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.
Freight Train to Nowhere
Mark Heard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The scenery that she sees in her soul doesn’t match with the blur in her brain,
Oh, she can trace the tricks of the tracks like the ribs of a rattlesnake,
‘Til all her pastel chalk lines of fact are erased like a schoolgirl’s slate.
She is reading her own tattoos,
Her diary is the evening news,
She can’t give a damn on cue,
Hey, if she were not scorching the rails with the haste of a bolting ghost there would be no reason to fear the death rattle in the engine’s throat,
She could call for the mini-cams, or take up a gun, or be politically correct,
But that kind of justice still preys on the ones with the stones hung around their necks.
Oh, she’s reading her own tattoos,
Her diary is the evening news,
And she can’t give a damn on cue,
On a freight train to nowhere.
She’s heard it said, by the drone in her head, that the wages of spend is debt,
She figures that’s better than nothing to show for the years of tears and sweat,
If she could put her hand on the brake of the land, find the treason in the diesel and the smoke, she would jar the teeth of the dull and the meek and feed them the truth until they choke.
She is reading her own tattoos,
Her diary is the evening news,
She can’t give a damn on cue,
On a freight train to nowhere.
She is reading her own tattoos,
Her diary is the evening news,
And she can’t give a damn on cue,
On a freight train to nowhere.
The lyrics of Mark Heard's song "Freight Train to Nowhere" describe the journey of a woman named Miss Misfortune who travels aimlessly on a train. She watches the passing scenery from the window, but her mind is filled with confusion and chaos. Her thoughts are like a blur that doesn't match the reality she sees outside. She has a keen understanding of the tricks played by the tracks, using this metaphor for the pattern of life. But her past seems to have little bearing on her present, and she knows that it can all be erased like a slate.
Miss Misfortune's life is defined by chaos and uncertainty. She reads her own tattoos as if they are a diary of her past, and watches the evening news as if it is the story of her life. She cannot be bothered to conform to anyone else's expectations, as she is on a journey without direction or purpose. The train seems to be a symbol of her own life, going nowhere and heading towards an uncertain destination.
Throughout the song, Miss Misfortune is defined by her sense of detachment and aimlessness. Mark Heard cautions against the dangers of living life without purpose or direction, but he also recognizes the allure of the freedom that comes from being unattached and undefined.
Line by Line Meaning
Miss Misfortune sails down the rails with her brow to the windowpane,
The subject of the song, Miss Misfortune, is depicted as traveling on a train with her head resting against the windowpane.
The scenery that she sees in her soul doesn’t match with the blur in her brain,
Miss Misfortune's inner emotions and mindset are not reflected in the surroundings she sees while traveling.
Oh, she can trace the tricks of the tracks like the ribs of a rattlesnake,
Miss Misfortune is able to closely follow the path of the train tracks and understand their intricacies.
‘Til all her pastel chalk lines of fact are erased like a schoolgirl’s slate.
However, her sense of understanding and certainty about the world is not permanent and can be easily erased, like a slate wiped clean.
She is reading her own tattoos,
Miss Misfortune is introspective and constantly analyzing her own life choices and experiences.
Her diary is the evening news,
The news media serves as a substitute for a personal journal, with Miss Misfortune using it to reflect on her life.
She can’t give a damn on cue,
Miss Misfortune is uninterested in performing or conforming to societal expectations and norms.
On a freight train to nowhere.
Miss Misfortune is on a journey that seems to have no destination or purpose.
Hey, if she were not scorching the rails with the haste of a bolting ghost there would be no reason to fear the death rattle in the engine’s throat,
Miss Misfortune is traveling at high speeds and taking risks, experiencing a sense of danger that only adds to the feeling of pointlessness in her life.
She could call for the mini-cams, or take up a gun, or be politically correct,
Miss Misfortune has the option to try and make a difference or take action, but none of these paths seem appealing or effective to her.
But that kind of justice still preys on the ones with the stones hung around their necks.
Even if Miss Misfortune were to pursue justice, it would come at the cost of burdening others who are already struggling.
She’s heard it said, by the drone in her head, that the wages of spend is debt,
Miss Misfortune is plagued by negative thoughts and worries about financial debt.
She figures that’s better than nothing to show for the years of tears and sweat,
Despite her concerns about debt, Miss Misfortune feels that at least having something to show for her struggles is better than nothing.
If she could put her hand on the brake of the land, find the treason in the diesel and the smoke, she would jar the teeth of the dull and the meek and feed them the truth until they choke.
Miss Misfortune dreams of being able to take control and reveal the truth to those who are ignorant or apathetic, but feels powerless to do so.
Contributed by Julia B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.