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.
Lights Are Changing
Mary Lou Lord Lyrics
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Into indistinct horizons I had no time to reload
Like a silver bullet from a gun an arrow from a bow
Like an equine star you'll hear about it
Everywhere you go
All through nebula I was racing in my mind
I tripped the light fantastic and never looked behind
You slow down You slow down
You slow down You slow down
Lights are changing
You fly so high and move so fast
You're running blindly from the past
Slow down You slow down
When lights are changing
Looking through your hollow eyes across the great unknown
Growing greater every second growing harder with each stone
Yeah and you who judge your freedom by the quantity you score
Does it make you any freer if you took a little more
All that summertime I revolved around your eye
In accelerating spirals in an asymmetric sky
You slow down You slow down
Lights are changing
You slow down You slow down
Lights are changing
You fly so high yeah and you move so fast
You're running blindly from the past
Slow down You slow down
Lights are changing
Oh changing all the time
Oh changing all the time
Now you slow down You slow down
Lights are changing
You slow down You slow down
Lights are changing
You fly so high and you move so fast
You're running blindly from the past
Slow down You slow down
Lights are changing
You slow down You slow down lights are changing
The lyrics to Mary Lou Lord's song Lights Are Changing seem to be about someone who is running away from their past, moving quickly and blindly towards the future. The opening lines suggest that this person is leaving behind everything they know and heading towards something uncertain. The use of the metaphor "like a silver bullet from a gun" implies that this person is moving with great speed and precision. The chorus of the song speaks to the idea that sometimes in life you need to slow down and pay attention to the changes happening around you. The lights changing could be a metaphor for the various changes that happen in life, and the need to slow down in order to see them clearly.
In the second verse, the lyrics suggest that this person is constantly on the move and searching for something new. They are growing "greater every second" but also growing "harder with each stone." This could imply that while they are making progress on their journey, they are also becoming more jaded and perhaps more closed off from others. The lines "you who judge your freedom by the quantity you score" seem to speak to the idea that this person is constantly trying to accumulate things in order to feel free. However, the final lines of the song suggest that perhaps this approach isn't working, and that the person needs to slow down and pay attention to the smaller, more subtle changes happening around them.
Overall, the song seems to be a meditation on the need to slow down and pay attention to the world around you, rather than constantly chasing after the next big thing. It speaks to the idea that sometimes the most important changes happen slowly and subtly, and that you need to be mindful in order to see them.
Line by Line Meaning
Disappearing out of sight along the open road
I was leaving everything behind and moving forward on the road of life
Into indistinct horizons I had no time to reload
I had no time for pausing and rejuvenating while I moved towards uncertain goals
Like a silver bullet from a gun an arrow from a bow
I was moving forward quickly and decisively towards my target, like a bullet or arrow
Like an equine star you'll hear about it Everywhere you go
My success and reputation preceded me and they talked about it wherever I went
All through nebula I was racing in my mind
I was restless mentally and pushing myself without any direction or clarity
I tripped the light fantastic and never looked behind
I was living in the moment with a carefree attitude and without thinking about the future
You slow down You slow down Lights are changing
The world around you is changing and it's time to slow down and take notice
You fly so high and move so fast You're running blindly from the past
You are moving quickly ahead without considering the things that happened in the past
Looking through your hollow eyes across the great unknown
You are looking at the unknown future with an empty and detached outlook
Growing greater every second growing harder with each stone
The challenges you face are increasing in intensity and difficulty with each passing moment
Yeah and you who judge your freedom by the quantity you score
You measure your success by how much you own or achieve, not by inner peace or happiness
Does it make you any freer if you took a little more
Perhaps chasing external success won't give you true freedom
All that summertime I revolved around your eye
I was completely absorbed in your attention and admiration during the summer
In accelerating spirals in an asymmetric sky
I was moving upwards and onwards with an increasing pace and in an uncertain path
Oh changing all the time
The world around us is constantly changing and evolving
Now you slow down You slow down Lights are changing
You need to slow down now and take notice of the changing world around you
You slow down You slow down lights are changing
It's time to slow down and be more aware of your surroundings as they change
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: NICK SALOMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind