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.
He Plays the Game
Mark Heard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And never, never to repress his whims
Right is what he thinks he does for others
Wrong is what he thinks they do to him
HE PLAYS THE GAME
HE PLAYS THE GAME SO WELL
HE PLAYS THE GAME
He smiles when it buys him favors
Gives money when he knows he's watched
Gives love when he wants love returned
Looks cordial when he knows he's not
CHORUS
Silent assassin to the puritan ethic
Trigger finger on a shaky gun
His life floats between attainment and death-wish
Though well-kissed by the lips of fun
CHORUS
The lyrics to Mark Heard's song "He Plays the Game" revolve around a person who is highly manipulative and self-centered. The song describes how this person navigates through life, always fighting for their own environment and never willing to compromise their desires. The singer of the song believes that what he does is right for others, but sees the actions of others as being wrong towards him. He skillfully navigates social interactions and knows how to use his charm and power to his advantage, smiling when it will buy him favors and giving love when he wants it returned. However, the song suggests that there is a darker side to this character, who is a "silent assassin to the puritan ethic" and is constantly balancing between attainment and death-wish.
The chorus "He Plays the Game" is repeated twice after each verses, emphasizing the idea that this person is playing some kind of game. The chorus also suggests that he is good at it, perhaps too good for his own good. The song ends with the statement that although his life is "well-kissed by the lips of fun" there is a sense of danger and instability about him, symbolized by the "shaky gun" and the fact that his life hovers between attainment and death-wish.
Overall, the song presents a complex picture of a person who is both charming and dangerous, manipulative and insecure. It explores the idea of power and the ways in which people use and abuse it in their interactions with others. It is a cautionary tale about the perils of playing games with people's lives and emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
He fights for his own environment
He defends only what benefits him personally
And never, never to repress his whims
He never restricts his own desires, even if it harms others
Right is what he thinks he does for others
He believes he is doing the right thing, even if it only benefits him
Wrong is what he thinks they do to him
He perceives any actions taken against him as wrong, even if they are justified
He plays the game
He manipulates others to get what he wants
He plays the game so well
His manipulation tactics are highly effective
He smiles when it buys him favors
He feigns happiness and friendliness to get what he wants
Gives money when he knows he's watched
He donates money only to gain social approval and admiration
Gives love when he wants love returned
He shows affection toward others only when he expects something in return
Looks cordial when he knows he's not
He pretends to be friendly and kind even when he is not
Silent assassin to the puritan ethic
He subconsciously undermines traditional values and morals
Trigger finger on a shaky gun
He is quick to act impulsively and carelessly, even if it causes harm
His life floats between attainment and death-wish
He constantly seeks success and power, but also secretly desires its downfall
Though well-kissed by the lips of fun
He enjoys his indulgences and pleasures, but they are only temporary and shallow
Contributed by Michael J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.