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.
Heart Of Hearts
Mark Heard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But nobody's really surprised, you know
My heart's taking a beating
Existence is bleeding me dry, you know
But way down in my heart of hearts
Way down in my soul of souls
Way down I know that I am a fortunate man
The world is in shambles
I'm just a young man but it's been getting a little bit old to me
I'm already aching
The years have been taking a little bit of a toll on me
But way down in my heart of hearts
Way down in my soul of souls
Way down I know that I am a fortunate man
To have known Divine love
Two in the morning
The siren is a warning that everything is not quite alright
The city is sleeping
I'm down on my knees in the night tonight
But way down in my heart of hearts
Way down in my soul of souls
Way down I know that I am a fortunate man
To have known Divine love
"Heart of Hearts" by Mark Heard is a poignant song that reflects the turmoil of the world coupled with the personal struggles of the singer. The opening lines, "Tears in the city, but nobody's really surprised, you know," immediately set the tone for the rest of the song, which expresses a sense of hopelessness in the midst of a troubled world. The singer's heart is taking a beating, and existence is bleeding him dry. He acknowledges that the world is in shambles and that he is already aching, but despite all of this, he knows that he is a fortunate man to have known divine love.
The song is a powerful reminder that even in the darkest of times, there is still hope to be found. The singer's recognition of his good fortune in having experienced divine love serves to remind listeners that love is the one thing that can truly sustain us through the most difficult times. The final lines of the song, "Two in the morning, the siren is a warning that everything is not quite alright, the city is sleeping, I'm down on my knees in the night tonight," underscore the singer's acknowledgement that while the world may be in turmoil, there is still meaning to be found in moments of reflection and solitude.
Line by Line Meaning
Tears in the city
There is sadness and pain in the urban environment
But nobody's really surprised, you know
The people have grown accustomed to the suffering and it no longer comes as a shock
My heart's taking a beating
I am emotionally drained and hurt by what is happening around me
Existence is bleeding me dry, you know
The struggle to survive is draining me of energy and life
But way down in my heart of hearts
Deep within my innermost being
Way down in my soul of souls
In the core of my being, where my true self resides
Way down I know that I am a fortunate man
Despite the hardships, I am blessed
To have known divine love
I have experienced a love that transcends the pain of this world
The world is in shambles
The state of the world is chaotic and in disarray
I'm just a young man but it's been getting a little bit old to me
I am still young, yet the constant suffering is becoming tiresome
I'm already aching
I am already hurting and in pain
The years have been taking a little bit of a toll on me
The passage of time has had a small but noticeable impact on me
Two in the morning
It is very late at night
The siren is a warning that everything is not quite alright
The sound of emergency services is a reminder that all is not well in the world
The city is sleeping
Most of the people are asleep, unaware of the pain and suffering around them
I'm down on my knees in the night tonight
I am praying, seeking comfort and hope in the darkness
Contributed by Madelyn A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.