerstone Festival, near Chicago, Illinois. Heard finished his set and went to the hospital immediately afterwards. Two weeks after being released from the hospital, Heard had a cardiac arrest and died in August of 1992. Sadly, this happened at a time when Heard's musical career never looked brighter. Not only had he just released three albums (Dry Bones Dance in 1990, Second Hand in 1991, and Satellite Sky in 1992) that many hailed as his best work to date, but he had also just been included on a sampler from Windham Hill's High Street label.
Heard's early work was often marked by strong, poetic lyrics; but musically he lingered in a generic folk/folk-rock style. But Heard continued to experiment musically; his most extreme was perhaps the elaborately-produced electronic rock on the album Tribal Opera, which he released under the name iDEoLA. With Dry Bones Dance, however, Heard's music blossomed into an intense folk-rock fusion, marked by driving rhythms, virtuosic instrumentals, passionate vocals, and interwoven elements borrowed from styles such as Appalachian folk, zydeco, bluegrass, and country (though Heard's music is none of those). Second Hand returned to a more acoustic guitar-based folk sound, but retained the energy and creativity discovered through Dry Bones Dance. His final official album, Satellite Sky, was again more like the latter.
Mark Heard's lyrics are deeply grounded in a Christian view of the world, though explicitly so only half the time. He was often critical and had an eye for emotional pain and spiritual desolation, yet he remarkably avoided cynicism. When his lyrics turned to expressing hope or joy, they were powerful. As a poetic lyricist, Heard cultivated verbal sound (e.g. with internal rhyme), strong images and elaborate personae, while avoiding the cheap punch-line metaphors popular in much contemporary folk music. Some of his images, most notably "bones," can be found repeated and richly varied in their meaning across years of songwriting.
In 1994, many artists came together to record a tribute album called Strong Hand of Love. Artists lending their talents to the project included Victoria Williams, Chagall Guevara, Buddy Miller, Julie Miller, Daniel Amos, The Choir, Rich Mullins, Bruce Cockburn, and the Vigilantes of Love. The project was later reissued as a 2 CD set with additional tracks and retitled Orphans of God.
Abba's Lullabye
Mark Heard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Still your cries
In your fright
Know this night is day in dark disguise
Though the darkness brings alarm
You're still resting in My arms
Do not weep--simply sleep
You'll escape from harm
Close your eyes little one
Time alone can bring the sun, teary eyes
Lullabyes help the time to run
There would be no shadow found
If the sun weren't coming 'round
Close your eyes
Starry skies meet dawn without a sound
Little child whom I love
Can you hear the morning dove
While you slept
Darkness crept away and left the sun
The lyrics of Mark Heard's song Abba's Lullabye speaks to the comfort and reassurance that a parent tries to provide a child who is scared and feeling vulnerable. The song starts with the image of a child who is crying, maybe from being scared, hurt or lonely as they seek some form of comfort. The singer offers words of comfort, of reassurance that the night that seems to bring so much alarm is just a dark disguise hiding the light of the sun. The darkness that the child fears, can be seen as a metaphor, to express that sometimes life can throw scary and uncertain moments at us, but we have to trust that beyond those moments lie brighter and more peaceful times. Parents offer their children safety and security, even when the external environment feels uncertain, and they try to make life as smooth as possible for their children, using lullabies to soothe their cries and help time pass by.
The song is encouraging the child to close their eyes, to let go off their worries, and trust that things will eventually work out alright. As the singer sings "There would be no shadow found if the sun weren't coming 'round", it may be interpreted as a statement of faith, an affirmation that no matter how dark the current moment may seem, there will always be the presence of light around us. The song encourages the child to drift off to sleep, with assurance that the rest will bring renewal, that a new day is approaching where everything will appear much better. The lyrics of "Abba's Lullabye" is an invitation to extend grace and kindness, even when we are overwhelmed, to trust that things will turn out better.
Line by Line Meaning
Little child, weary eyes wet from weeping
A child who is tired and crying, eyes filled with tears.
Still your cries
Stop crying, calm down.
In your fright
Feeling scared or terrified.
Know this night is day in dark disguise
The nighttime may seem dangerous, but it's really just the opposite of day.
Though the darkness brings alarm
Even though darkness can be scary and alarming.
You're still resting in My arms
You are still safe and cared for, even in the darkness.
Do not weep--simply sleep
Don't cry, just sleep peacefully.
You'll escape from harm
You will be safe from danger.
Close your eyes little one
Go to sleep.
Time alone can bring the sun, teary eyes
With time, things will get better and the sad feelings will go away.
Lullabyes help the time to run
Soothing songs can make it easier to fall asleep and pass the time.
There would be no shadow found
Without light, there would be no darkness either.
If the sun weren't coming 'round
If the sun didn't rise in the morning, it would always be dark and scary.
Close your eyes
Go to sleep.
Starry skies meet dawn without a sound
The night sky slowly gives way to morning, bringing light and peace without any noise.
Little child whom I love
A beloved child.
Can you hear the morning dove
Listen to the peaceful sounds of the morning.
While you slept
While you were sound asleep.
Darkness crept away and left the sun
The dark night fades away, giving way to the bright light of morning.
Contributed by Skyler R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Nina-tm6su
My mom used to sing this too all of us as a lullaby every night. Last April we played it while she passed away
@chazwin
Lyrics:
Little child, weary eyes wet from weeping
Still your cries
In your fright
Know this night is day in dark disguise
Though the darkness brings alarm
You're still resting in My arms
Do not weep -- simply sleep
You'll escape from harm
Close your eyes little one
Time alone can bring the sun, teary eyes
Lullabyes help the time to run
There would be no shadow found
If the sun weren't coming 'round
Close your eyes
Starry skies meet dawn without a sound
Little child whom I love
Can you hear the morning dove
While you slept
Darkness crept away and left the sun