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
Truth
Patty Griffin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Coming from my mouth
You say that I lack the proof
Baby, that might be so
I might get to the end of my life
And find out everyone was lying
But I don't think that I'm afraid any more
Oh swing me way down south
Sing me something brave from your mouth
And I'll bring you pearls of water on my hips
And the love in my lips, all the love in my lips
This time when you swung the bat
And I found myself laying flat I wondered
What a way to spend a dime
What a way to use the time, ain't it, baby?
And I looked at my reflection
In the window walking past and I saw a stranger
I'm just so scared all the time
Makes me one more reason why the world is dangerous
Oh swing me way down south
Sing me something brave from your mouth
And I'll bring you pearls of water on my hips
And the love in my lips, all the love in my lips
You don't like the sound of the truth
Coming from my mouth
You say that I lack the proof
Baby, that might be so
Tell me what's wrong with having a little faith
In what you're feeling in your heart?
And why must we be so afraid
And always so far apart?
Oh swing me way down south
Sing me something brave from your mouth
And I'll bring you pearls of water on my hips
And the love in my lips, all the love in my lips
Patty Griffin's song "Truth" deals with the theme of honesty, specifically the struggle between speaking one's truth and being met with resistance from others. The opening lines of the song set the stage for this conflict, as the singer laments the fact that someone doesn't like the "sound of the truth coming from [her] mouth." The other person asserts that she lacks proof, and while she acknowledges that this might be the case, she asserts that she would rather die trying to speak her truth anyway.
The second verse of the song takes a more introspective turn as the singer reflects on her own self-doubt and fear. She has a moment where she sees her own reflection and feels like a stranger to herself. This fear makes her feel like the world is a dangerous place, adding another layer to the struggle she is facing in speaking her truth.
The chorus of the song offers a glimmer of hope amidst this struggle - a call to someone to "swing [her] way down south" and "sing [her] something brave from [their] mouth." In return, she promises to bring "pearls of water on [her] hips" and "the love in [her] lips." This can be interpreted as an offer of vulnerability in exchange for the other person being brave enough to share their own truth.
Line by Line Meaning
You don't like the sound of the truth
You hate hearing honest things from me
Coming from my mouth
When I talk about reality
You say that I lack the proof
You believe I don't have facts to support
Baby, that might be so
But that may not be true
I might get to the end of my life
Maybe when everything is over
And find out everyone was lying
I'll see that people were dishonest
But I don't think that I'm afraid anymore
I'm no longer scared of that
I say that I would rather die trying
I'd rather try and be truthful
Oh swing me way down south
Take me somewhere unfamiliar
Sing me something brave from your mouth
Tell me something bold
And I'll bring you pearls of water on my hips
I'll give you all I have to offer
And the love in my lips, all the love in my lips
I'll speak only words of affection
This time when you swung the bat
When you attacked me
And I found myself laying flat I wondered
I was concerned
What a way to spend a dime
What a waste of money
What a way to use the time, ain't it, baby?
What a waste of time, isn't it?
And I looked at my reflection
I saw myself in a reflection
In the window walking past and I saw a stranger
And felt like a stranger to myself
I'm just so scared all the time
I'm constantly full of fear
Makes me one more reason why the world is dangerous
It makes the world scarier
Tell me what's wrong with having a little faith
What's the problem with believing
In what you're feeling in your heart?
In what you truly feel deep down?
And why must we be so afraid
Why do we have to be so scared
And always so far apart?
And so distant from each other?
Oh swing me way down south
Take me somewhere unknown
Sing me something brave from your mouth
Say something courageous
And I'll bring you pearls of water on my hips
I'll offer you everything I have
And the love in my lips, all the love in my lips
I'll speak words of love
Contributed by Henry J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.