In October 2004, Etheridge was diagnosed with breast cancer, and underwent surgery and chemotherapy. At the 2005 Grammy Awards, she made a return to the stage and, although bald from chemotherapy, performed a tribute to Janis Joplin with the song "Piece of My Heart". Etheridge's performance was widely lauded, with India.Arie writing "I Am Not My Hair" about Etheridge. Later that year, Etheridge released her first compilation album, Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled. The album was a huge success, peaking at #14 on the Billboard 200, and going Gold immediately. Her latest release is 4th Street Feeling.
Etheridge is known for her mixture of "confessional lyrics, pop-based folk-rock, and raspy, smoky vocals." She has also been an iconic gay and lesbian activist since her public coming out in January 1993.
Scarecrow
Melissa Etheridge Lyrics
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Seep into a nation calling up a flood
Of narrow minds who legislate
Thinly veiled intolerance
Bigotry and hate
But they tortured and burned you
They beat you and they tied you
For love they crucified you
I can't forget hard as I try
This silhouette against the sky
Scarecrow crying
Waiting to die wondering why
Scarecrow trying
Angels will hold carry your soul away
This was our brother
This was our son
This shepherd young and mild
This unassuming one
We all gasp this can't happen here
We're all much too civilized
Where can these monsters hide
But they are knocking on our front door
They're rocking in our cradles
They're preaching in our churches
And eating at our tables
I search my soul
My heart and in my mind
To try and find forgiveness
This is someone child
With pain unreconciled
Filled up with father's hate
Mother's neglect
I can forgive But I will not forget
Scarecrow crying
Waiting to die wondering why
Scarecrow trying
Rising above all in the name of love
Melissa Etheridge's "Scarecrow" is a song that speaks out against bigotry, intolerance, and hate in society. The song is essentially about a young man, a metaphorical scarecrow, who falls victim to such mindsets and is brutally killed. The song shows how this can happen in civilized societies and how it is essential to recognize such behavior in order to avoid it.
The opening, "Showers of your crimson blood, seep into a nation, calling up a flood of narrow minds who legislate thinly veiled intolerance, bigotry and hate," draws a bleak picture of what's happening in the society, where people are blinded by their narrow-mindedness and let their bigotry overshadow love and acceptance for others. The second verse recounts the account of a young man who is "tortured and burned" and "crucified" for "love." The "silhouette against the sky" is a haunting image that stays with the listener, emphasizing the tragedy of what has happened.
The chorus of "Scarecrow crying, waiting to die, wondering why, Scarecrow trying, angels will hold, carry your soul away" speaks to how the young man's death is senseless and how it is important to recognize the role we each play in creating societies filled with love and acceptance. The song reminds us that each one of us has a responsibility to address such sinister tendencies before it's too late.
Line by Line Meaning
Showers of your crimson blood
The death of someone whose blood was shed like rain.
Seep into a nation calling up a flood
The tragic event that happened in the past now affecting the country or nation.
Of narrow minds who legislate
People with fixed and limited ways of thinking who make laws.
Thinly veiled intolerance
The intolerance is hidden or masked by something else.
Bigotry and hate
Unreasonable or extreme intolerance and dislike.
But they tortured and burned you
Remembering a past event where someone was tortured and burnt.
They beat you and they tied you
The person was physically assaulted and bounded.
They left you cold and breathing
The person was left to suffer after the abuse.
For love they crucified you
Someone was crucified because of love.
I can't forget hard as I try
The person can't forget no matter how hard she tries.
This silhouette against the sky
The memory and person that remain in her mind.
Scarecrow crying
The person is crying and alone like a scarecrow in a field.
Waiting to die wondering why
The person doesn't want to live anymore and is questioning why it happened.
Scarecrow trying
The person is trying to go beyond the pain and suffering.
Angels will hold carry your soul away
The person will be carried away by angels and be at peace.
This was our brother
The person who died was someone dear and close to her.
This was our son
The person who died was like a son to her.
This shepherd young and mild
The person who died was kind and gentle like a shepherd.
This unassuming one
The person who died was humble and quiet.
We all gasp this can't happen here
The realization that such kind of event can happen anywhere and anytime leaves one shocked and horrified.
We're all much too civilized
The belief that such kind of things only happen in primitive societies.
Where can these monsters hide
The thought of the culprits hiding and being undetected is scary and concerning.
But they are knocking on our front door
The reality that the problem is knocking, literally and figuratively, on their front doors.
They're rocking in our cradles
The problem starts early in life and affects young minds.
They're preaching in our churches
The people who promote hate and intolerance are also found in religious institutions.
And eating at our tables
The people who promote hate and intolerance are also part of our everyday lives.
I search my soul
She is introspecting and thinking deeply.
My heart and in my mind
She is thinking and feeling at the same time.
To try and find forgiveness
She wants to forgive and let go of the pain and anger.
This is someone child
The person who caused harm or death was also someone's child.
With pain unreconciled
The person who caused harm or death was also in pain and didn't reconcile it.
Filled up with father's hate
The person who caused harm or death was taught to hate by their father.
Mother's neglect
The person who caused harm or death was neglected by their mother.
I can forgive
She can let go of anger and forgive.
But I will not forget
She won't let go of the memory of what happened.
Rising above all in the name of love
She wants to rise above and move forward in the name of love.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: MELISSA ETHERIDGE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind