Mary Lou Lord first gained notice playing acoustic guitar and singing in and around Boston subway stations (particularly on the Red Line, as noted by the name she chose for her music and lyric publishing company, On the Red Line Music.)
She has claimed that she had a romantic relationship with Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain before the group's rise to mainstream fame. This claim was disputed by some, including Cobain himself, though it has been suggested that Cobain's wife Courtney Love made him publicly lie about his past relationships to prove his devotion to her. In 1994, Lord showed up uninvited at a party for Courtney Love's band Hole, which ended with Love chasing Lord down Sunset Strip.
Lord toured three separate times with Elliott Smith during the 1990s. He also wrote and helped Lord record a song called, "I Figured You Out", in 1997. Smith would later say that, "I gave that song away 'cause I thought it sounded like The Eagles and that it sucked."
Her recordings have been a mixture of covers (including songs by Elliott Smith and Richard Thompson) and original material, with a number of songs written by, or in collaboration with, Nick Saloman of the British band The Bevis Frond.
Her recording of Daniel Johnston's "Speeding Motorcycle" (which was originally featured on her self-titled 8-song Kill Rock Stars release) was featured in commercials for Target stores, after which her label reissued the song as the lead-off track of a CD single which also included two demo recordings from the sessions for Got No Shadow.
In 2001, Lord released Live City Sounds. This was a self-released disc of Mary Lou playing live in the Boston subway. The disc was later re-released after Mary Lou signed to Rubric Records.
She announced in 2005 that she suffered from a rare vocal chord affliction known as spasmodic dysphonia. She thereafter became more involved in A&R work and started Jittery Jack Management with her husband, Kevin Patey.
His Lamest Flame
Mary Lou Lord Lyrics
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The painted head is bowed
A sudden glimpse through heaven's gate
Is all that I'm allowed
My hair is black and eyes are green
But Marie is not my name
Na na na na na na na na na - His Lamest Flame
His lamest flame will be
And all attempts to fire it up again will fail
I run around behind his friends
And play the waiting game
Na na na na na na na na na - His Lamest Flame
I tell myself a million times
There's nothing I can do
So why do I keep holding on
I only wish I knew
I was born too weak and I feel like a fool
But it's out of my domain
Na na na na na na na na na - His Lamest Flame
His lamest flame will die
Before the night is out
Just a heap of ash
The wind is blown about
For him these feelings fade away
But for me they're still the same
Na na na na na na na na na - His Lamest Flame
His lamest flame is here
And flickering its last
And through the dying light
We journey to the past
But still I'd give up all I've got
To have him back again
Na na na na na na na na na - His Lamest Flame
Mary Lou Lord's "His Lamest Flame" is a heartbreaking ballad about unrequited love. The opening lines describe the singer as kneeling and praying, gesturing towards her hopeless romanticism. She is pleading for a revelation, any sign of hope or comfort. In the next set of lyrics, we learn that she is obsessing over someone, though he doesn't seem to reciprocate her feelings. She is wistful, longing for him to notice her, and feeling inadequate because he doesn't. The chorus specifically highlights the singer's sadness over the fleeting nature of this flame. She knows it is not sustainable, and all attempts to revive it will be futile.
The third stanza describes the singer following her crush around, but only ever interacting with his friends. She is too shy or too intimidated to approach him directly. She tries to convince herself there is nothing she can do, but she can't help holding onto hope. In the fourth stanza, she laments feeling weak and foolish, but the "lamest flame" is out of her control. The fifth and final stanza refers to the flame dying out, but the singer is still left with her feelings. The song ends with her saying she would give up everything to have him back, despite knowing it is impossible.
Overall, "His Lamest Flame" is a poignant portrayal of the frustration and heartache that comes with unrequited love. Through her lyrics, Mary Lou Lord captures the feeling of wanting someone who doesn't feel the same, and the longing for something that can never be.
Line by Line Meaning
The knees are bent and the hands are clasped
I am praying desperately for something to change
The painted head is bowed
I am trying to hide my emotions from everyone else
A sudden glimpse through heaven's gate
I have had a moment of clarity, but it was fleeting
Is all that I'm allowed
I can't seem to make any real progress in my situation
My hair is black and eyes are green
I am physically attractive, but that doesn't seem to help me much
But Marie is not my name
I feel like I am living a false life or identity
Na na na na na na na na na - His Lamest Flame
I am trying to dismiss or distract myself from the pain I am feeling
His lamest flame will be
Our relationship is weak and doomed to fail
Too brief and burn too pale
Our passion never really ignited
And all attempts to fire it up again will fail
We can never recapture what we never truly had
I run around behind his friends
I am trying to stay close to him and be a part of his life, even if it hurts me
And play the waiting game
I am hoping that one day he'll come back to me, but it's not likely
I tell myself a million times
I try to convince myself that I don't need him, but I still do
There's nothing I can do
I am helpless in the face of my own feelings
So why do I keep holding on
I am holding onto false hope and the past
I only wish I knew
I am confused and lost
I was born too weak and I feel like a fool
I have low self-esteem and am too afraid to move on
But it's out of my domain
I can't change the way things are now
His lamest flame will die
Our relationship will end soon
Before the night is out
It won't last much longer
Just a heap of ash
Our love will be reduced to nothing
The wind is blown about
It will have no lasting impact
For him these feelings fade away
He will move on and forget me
But for me they're still the same
I am still stuck in the same emotional state
His lamest flame is here
Our relationship is still barely alive
And flickering its last
It is close to its end
And through the dying light
We are trying to hold on as it fades away
We journey to the past
We are nostalgic for the time when things were better
But still I'd give up all I've got
I would do anything to save our relationship
To have him back again
I still love him and want him in my life
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MARY LOU LORD, NICK SALOMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind