She is best-remembered for From a Distance, by Julie Gold, although the version that achieved greater commercial success was not Griffith's but Bette Midler's (From a Distance). Similarly, other artists have occasionally achieved greater success with Griffith's songs than did Griffith herself: for example, Kathy Mattea, who had a country music top five hit with a 1986 cover (Love at the Five and Dime) of Love at the Five and Dime.
ADDITIONALLY
In 1994, Griffith teamed up with Jimmy Webb to contribute the song "If These Old Walls Could Speak" to the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Country produced by the Red Hot Organization. Griffith is a survivor of breast cancer which was diagnosed in 1996, and thyroid cancer in 1998.[2]
Singer-songwriter Christine Lavin remembers the first time she saw Griffith perform:
I was struck by how perfect everything was about her singing, her playing, her talking. I realized from the get-go that this was someone who was a complete professional. Obviously she had worked a long time to get to be that good.
During her career, Griffith toured with many artists, including Buddy Holly's band, The Crickets; John Prine; Iris DeMent; Suzy Bogguss; and Judy Collins. Griffith has recorded duets with many artists, among them Emmylou Harris, Mary Black, John Prine, Don McLean, Jimmy Buffett, Dolores Keane, Willie Nelson, Adam Duritz (singer of Counting Crows), The Chieftains, and Darius Rucker (lead singer of Hootie & the Blowfish). She also contributed background vocals on many other recordings.
Griffith suffered from severe 'writers block' for a number of years after 2004, lasting until the 2009 release of her The Loving Kind album, which contained nine selections that she had written and composed either entirely by herself or as collaborations.
After several months of limited touring in 2011, Griffith's bandmates The Kennedys (Pete & Maura Kennedy) packed up their professional Manhattan recording studio and relocated it to Nashville, where they installed it in Griffith's home. There, Griffith and her backing team, including Pete & Maura Kennedy and Pat McInerney, co-produced her album, Intersections over the course of the summer. The album includes several new original songs and was released in April 2012.
In addition to her own songs, Griffith is well known for her versions of other people's material, usually by contemporary singer-songwriters.
Awards
Griffith won the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album for Other Voices, Other Rooms. In 2008, the Americana Music Association awarded her its Americana Trailblazer Award; Lyle Lovett, who contributed backing vocals to some of "The Blue Moon Orchestra's" recordings,[which?] had won it before her.
Band (The Blue Moon Orchestra)
Griffith refers to her backing band as "The Blue Moon Orchestra." This reference is believed to have been drawn from both the title of one of her earliest albums, Once in a Very Blue Moon, and its title selection, which reached #85 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 1986.
Across the Great Divide
Nanci Griffith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Countin' troubles 'stead of countin' sheep
Where the years went I can't say
I just turned around and they've gone away
I've been siftin' through the layers
Of dusty books and faded papers
They tell a story I used to know
It's gone away in yesterday
Now I find myself on the mountainside
Where the rivers change direction
Across the Great Divide
Now, I hear the owl a-callin'
Softly as the night was fallin'
With a question and I replied
But he's gone across the borderline
It's gone away in yesterday
Now I find myself on the mountainside
Where the rivers change direction
Across the Great Divide
The finest hour that I have seen
Is the one that comes between
The edge of night and the break of day
It's when the darkness rolls away
It's gone away in yesterday
Now I find myself on the mountainside
Where the rivers change direction
Across the Great Divide
It's gone away in yesterday
Now I find myself on the mountainside
Where the rivers change direction
Across the Great Divide
"Across the Great Divide," by Nanci Griffith, is a song that poetically reflects on the passage of time and how life's journey can take unexpected turns. The song speaks to the sense of nostalgia that comes with aging as the singer sings, "I've been walkin' in my sleep, countin' troubles 'stead of countin' sheep, where the years went I can't say, I just turned around and they've gone away." The feeling of being lost in time and trying to find meaning in the past is also reflected in the lines, "I've been siftin' through the layers of dusty books and faded papers, they tell a story I used to know, and it was one that happened so long ago."
However, amidst the nostalgia and uncertainty of the past, the singer finds a newfound sense of clarity and direction as they find themselves on the mountainside where "the rivers change direction, across the Great Divide." This moment of clarity is symbolically represented in the line, "The finest hour that I have seen, is the one that comes between the edge of night and the break of day, it's when the darkness rolls away." The song ends with the singer acknowledging that while some things may be gone with yesterday, they have found a new perspective and direction in life.
Overall, "Across the Great Divide" explores the themes of nostalgia, the passage of time, and finding clarity amidst uncertainty. The song encourages listeners to embrace the present and to understand that even though the past is gone, life still has much to offer.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been walkin' in my sleep
I've been pondering deeply while lying in bed at night
Countin' troubles 'stead of countin' sheep
Rather than trying to fall asleep by counting sheep, I have been preoccupied with worrying thoughts
Where the years went I can't say
I am uncertain about how time has passed so quickly
I just turned around and they've gone away
Without realizing it, time has passed and my youth has faded
I've been siftin' through the layers
I have been searching for answers in the past
Of dusty books and faded papers
I have been looking through old documents that have aged
They tell a story I used to know
These documents tell a story that I had once understood
And it was one that happened so long ago
This story occurred a very long time ago
Now, I find myself on the mountainside
I am now in a new stage of my life
Where the rivers change direction
I am in an unfamiliar place where things are different than what I am used to
Across the Great Divide
I am crossing into a new chapter of my life
Now, I hear the owl a-callin'
I hear nature calling out to me
Softly as the night was fallin'
As the night grows darker, I hear nature more vividly
With a question and I replied
Nature poses a question to me and I have answered back
But he's gone across the borderline
Nature has moved on without me
The finest hour that I have seen
The most beautiful moment that I have witnessed
Is the one that comes between
Exists in the time between
The edge of night and the break of day
The moment before dawn breaks
It's when the darkness rolls away
The moment of transition from darkness to light
It's gone away in yesterday
The past is irretrievable
Now, I find myself on the mountainside
I am in a new place in my life
Where the rivers change direction
I am now in an unfamiliar and changing environment
Across the Great Divide
I have crossed over into a new beginning
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: KATE WOLF
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@dand4692
I've been walkin' in my sleep
Countin' troubles 'stead of countin' sheep
Where the years went I can't say
I just turned around and they've gone away
I've been siftin' through the layers
Of dusty books and faded papers
They tell a story I used to know
And it was one that happened so long ago
It's gone away in yesterday
Now I find myself on the mountainside
Where the rivers change direction
Across the Great Divide
Now, I heard the owl a-callin'
Softly as the night was fallin'
With a question and I replied
But he's gone across the borderline
He's gone away in yesterday
Now I find myself on the mountainside
Where the rivers change direction
Across the Great Divide
The finest hour that I have seen
Is the one that comes between
The edge of night and the break of day
It's when the darkness rolls away
And it's gone away in yesterday
Now I find myself on the mountainside
Where the rivers change direction
Across the Great Divide
And it's gone away in yesterday
Now I find myself on the mountainside
It's where the rivers change direction
Across the Great Divide
@tvcdboombox1
One of the most beautiful versions of a beautiful song. RIP, Nanci Griffith
@paulmurphy8291
Rip Kate wolf
@thecathancegroup
This is truly a beautiful version
@BobMarshall1952
RIP Nanci. One of my all-time favorites. She is very unique. One of a kind. Not only a lovely voice, but also an outstanding songwriter. Miss you already, Nanci.
@anniehassett9370
I remember the first time i saw her from a far small women with such a big voice indelible even a bigger heart she will be missed by many specially myself i will continue to sing 5 and dime with found memories thanks 4 sharing yourself with so many Rip nancy
@katshotz6033
I wish I had 1% of what she did in her life. Rip Nanci Griffith💔
@jamesdolan4042
RIP Nanci
@BarryMac702
Amen and well said Bob. She seemed like a classy lady. I loved her sense of humor and stories in her live performances. A beautiful voice and delivery that could make songs her own while still respecting the original song (Boots of Spanish Leather).
@jameslevi1243
I’ve loved her music since I heard her on Austin City Limits in 1984.
@stephenpayne9120
All her performances (all of them) Nanci sings from the inside out. It's not a superimposed performance, with emotions stamped onto the songs as an act... it's her really feeling--living--every line. Every word. And that's why she's one of the immortals.