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 One But You
Mark Heard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pointless to pursue
I've got no one but you
Though our pride might coincide
Let's start the night anew
I've got no one but you
And fight these battles with me
Do you feel the hurt will heal?
Kiss me if you do
I've got no one but you
Just to see you here grinning
It sets my world a'spinning
Crickets' song goes on and on
Etude impromptu
I've got no one but you
I've got no one but you
The song "No One But You" by Mark Heard is a romantic ballad seeking forgiveness after an evening of arguing. The first two lines of the song indicate that the arguments of the evening were pointless and not worth pursuing. The singer then confesses that there is no one in the world for them except for their partner. Though their pride may have caused the arguments, the singer wants to start again on a clean slate in a fresh night. The lines, "Let's start the night anew / I've got no one but you," reinforce the idea that the singer can only move forward with their partner.
The singer then asks for forgiveness and wants their partner to fight with them instead of against them. They ask for their partner's assurance that the hurt will heal and requests a kiss if they do. The singer's world spins when they see their partner grinning. The crickets' song is an impromptu etude that goes on and on, indicating that the night will be long, but the singer is happy to spend all of it with their partner, as the closing line states, "I've got no one but you."
The song's lyrics express the depths of love and commitment between two people who may have had rough patches in their relationship. The lines "I've got no one but you" are repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the singer's devotion to their partner. Mark Heard's delivery of the song is sincere, almost pleading, which adds to the emotional impact of the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Evening arguings
Arguments in the evening
Pointless to pursue
Not worth pursuing
I've got no one but you
Only you by my side
Though our pride might coincide
Even if our pride clashes
Let's start the night anew
Let's start fresh tonight
Won't you please forgive me
Can you forgive me?
And fight these battles with me
Let's face these challenges together
Do you feel the hurt will heal?
Do you think the pain will go away?
Kiss me if you do
If you believe in healing, kiss me
Just to see you here grinning
The mere sight of you smiling
It sets my world a'spinning
Makes me feel overjoyed
Crickets' song goes on and on
The sound of crickets fills the air
Etude impromptu
A spontaneous musical piece
I've got no one but you
You are my only companion
Contributed by Hudson G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.