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.
No
Mark Heard Lyrics
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I won the battles, but lost the war,
Now that I'm older, it doesn't matter,
Some lives are stolen, I'm just one more.
No, don't ask me what I miss,
Nobody likes to kiss and speak of failure,
No, don't ask me what I've lost,
I was a laugher, I was a lover,
I was another, in other times,
Rain in my rafters is all you'll discover,
You needn't bother to read my mind.
No, don't ask me what I miss,
Nobody likes to kiss and speak of failure,
No, don't ask me what I've lost,
You know I like to talk, and I might tell you.
No, don't ask me what I've lost,
No, don't ask me what I've lost.
I have this nightmare of glowing embers,
Safe by the fireplace when I was five,
And, in the night air, it makes me tremble,
I still remember what love is like.
No, don't ask me what I miss,
Nobody likes to kiss and speak of failure,
No, don't ask me what I've lost,
You know I like to talk, and I might tell you,
I might tell you,
I might tell.
Mark Heard's song "No" is a poignant reflection on the experiences of a soldier who has returned home from war. The lyrics explore themes of loss, heartache, and the impossibility of conveying the full scope of one's pain and trauma to others. The opening verse alludes to the singer's sense of disillusionment and disappointment upon returning to civilian life. He may have won battles on the battlefield, but the experience has left him broken and defeated in other ways. As he reflects on his life, he realizes that he is just one of many who have been robbed of their potential and their sense of self.
Through the refrain "No, don't ask me what I miss," Heard conveys the singer's reluctance to talk about his experiences and share his feelings of grief and sorrow. The line "Nobody likes to kiss and speak of failure" is particularly resonant, capturing the singer's sense of shame and vulnerability. He has lost so much, but he is unwilling to burden others with his pain. At the same time, he acknowledges that he might be willing to open up to someone he trusts.
The final lines of the song reveal the singer's innermost fears and traumas. His memories of childhood and love are still vivid, but they are tinged with sadness and fear. Ultimately, the singer is struggling to come to terms with the trauma he has experienced, and he is unable to fully express or understand his own emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
I was a soldier, came home in tatters,
I served my country but returned in pieces
I won the battles, but lost the war,
I may have won specific battles but ultimately failed
Now that I'm older, it doesn't matter,
Time has passed, and the past doesn't hold as much significance anymore
Some lives are stolen, I'm just one more.
Some people are lost without reason, and I'm just another one of them
No, don't ask me what I miss,
I don't want to talk about what I long for
Nobody likes to kiss and speak of failure,
There's no pleasure in dwelling on defeat
No, don't ask me what I've lost,
I don't want to discuss what I've given up
You know I like to talk, and I might tell you.
I might open up, but it's not guaranteed
I was a laugher, I was a lover,
I used to smile and care about people
I was another, in other times,
I was just like everyone else in the past
Rain in my rafters is all you'll discover,
If you try to learn about me, you won't find anything exciting
You needn't bother to read my mind.
My thoughts aren't worth the trouble to figure out
I have this nightmare of glowing embers,
I have a recurring dream of something burning
Safe by the fireplace when I was five,
I think back to when I felt secure
And, in the night air, it makes me tremble,
The thought of it haunts me and makes me afraid
I still remember what love is like.
Despite everything, I haven't forgotten how it feels to love
I might tell you,
I may decide to open up
I might tell.
It's not certain, but I might reveal something
Contributed by Olivia O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.