John Mark Heard (1951-1992) was a record producer, singer, and songwriter o… Read Full Bio ↴John Mark Heard (1951-1992) was a record producer, singer, and songwriter originally from Macon, Georgia.

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 Winds Of Time
Mark Heard Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

It takes more than a good intention
It takes more than a cursory line
It takes more than mortal vigor
To withstand the winds of time
It takes more than an eager heart beating
It takes more than an enigmatic smile
It takes more than positive thinking
To stand against this tide

It takes a saturated soul
And a faith that will never let go

It takes more than mindless passion
It takes more than dogma in mime
It takes more than virtuous fashion
To withstand the winds of time

It takes a saturated soul
To withstand the winds of time

Overall Meaning

Mark Heard's song The Winds Of Time is a reflective piece that delves into the notion of what it takes to withstand the challenges of life, particularly the challenges that come with time. The lyrics argue that it takes more than just having good intentions or even cursory actions to overcome the obstacles that life throws at us. It takes a deep and thorough commitment to faith and to maintaining a strong, unwavering spirit. Heard emphasizes the importance of having a soul that is fully saturated, meaning that it is completely filled with the things that matter most in life, such as a strong personal belief system, a sense of purpose, and a connection with the world around us.

Heard also highlights the need to avoid being swept away by the tide of conformity and negativity that can easily overwhelm us in life. He suggests that it takes more than just positive thinking to withstand the winds of time, but rather a deep-seated and authentic sense of faith that will never give up or let go. Finally, the song emphasizes the need to look beyond mere appearances or outward expressions of spirituality, such as dogma or virtuous fashion. What truly matters, according to the song, is the inner state of the soul and the strength of one's commitment to what is right, just, and true.

Line by Line Meaning

It takes more than a good intention
Good intentions alone are not enough to persevere.

It takes more than a cursory line
A shallow or superficial approach is ineffective.

It takes more than mortal vigor
Human strength alone is not sufficient.

To withstand the winds of time
To endure the tests of time and change.

It takes more than an eager heart beating
Passionate enthusiasm alone is not enough.

It takes more than an enigmatic smile
Superficial charm and appearance are not enough.

It takes more than positive thinking
A positive mindset alone is insufficient.

To stand against this tide
To resist the flow of events and circumstance.

It takes a saturated soul
A deep and whole sense of self is necessary.

And a faith that will never let go
A belief system that endures even in difficult times.

It takes more than mindless passion
Blind devotion and zealotry are inadequate.