After a short marriage which ended in 1992, Griffin began playing in Boston coffee houses and was scouted by A&M Records who signed Griffin on the strength of her demo tape. This resulted in her debut album Living With Ghosts -- a set of demos featuring only Ms. Griffin and her guitar -- which garnered critical acclaim in 1996. Her sophomore album, Flaming Red, demonstrated a more rocking, full-band sound. The ill-fated Silver Bell album was never released by her record label, however, and the label terminated her recording contract shortly after that. Many of the songs from Silver Bell were re-recorded for subsequent albums.
After switching to ATO Records Griffin brought out three albums in rapid succession: 1000 Kisses and Impossible Dream, which were both nominated for Grammy awards, and A Kiss in Time, a well-received live album. In March 2007, she released Children Running Through to great critical acclaim.
She has penned a wide variety of songs - Long Ride Home, Top of the World, Tony, Forgiveness, Chief, Mad Mission--that touch her listeners deeply. A number of high profile artists have covered Patty's songs, including the Dixie Chicks, Bette Midler, Emmylou Harris, The Wreckers, Solomon Burke and pop star Kelly Clarkson; these have brought her exposure in the more mainstream pop and country worlds outside of folk music circles. Upon hearing Solomon Burke's cover of one of her tunes, she said she almost didn't feel worthy of singing it anymore.
Following her collaboration with Mavis Staples on a tune for a compilation album Peter York, suggested Griffin make an album of gospel songs. Griffin agreed on the condition that Buddy Miller, a friend and bandmate, produced the record. Downtown Church was recorded at the Downtown Presbyterian Church in Nashville with a 2010 release date. The album features long-time friends Buddy and Julie Miller, as well as Shawn Colvin and Emmylou Harris. It also includes songs by Hank Williams, Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton, and "All Creatures of Our God and King," a song accredited to St. Francis of Assisi.
Griffin featured on Robert Plant's solo album, Band of Joy, which was released in September 2010
Griffin's album American Kid was released on May 7, 2013
Mother Of God
Patty Griffin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've never seen her this bad before
She took all her favorite things down from the window
And broke 'em all over her clean floor
It's Saturday at the mansion
The oldest boy walks with a slouch
The young ones are wild in back of the house
Something as simple as boys and girls
Gets tossed all around and then lost in the world
Something as hard as a prayer on your back
Can wait a long time for an answer
When I was little I'd stare at her picture
And talk to the mother of God
I swear sometimes I'd see her lips move
Like she was trying to say something to me
When I was eighteen I moved to Florida,
Like everyone sick of the cold does,
And I waited on old people waiting to die
I waited on them until I was
Something as simple as boys and girls
Gets tossed all around and then lost in the world
Something as hard as a prayer on your back
Can wait a long time for an answer
So I'm wearing my footsteps into this floor
One day I won't live here anymore
Someone will wonder who lived here before
And went on their way
I live too many miles from the ocean
And I'm getting older and odd
I get up every morning with a black cup of coffee
And I talk to the mother of God
Something as simple as boys and girls
Gets tossed all around and then lost in the world
Something as hard as a prayer on your back
Can wait a long time for an answer
Can wait a long time for an answer
The song "Mother of God" by Patty Griffin is a poignant reflection on the difficulties of life and the importance of faith. The song opens with a description of a troubled woman breaking her possessions in a fit of anger. The children in the house are urged to flee out the back door to avoid the mother's wrath. The scene is chaotic, and the oldest boy walks with a slouch, presumably crippled by the weight of his family's problems. The young ones are wild in the back of the house, and the mother gives up and goes back to sleep on the couch. The imagery is vivid, and the listener is drawn into the emotional turbulence of the situation.
The second verse recounts the singer's own childhood experiences of talking to the "mother of God" in a picture. There is a sense of longing and hope for divine guidance in a world that can be difficult to understand. The third verse finds the singer living far from the ocean, growing older, and feeling "odd." The repetition of talking to the "mother of God" suggests faith as a constant source of comfort and reassurance, even in the face of the unknown.
Overall, "Mother of God" is a powerful reflection on the challenges of life and the role of faith in navigating those challenges. The song's use of vivid imagery and personal reflection creates a sense of intimacy and connection, drawing the listener into the singer's experience.
Line by Line Meaning
All you kids get out the back door
The mother wants the kids to leave the house because she's in a bad state.
I've never seen her this bad before
The mother is in a worse state than she's ever been before.
She took all her favorite things down from the window
The mother removed all of her favorite things from the window.
And broke 'em all over her clean floor
The mother smashed her favorite things on the clean floor.
It's Saturday at the mansion
The events of the song take place on a Saturday in a large house.
The oldest boy walks with a slouch
The eldest boy walks with a slouch, indicating something is bothering him.
The young ones are wild in back of the house
The young children are causing a commotion in the back of the house.
And she gave up and went back to sleep on the couch
The mother gives up and goes back to sleep on the couch.
Something as simple as boys and girls
Even simple things like relationships between boys and girls can be complicated.
Gets tossed all around and then lost in the world
Relationships can be complicated and easily lost in the world.
Something as hard as a prayer on your back
Prayer can be difficult and burdensome.
Can wait a long time for an answer
Prayers may take a long time to receive an answer.
When I was little I'd stare at her picture
The singer would stare at a picture of the mother as a child.
And talk to the mother of God
The singer would talk to the picture, imagining it to be the mother of God.
I swear sometimes I'd see her lips move
The singer imagines the picture's lips moving as if the mother of God was trying to communicate with them.
Like she was trying to say something to me
The artist feels that the mother of God is trying to communicate with them.
When I was eighteen I moved to Florida,
The artist moved to Florida when they were 18.
Like everyone sick of the cold does,
The singer moved to Florida to escape the cold weather.
And I waited on old people waiting to die
The singer worked in a job where they waited on old people who were waiting to die.
I waited on them until I was
The artist worked in that job until something happened.
So I'm wearing my footsteps into this floor
The artist spends a lot of time in a particular place that they are leaving footprints on the floor.
One day I won't live here anymore
The artist knows that one day they will need to leave this place behind.
Someone will wonder who lived here before
The singer muses that someday someone else may wonder about who used to live there.
And went on their way
The previous occupant of this space moved on with their life.
I live too many miles from the ocean
The singer lives far away from the ocean.
And I'm getting older and odd
The singer is getting older and feels they are becoming stranger or more unusual.
I get up every morning with a black cup of coffee
The singer has a routine of drinking black coffee every morning.
And I talk to the mother of God
The artist continues to address the picture of the mother of God.
Can wait a long time for an answer
Repeated for emphasis - prayers may take a long time to receive an answer.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PATRICIA J. GRIFFIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind