A former staff writer for PolyGram Publishing in Nashville, Pettis' musical career was started in 1979 when Joan Baez covered his song, "Song at the End of the Movie", on her album Honest Lullaby. Following that release, Pettis became heavily involved in the "Fast Folk movement" in New York in the 1980s alongside artists such as Shawn Colvin and Suzanne Vega.
In 1984, Pettis released his first independent solo album, Moments, followed by a string of releases for High Street Records; While the Serpent Lies Sleeping, Tinseltown and Chase the Buffalo. None of these releases have made Pettis a household name, but his music has become extremely popular with other artists. His songs have been covered by artists like Dar Williams ("Family" on Mortal City), Garth Brooks ("You Move Me" on Sevens), Dion & the Belmonts, Sara Groves, Randy Stonehill and others.
In the early 1990s, Pettis developed a working relationship with songwriter and producer Mark Heard. Pettis was performing with Heard at the Cornerstone Festival in July of 1992, when Heard had a heart attack on stage. Heard finished the show, but collapsed off-stage afterwards and died the following August. That loss led to the start of a tradition for Pettis, who has started off each of his albums with one of Heard's songs since 1993's Chase the Buffalo, where he recorded Heard's "Nod Over Coffee". Other Heard covers include "Satellite Sky" (1996's Making Light of It), "Tip of My Tongue" (1998's Everything Matters), "Rise from the Ruins" (2001's State of Grace) and "Another Day in Limbo" (2004's Great Big World.) Pettis also appeared on a 1994 tribute to Heard entitled Strong Hand of Love.
In 1996, Pettis signed on with Compass Records and released Making Light of It, produced by David Miner (T-Bone Burnett, Elvis Costello), and featuring Derri Daugherty and Steve Hindalong of The Choir.
Two years later Everything Matters was released, produced by Grammy award winning Gordon Kennedy (who is best known for co-writing Eric Clapton's "Change the World.") Pettis followed that release with State of Grace in 2001, which featured cover art by the late southern folk artist Howard Finster.
2001 saw Pettis' most regionally oriented album, State of Grace released. 2004's Great Big World record saw Pettis collaborating with a number of other songwriters. In 2009 That Kind of Love included less of a regional focus. 2013 saw Pettis, along with Tom Kimmel and Kate Campbell, form the New Agrarians and release a debut album on the independent Due South label.
2019 saw the release of his album "Father's Son".
Pettis tours frequently, alternating between solo shows, concerts with the New Agrarians, and a double bill with his daughter Grace Pettis.
Another Day in Limbo
Pierce Pettis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mountains grey as velvet, field for dots of yucca and jacaranda,
Facing the sky, as the day burns away, is a desert in mourning,
Sheltering the dead stones, cradle of the lost bones,
Home of eternal comings and goings.
Blinking away the sunrise,
Listening to the wind blow,
Beckoning fire from Heaven,
Everything seems so stone-cold,
Beating the drums of change,
Another day in limbo.
Pray for the foothills, goatherds, and windmills, and satellite dishes,
Petroglyph talkers meet iron-willed walkers who grant them no wishes,
Shaking a fist at the air seems to bring on a blackening sky,
In the crackling of embers, old men remember walking in beauty in the dawn of their lives.
Blinking away the sunrise,
Listening to the wind blow,
Angels with dirty faces face another day in limbo,
Beckoning fire from Heaven,
Everything seems so stone-cold,
Beating the drums of change,
Another day in limbo.
Pray for the foothills,
The iron horse with four wheels bucks a drunken rider,
Pawns of the porn kings,
The corn-silk of heartstrings lies tattered and blighted,
Oh, they sing in the sand for the son of man, who sought fire in water,
Faith like a kernel, rising up in thermals,
Hope springs eternal once in awhile.
Blinking away the sunrise,
Listening to the wind blow,
Angels with dirty faces face another day in limbo,
Beckoning fire from Heaven,
Everything seems so stone-cold,
Beating the drums of change,
Another day in limbo,
Blinking away the sunrise,
Listening to the wind blow,
Angels with dirty faces face another day in limbo,
Beckoning fire from Heaven,
Everything seems so stone-cold,
Beating the drums of change,
Another day in limbo, yeah.
Another day in limbo.
The lyrics of Pierce Pettis's song Another Day in Limbo describe the desolate and often overlooked foothills of a mountain range. The opening lines mention power lines and rock doves, which are symbols of human impact on the natural landscape. The mountains themselves are described as "grey as velvet" and dotted with yucca and jacaranda. Even as the day fades away, the desert landscape still mourns and cradles the bones of the lost.
The chorus of Angels with dirty faces face another day in limbo speaks to the struggle and hopelessness felt by those living in this barren wasteland. The wind blows as if to taunt and remind them of their isolation, and the fire that they beckon from the heavens seems far away and unattainable. The drums of change beat slowly and hopelessly, as if change is just a distant dream. But hope springs eternal, as evidenced by the faith and hope that rises in thermals and the beauty that exists in the dawn of their lives.
Overall, Another Day in Limbo is a haunting and introspective song that captures the loneliness and beauty of the foothills. It speaks to the resilience and perseverance of those who are forgotten by society and forced to exist in a state of limbo.
Line by Line Meaning
Pray for the foothills, home to the drone of power lines and rock doves,
Let's acknowledge the harsh realities of this place - where man-made power lines and pigeons are the backdrop for the foothills.
Mountains grey as velvet, field for dots of yucca and jacaranda,
The velvety, grey mountains juxtaposed against the bright contrasting colors of nature create a beautiful scene.
Facing the sky, as the day burns away, is a desert in mourning,
Looking up at the sky as the day progresses, one can see a desert that seems to be in mourning.
Sheltering the dead stones, cradle of the lost bones,
The desert protects the dead stones and becomes a resting place for lost bones.
Home of eternal comings and goings.
It is a place that sees constant change and transition.
Blinking away the sunrise,
Waking up and trying to adjust to the bright morning sun.
Listening to the wind blow,
Paying attention to the wind and how it affects the landscape.
Angels with dirty faces face another day in limbo,
People who have lost their way are still facing another day of uncertainty and confusion.
Beckoning fire from Heaven,
Praying for something miraculous and divine to happen.
Everything seems so stone-cold,
Everything feels numb and lifeless.
Beating the drums of change,
Trying to inspire and lead a shift towards progress and improvement.
Pray for the foothills, goatherds, and windmills, and satellite dishes,
Again, acknowledging the different elements of this place and the people who live here.
Petroglyph talkers meet iron-willed walkers who grant them no wishes,
Symbolic of how communication between different groups may become strained and result in dismissiveness and lack of cooperation.
Shaking a fist at the air seems to bring on a blackening sky,
Even the act of expressing frustration may lead to consequences and make things worse.
In the crackling of embers, old men remember walking in beauty in the dawn of their lives.
Reflecting on the past and simpler, happier times.
The iron horse with four wheels bucks a drunken rider,
A metaphor for the chaos and unpredictability of life, where things can go wrong in an instant.
Pawns of the porn kings,
Dependents of those in power and authority who prioritize profit over people and integrity.
The corn-silk of heartstrings lies tattered and blighted,
Emotions are frayed and damaged, leading to a sense of hopelessness.
Oh, they sing in the sand for the son of man, who sought fire in water,
Referencing a biblical story of a miraculous event that might inspire hope and change.
Faith like a kernel, rising up in thermals,
Hope that a seed of faith may spark change and growth.
Hope springs eternal once in awhile.
Even amidst all the frustrations and challenges, hope can still emerge and sustain us.
Another day in limbo.
Despite everything, the people in this place are still stuck in a state of uncertainty and longing for something better.
Contributed by Kylie B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.