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.
Love Is So Blind
Mark Heard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Prism of her innocence is fracturing the light,
She will take the stairwell down to dark and heartless streets,
And spend her season singing songs to infidels and thieves.
Love is so blind; it’s so blind,
Love is so blind; it’s so blind,
Love is so blind; it’s so blind,
Her eyes will meet the faces of the profane and the poor,
Give to them the pearls she keeps behind her inner doors,
She will speak the truth, and she will ache,
And she will bleed for the idiots who own the air the prophets have to breathe.
Love is so blind; it’s so blind,
Love is so blind; it’s so blind,
Love is so blind,
Love is so blind.
She is not the mystery they make her out to be,
She calls them like she sees them; she sees unselfishly,
Ears of those who listen can be callous or concerned,
They pity her naiveté, or marvel at her worth.
Love is so blind; it’s so blind,
Love is so blind; it’s so blind,
Love is so blind; it’s so blind,
Love is so blind; it’s so blind.
The lyrics of “Love is So Blind” by Mark Heard convey a sense of heartbreak and loss, as the singer, Scarlet, ventures into the dark and heartless streets in search of love. Scarlet's vulnerability is highlighted by the colour of her heart, which is revealed to be scarlet. Scarlet's innocence is like a prism, and her light is now fractured, indicating the loss of her purity as she navigates the unforgiving streets. The song describes how Scarlet will spend her season singing songs to infidels and thieves, encapsulating the idea of her being lost in a world where she is no longer her own.
The chorus of the song, “Love is so blind” reinforces the idea that Scarlet's falling in love has led her to lose sight of the reality around her. Even though she's met the profane and the poor, she still gives them the pearls she keeps behind her inner doors. Scarlet is a strong woman who speaks the truth, yet she still aches and bleeds for the people who own the air the prophets have to breathe. The song suggests that Scarlett is not the mystery that people make her out to be, as she calls them like she sees them, and sees unselfishly. Those who listen to her can be callous or concerned, showing how people may view her naiveté or marvel at her worth.
Line by Line Meaning
Scarlet is the colour of her heart, against the night,
Her heart is full of intense passion and emotion, which stands out even in the darkness of the night.
Prism of her innocence is fracturing the light,
Her innocence is like a prism, breaking the light of truth into many different angles and perspectives.
She will take the stairwell down to dark and heartless streets,
She will venture into some of the darkest, most dangerous places in order to spread hope and love to those who need it most.
And spend her season singing songs to infidels and thieves.
Despite the risks, she will continue to sing songs of hope and goodness to those who are often labeled as wicked or beyond redemption.
Her eyes will meet the faces of the profane and the poor,
She will look into the eyes of those who have been labeled as vulgar or impoverished by society.
Give to them the pearls she keeps behind her inner doors,
She will share the most precious parts of herself with those who others deem unworthy or undeserving.
She will speak the truth, and she will ache,
She will be brutally honest, regardless of the pain or discomfort it may cause.
And she will bleed for the idiots who own the air the prophets have to breathe.
She will sacrifice herself for those who hold power over the very things that keep us alive and connected to the divine.
She is not the mystery they make her out to be,
Despite the rumors and gossip surrounding her, she is actually quite straightforward and honest.
She calls them like she sees them; she sees unselfishly,
She sees the world clearly and compassionately, without letting her own biases or motivations interfere with her perception.
Ears of those who listen can be callous or concerned,
Depending on how open-minded and empathetic the listener is, they may either dismiss her or genuinely care about what she has to say.
They pity her naiveté, or marvel at her worth.
Some view her innocence as a weakness, while others see it as an incredible strength and source of inspiration.
Contributed by Ava S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.