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.
Family Name
Mark Heard Lyrics
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About sight for the blind and good news for the poor
That now is the time to restore all the broken
When all those imprisoned are captive no more
They were amazed at His words of wisdom and wonder
A Boy from the hometown of some they could claim
And everyone there knew His father and mother
They feasted on ruin and hungered for healing
But to these poor humans, no healing would come
No saviour for them and their hearts were they feeling
Isn't He only the carpenter's Son?
Family name
In the streets of their city, the hopelessness rages
Their limited vision could not ascertain
That the One Who walked among them was the Hope of the ages
He poured the cup into His family name
The opening lines of Mark Heard's song "Family Name" describe how people were gathering around Jesus, captivated by his words about restoring brokenness and setting captives free. They were amazed by his wisdom and wondered at his power, especially considering that he was just a young boy from their own hometown, with parents they all knew. However, even as they were drawn to Jesus and his message of hope, they also struggled to accept him as their savior because of his humble origins. The line "Isn't He only the carpenter's Son?" captures this doubt and shows how people's preconceived notions about social status and family background can prevent them from recognizing the divine.
The refrain of "Family Name" emphasizes the theme of lineage and heritage, reminding us that Jesus was pouring his cup into a specific family line. This reinforces the message that he was not just some outsider or interloper, but someone who was part of an ongoing story of redemption and salvation. The final lines of the song describe how the people of the city failed to recognize the true hope that was in their midst, due to their limited vision and lack of faith. The song thus becomes a cautionary tale about how our biases and assumptions can blind us to the truth, even when it is standing right in front of us.
Line by Line Meaning
Every eye was on Him for the words He had spoken
He had everyone's attention because of the words he had uttered
About sight for the blind and good news for the poor
His teachings were about helping the disadvantaged get ahead
That now is the time to restore all the broken
He spoke about the urgency of addressing societal inequality
When all those imprisoned are captive no more
He petitioned for the liberation of the oppressed
They were amazed at His words of wisdom and wonder
People were in awe of his teachings
A Boy from the hometown of some they could claim
Despite being one of their own, he stood out from the crowd
And everyone there knew His father and mother
Everyone knew his humble origins
He poured the cup into His family name
He was proud of his heritage and lived up to his family name
They feasted on ruin and hungered for healing
The people were surviving in difficult circumstances and eager for improvement
But to these poor humans, no healing would come
Unfortunately, their hopelessness persisted
No saviour for them and their hearts were they feeling
They felt abandoned and without any hope
Isn't He only the carpenter's Son?
They couldn't wrap their minds around how someone of such a humble background could be so inspiring
Family name
This phrase serves as a reminder of the importance of heritage and legacy
In the streets of their city, the hopelessness rages
Despair characterised their surroundings
Their limited vision could not ascertain
They couldn't grasp the full extent of the transformative power of his teachings
That the One Who walked among them was the Hope of the ages
He was the beacon of hope that society needed
He poured the cup into His family name
Once again, he embraced and emphasised the importance of his heritage
Contributed by Juliana R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.