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.
Schizophrenia
Mark Heard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The birds still sing
And life is bittersweet
With a schizophrenic ring
The sun still shines
The darkness still falls
We must see both
If we see them at all
SCHIZOPHRENIA
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
MAN FROM DUST TO DUST
THE BEST AMONG THE WORST
SCHIZOPHRENIA
GAZING ON THE STARS
AND WALKING IN THE DUST
SCHIZOPHRENIA
So much to love
So much to hate
So much to represent
With chalk and slate
We see the expression
Of the original face
And the mask that hides it
We're a schizophrenic race
CHORUS
The one-eyed man
Still has one good eye
Blind man must have something
He can be thankful for
And the sweetest child
Still carries scars
From the ancient collapse
In the falling of stars
CHORUS
Mark Heard's song "Schizophrenia" is a poignant reflection on the paradoxical nature of life itself. The lyrics paint a picture of a world that is simultaneously beautiful and confusing, joyful and painful, blessed and cursed. The title of the song refers to schizophrenia, a mental disorder that causes a person to experience a split in their sense of reality. The use of this term reflects the singer's perception of the world as being fundamentally divided, with conflicting elements that are difficult to reconcile.
The opening lines of the song illustrate this divide: "The tears still fall / The birds still sing / And life is bittersweet / With a schizophrenic ring." These words suggest that even in the midst of joy and beauty, there is always an underlying sadness or confusion. This theme is further developed in the chorus, which repeats the word "schizophrenia" as a way of emphasizing the duality of the human experience.
The second verse of the song introduces the idea that human beings are themselves split, with an "original face" that is hidden by a "mask." This suggests that there is an essential nature to humanity that is often obscured by our own desires and pretensions. The final lines of the song reflect on the idea that even in the face of tragedy and loss, there is always something to be grateful for. This reflects the singer's belief that the only way to make sense of a world that is so contradictory is to learn to live with the tension between its opposing elements.
Line by Line Meaning
The tears still fall
Emotions continue to be expressed
The birds still sing
Nature continues its course despite human problems
And life is bittersweet
Existence is a mix of good and bad experiences
With a schizophrenic ring
In a way that is divided, disturbed, and unpredictable
The sun still shines
Light is still present even in darkness
The darkness still falls
There are still moments of hardship and difficulty
We must see both
It is important to recognize and acknowledge both the good and bad
If we see them at all
Ignoring one or the other can cause imbalance and confusion
So much to love
There is so much to appreciate and enjoy in life
So much to hate
There is also so much that can cause anger and frustration
So much to represent
These emotions and experiences are significant and meaningful
With chalk and slate
They can be expressed through art or other means of communication
We see the expression
We can observe the true feelings of a person
Of the original face
The authentic self behind societal masks
And the mask that hides it
The persona created to fit into societal norms
We're a schizophrenic race
Humanity is conflicted and contradictory in its nature
The one-eyed man
The person with limited abilities can still find positivity
Still has one good eye
A person with very little can still find something to appreciate
Blind man must have something
Even the person who has nothing has something to be grateful for
He can be thankful for
It is important to recognize blessings amid difficulties
And the sweetest child
Even the most innocent and pure can be impacted by past experiences
Still carries scars
Trauma and pain can leave long-term effects
From the ancient collapse
The damage may be deep-rooted and have ancient origins
In the falling of stars
The beauty of life can be fleeting and temporary
Contributed by Nathan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.