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.
I Just Wanna Get Warm
Mark Heard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Speak but a few words
And then lay down
Stone cold in forgotten fields
Life goes on in this ant farm town
Cold to the lifeblood underfoot
All talk and no touch
And I just wanna be real
The colors here are monochrome
Studies in one shade of grey
The good times and the hard times
Cut from the same grey cloth
And all the fires that crackle here
Consume but do not burn
All light and no heat
And I just wanna get warm
I just wanna get warm
The days they rattle past me
Like a tunnel round a train
Landscapes and heartaches
I don't know what I feel
All I know is my condition
Is worse than I can tell
The small talk and the slow burn
And I just wanna be healed
I just wanna get well
There are things I should remember
But I have forgotten how
I'm all tied up with no time
Trying do too much
And the thoughts that I've avoided
Are the ones I need right now
Like a warm wind and love's hand
And I just wanna be touched
And I just wanna be real
And I just wanna be well
And I just wanna be healed
And I just wanna be warm
In Mark Heard's song "I Just Wanna Get Warm," the artist speaks of feeling disconnected and unfulfilled. He uses metaphorical language to express his sense of disorientation and longing for something deeper. The first verse speaks of the limitations of language, how even the best poets can only convey so much with their words. He compares them to forgotten stones, once valued for their beauty and strength but now lying cold and useless in a field. Life in the ant farm town described in the song is stagnant and emotionless, the people all talk and no touch. The singer just wants to be real, to feel truly connected to something or someone.
In the second verse, Heard describes the colors and moods of the town. Everything is monochrome, shades of grey with no real contrast or spice. Even in the midst of fires, there is no real warmth or light. The singer is deeply affected by the numbness of his surroundings, and he wishes only to feel warmth and comfort.
The third verse is perhaps the most personal, as Heard describes the passage of time and his own sense of inadequacy. Days pass like a blur, and he can't quite grasp the meaning of his experiences. He knows that he needs something more, but he can't quite name it. He wishes he could remember, but feels too overwhelmed and distracted. He longs for human connection, for love, and for a sense of peace or healing.
In all three verses, Heard is searching for something more than what he has. He wants to be real, to be touched, to be healed and to be warm. He sees himself as disconnected from the world around him and desperate for a deeper connection.
Line by Line Meaning
The mouths of the best poets
Even the most talented writers can only say so much
Speak but a few words
They only have a limited amount of wisdom to share
And then lay down
After they've shared their knowledge, they are done speaking
Stone cold in forgotten fields
They are forgotten over time and never fully appreciated
Life goes on in this ant farm town
Despite this, life continues on
Cold to the lifeblood underfoot
People are disconnected from one another and the world around them
All talk and no touch
There is a lot of meaningless conversation, but no true connection or intimacy
And I just wanna be real
The artist wants honest and genuine relationships
The colors here are monochrome
Everything is dull and lacks vibrancy
Studies in one shade of grey
People experience both good and bad times, but they all feel the same due to the lack of color
The good times and the hard times
Positive and negative experiences don't feel different
Cut from the same grey cloth
They all feel like part of the same, unsatisfying fabric of life
And all the fires that crackle here
Although there are passions, they are not strong enough to make a true impact
Consume but do not burn
They use up resources without making any lasting change
All light and no heat
There is superficial excitement, but no substance behind it
And I just wanna get warm
The artist wants to feel passion and intensity
The days they rattle past me
Time moves quickly and without significance
Like a tunnel round a train
The world passes by quickly and without leaving an impact
Landscapes and heartaches
The world is full of beauty and pain, but it all passes quickly
I don't know what I feel
The artist is numb and disconnected from their emotions
All I know is my condition
The only thing the artist is sure of is their own dissatisfaction
Is worse than I can tell
Their problems go deeper than they can express
The small talk and the slow burn
There are superficial social interactions, but no real passion or excitement
And I just wanna be healed
The artist wants to feel whole and healthy again
There are things I should remember
The singer has important memories they've forgotten
But I have forgotten how
They don't know how to access those memories
I'm all tied up with no time
They are overwhelmed and struggling to keep up with everything they need to do
Trying do too much
They are taking on more than they can handle
And the thoughts that I've avoided
They've ignored important thoughts and feelings
Are the ones I need right now
These are the things they need in order to heal and move on
Like a warm wind and love's hand
The singer wants to feel comfort and care
And I just wanna be touched
The artist wants to feel connected and loved
And I just wanna be real
The artist wants to live authentically
And I just wanna be well
The artist wants to be healthy and happy
And I just wanna be healed
The singer wants to be free from pain and trauma
And I just wanna be warm
The artist wants to feel passion and intensity
Contributed by Camden S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.