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.
Castaway
Mark Heard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With a scar on your soul
Taking too much too lightly
And it is no wonder
That you're feeling so cold
Shivering so politely
Chorus: Castaway, castaway
Castaway, castaway
It will be okay
You stand a' looking
With a hurt in your eye
Grey in the sky above you
You'll feel much better
If you go on and cry
You've found Somebody
Who will love you
Chorus
When you first listen to Mark Heard's song Castaway, it may seem like a simple and straightforward tune about finding hope and comfort despite feeling lost and alone. However, the lyrics hold deep meaning and symbolism that can resonate with anyone who has experienced pain, isolation, or emotional trauma.
The lyrics open with an image of someone walking and carrying a "scar on their soul." This suggests that the person is carrying emotional baggage or pain from their past experiences. Despite this, they seem to be taking life too lightly, which is not surprising given their state of mind. The line "shivering so politely" describes the person's attempt to hide their pain and vulnerability from others and save face. This imagery shows that the person is not only lost and alone but also emotionally fragile and struggling to cope.
The chorus of the song serves as a reminder that despite feeling like a castaway, lost at sea with nowhere to go, there is hope for finding one's way. The repeated phrase "castaway, castaway" is a call to action, a signal that there is a way out of the emotional turmoil. The second part of the chorus, "You can find your way / It will be okay," reinforces this idea of hope and resilience even in the darkest of times.
Overall, Castaway is a song that speaks to the struggles of the human condition and the importance of finding hope and comfort in times of trouble.
Line by Line Meaning
You've come a' walking
You've arrived here
With a scar on your soul
With an emotional wound
Taking too much too lightly
Not taking things seriously
And it is no wonder
No surprise
That you're feeling so cold
That you feel emotionally detached
Shivering so politely
Showing your discomfort in a civilized manner
Chorus: Castaway, castaway
You feel abandoned
You can find your way
You can overcome this
It will be okay
Everything will be alright
You stand a' looking
You're contemplating
With a hurt in your eye
With emotional pain
Grey in the sky above you
The sky looks sad
You'll feel much better
You'll feel emotionally relieved
If you go on and cry
If you release your emotions
You've found Somebody
You've found love and support
Who will love you
Someone who cares about you and will be there for you
Chorus
You can overcome your struggles
Contributed by Grayson I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
alanna mac
Castaway
You've come a' walking
With a scar on your soul
Taking too much too lightly
And it is no wonder
That you're feeling so cold
Shivering so politely
Castaway, castaway
You can find your way
Castaway, castaway
It will be okay
You stand a' looking
With a hurt in your eye
Grey in the sky above you
You'll feel much better
If you go on and cry
You've found Somebody
Who will love you
Castaway, castaway
You can find your way
Castaway, castaway
It will be okay
Written by Mark Heard
© 1979 Autumn Balm Music BMI
Curtis Duncan
I think either Bruce Cockburn or Bruce Carroll did a version of this, and it was respectable, but Mark's rendition rules.
agentapathy
still brings tears to my eyes.
Vince Johnson
one of his very best. so beautiful.
vintageprim
One of my very favorites. Never gets old
clifftanch
I've been waiting forever for this to be posted on YouTube - thanks!
Lacy DeBerry
me too! have not heard this song in 25 yrs yet it still means a lot to me!
Dan E
I just looked it up to double check. It was Bruce Carroll. Both are very fine, but Mark's version is best.
Dirk Noordyk
Sounds very James Taylor-ish.