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.
Envelopes of Light
Pierce Pettis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He hesitates to navigate his course
His rite of passage
Up the stream of consciousness to find its source
She watches him go
A sentinel behind venetian blinds
Keeps the home fires burning low
And clinging to the highway
Like a baby to the breast
The distance feeds his urgency
And his dreams just do the rest
When he's down so dark
She mails him little envelopes of light
Cicadas in the mist
Are rising from a whisper to a roar
The way silk dresses hiss
As ballroom dancers glide across the floor
He's felt the ambience of God
Like a heat mirage on the highway
But the closer he comes
The more it seems to slip away
Just out of reach
A single treetop peach
He's stretching for with all his might
And somewhere in his heart
He comes across an envelope of light
Driving down the road
With a feeling that he can't identify
A scarecrow is hanging
Like a crucifix against the thorny sky
Three days and nights
In the belly of a whale
Three days and nights
In a perfect hell
Then like a phoenix bird
Rising in an envelope of light
And when he's down so dark
He gets these little envelopes of light
The song "Envelopes of Light" by Pierce Pettis tells the story of a man who is trying to navigate through the different stages of his life. In the face of uncertainty, he hesitates and pauses to determine his course of action. He embarks on a journey up the "stream of consciousness" in search of the source of his being. His wife watches him go as she stands behind "venetian blinds" waiting for his return. She sends him "little envelopes of light" to help him through this dark period.
The singer of the song sees God's presence and feels a connection with the divine. However, the more he tries to get closer, the more it seems to slip away. He compares his search to reaching for a single peach on a treetop, just out of reach. The man's journey continues as he drives down the road, unable to identify the feeling he has. The song speaks of the man's experiences of being in a "belly of a whale" and in a "perfect hell," but eventually rising like a phoenix bird in an envelope of light.
Overall, the song speaks of the uncertainty and attempts to navigate different stages of one's life. It highlights the importance of having support systems, as personified by the wife sending the envelopes of light, and the belief in something greater than oneself.
Line by Line Meaning
At the sign of the times
In this time of uncertainty and change
He hesitates to navigate his course
He's uncertain about his future direction
His rite of passage
His journey of growth and transformation
Up the stream of consciousness to find its source
Looking within himself to discover his true purpose
She watches him go
His loved one observes him leaving
A sentinel behind venetian blinds
She waits and watches, guarding their home
Keeps the home fires burning low
She maintains a calm and peaceful environment
Like a vestal virgin waiting in the night
Like a chaste and dedicated priestess waiting for a sacred arrival
And clinging to the highway
He holds tightly to his path
Like a baby to the breast
He depends on his journey for sustenance
The distance feeds his urgency
The farther he goes, the more driven he becomes
And his dreams just do the rest
His aspirations propel him forward
When he's down so dark
When he's feeling his lowest
She mails him little envelopes of light
She sends him hope and encouragement
Cicadas in the mist
The sounds of nature in the fog
Are rising from a whisper to a roar
Their voices are growing louder and more intense
The way silk dresses hiss
The rustling sound of elegant clothing
As ballroom dancers glide across the floor
As people move gracefully in synchronized dance
He's felt the ambience of God
He's experienced a divine presence
Like a heat mirage on the highway
Like a shimmering illusion in the distance
But the closer he comes
As he approaches
The more it seems to slip away
The more it proves elusive
Just out of reach
Almost attainable
A single treetop peach
One fruit that's difficult to pick
He's stretching for with all his might
He's striving to grasp it with full effort
And somewhere in his heart
Deep within his innermost being
He comes across an envelope of light
He discovers a message of illumination and hope
Driving down the road
Traveling on the thoroughfare
With a feeling that he can't identify
With an unexplainable, perplexing emotion
A scarecrow is hanging
A symbolic figure of fear and menace
Like a crucifix against the thorny sky
Like a holy cross against the menacing sky
Three days and nights
Three days and three nights
In the belly of a whale
Trapped in a dark, enclosed space
Three days and nights
Three days and three nights
In a perfect hell
In a place of complete despair and misery
Then like a phoenix bird
Then like a mythical bird of rebirth
Rising in an envelope of light
Ascending in a message of hope and illumination
And when he's down so dark
And when he's at his lowest point
He gets these little envelopes of light
He receives messages of hope and encouragement
Contributed by Mia T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.