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.
The Pain That Plagues Creation
Mark Heard Lyrics
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Creation groans in unison like a race of frightened orphans
The darkness of this raging storm is covering up our portals
But a yearning for the light is bourne in the heart of every mortal
Day to day we ache
With the pain that plagues Creation
And await its restoration
Heaven knows our lonely ways, heaven knows our sorrows
And Heaven knows things that we don't know and the joy of eternal tomorrows
But through this glass we dimly see yhis world as it was made
Oh and the good we know must surely flow
From the heart of a kind Creator
Day to day we ache
With the pain that plagues Creation
Night to night we lie awake
And await its restoration
So hold on in this restless age and do not fear your shadow
Your alternating tears and praise are prayers that surely will matter
Day to day we ache
With the pain that plagues Creation
Night to night we lie awake
And await its restoration
The Pain That Plagues Creation by Mark Heard is a song that explores the sorrow and yearning that plagues humans as we undergo our daily lives. The song opens with an allusion to the cycle of our planet orbiting the sun, and likens this circular motion to the unending cycle of suffering that permeates our lives. Heard then goes on to describe how this suffering is felt by all of creation, and uses visceral imagery to paint a picture of the deep, collective pain felt by every living thing. Despite the darkness that blankets us, Heard maintains that we are all searching for light and transcendence, and that this desire for something more is an essential part of being human.
Throughout the song, Heard references heaven and the eternal life that awaits us after death, reminding listeners that there is something beyond our current existence. However, he also acknowledges that our current world was created out of goodness and love, and that everything that is good and beautiful in our lives can be traced back to this benevolent Creator. Despite the pain that plagues us, Heard encourages listeners to hold on through the restless age in which we live, and to take solace in the fact that even our tears and praise can serve as prayers that matter.
Overall, the song is a poignant and powerful reflection on the nature of suffering and the human condition, and ultimately offers hope that something beyond this life is waiting for us.
Line by Line Meaning
As this planet falls around the suntrapping us in the orbit
The earth revolves around the sun and traps us in its orbit.
Creation groans in unison like a race of frightened orphans
The world suffers together, like a group of scared, parentless children.
The darkness of this raging storm is covering up our portals
The stormy darkness hides our view.
But a yearning for the light is bourne in the heart of every mortal
Every person desires the light.
Day to day we ache
We experience pain every day.
With the pain that plagues Creation
The world is full of suffering.
Night to night we lie awake
We cannot even sleep peacefully.
And await its restoration
We hope for the world's healing.
Heaven knows our lonely ways, heaven knows our sorrows
God understands our loneliness and sadness.
And Heaven knows things that we don't know and the joy of eternal tomorrows
God has knowledge beyond our understanding and promises a joyful future.
But through this glass we dimly see yhis world as it was made
We can only vaguely see the world as it was created.
Oh and the good we know must surely flow
We recognize that goodness comes from a kind Creator.
From the heart of a kind Creator
The goodness in the world comes from God's heart.
So hold on in this restless age and do not fear your shadow
We must persevere through this tumultuous time and not be afraid.
Your alternating tears and praise are prayers that surely will matter
Our cries and praises are meaningful forms of prayer.
And await its restoration
We still hope for the world's healing.
Contributed by Adam S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.