Pierce Pettis (born April 14, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter from F… Read Full Bio ↴Pierce Pettis (born April 14, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter from Fort Payne, AL.

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.

Family
Pierce Pettis Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Can you fix this
Its a broken heart
It was fine
Then it just fell apart
It was mine
But now I give it to you
Cause you can fix it
You know what to do

Let your love cover me
Like a pair of angel wings
You are my family
You are my family

We stood outside
In the summer rain
Different people
With a common pain
A simple box
In that hard red clay
Where we left him
To always remain

(CHORUS)

The child who played
With the moon and stars
Waves a snatch of hay
In a common barn
In the lonely house
Of Adam's fall
Lies a child
Just a child that's all ... crying

(CHORUS)

Overall Meaning

The song "Family" by Pierce Pettis is a powerful and emotional ballad that explores the complexity of human relationships, the pain of loss and grief, and the healing power of love and family. The opening lines of the song, "Can you fix this? It's a broken heart, It was fine, Then it just fell apart," immediately set the tone for a story of heartbreak and struggle. Pettis sings about a sense of loss, of something that was once his - his heart - that has now fallen apart and needs to be fixed. He then goes on to suggest that the person who can fix it is someone who is close to him, someone who he trusts - his family. "You are my family, Let your love cover me Like a pair of angel wings," he sings, implying that family is not defined by blood relation, but by deep emotional connections and trust.

The song then takes a grave turn as Pettis sings about standing outside in the rain with different people, all sharing a common pain - the loss of a loved one. The pain of grief is palpable as he describes a simple box in a hard red clay where they left the person they lost to always remain. The imagery here is powerful, evoking a sense of permanence and finality. However, amidst all this pain and loss, Pettis still finds hope in his family, in the connections he shares with the people he loves. The song's closing lines, "The child who played with the moon and stars, Waves a snatch of hay in a common barn, In the lonely house of Adam's fall, Lies a child, Just a child that's all ... crying," hint at a sense of renewal and possibility. Despite everything, even if there are children crying in lonely houses or common barns, the connections we have with the people we love can help us heal and move forward.

Line by Line Meaning

Can you fix this
Asking a person if they have the ability to mend a broken heart

Its a broken heart
Describing the emotional state of a person who is feeling brokenhearted

It was fine
Describing how everything appeared to be alright in the past

Then it just fell apart
Describing how something once good suddenly became negative

It was mine
The person acknowledging that they were once in possession of this broken heart

But now I give it to you
The person acknowledging that they are transferring ownership of their broken heart to someone else

Cause you can fix it
The person entrusting the other individual with fixing their broken heart since they believe the other person is capable of doing so

You know what to do
The person expressing confidence that the other individual knows how to fix their broken heart

Let your love cover me
The person asking the other individual to envelop them in their love

Like a pair of angel wings
The person asking for the love of the other individual to be like protective angel wings

You are my family
The person acknowledging that the other individual is their family

We stood outside
Describing a scene where multiple people were gathered outside

In the summer rain
Describing the weather condition during the scene

Different people
Acknowledging that the people present were different from one another

With a common pain
Noting that the people are bonded together by a shared pain

A simple box
Describing the object used to bury someone

In that hard red clay
Describing the location where the person was buried

Where we left him
Acknowledging that someone was buried in that location

To always remain
Suggesting that the buried person will remain in that location permanently