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.
Farewell
Pierce Pettis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Farewell, Rhode Island Sound,
Just a maiden of sixteen – what do I know?
I love your ocean spray, your dark waves of green and grey,
Upon the rocks they break, pounding in my soul.
Bound for a marriage my father made, to a man who is twice my age,
He has a fine estate, or so I'm told.
Yankee clippers on the bay, they've come to take my heart away,
Far down to Charleston Town on Carolina's coast,
Old rag-a-muffin man made by my mother's hands,
This and some odds and ends are all that I own.
Bound for a marriage my father made, to a man who is twice my age,
He has a fine estate, or so I'm told.
Far from the sea he lives,
In the western wilderness, where the Alabama sun will burn me brown.
Bound for a marriage my father made, to a man who is twice my age,
He has a fine estate, or so I'm told.
Pierce Pettis's song Farewell tells a story of a 16-year-old girl saying goodbye to her home in Newport Town and Rhode Island Sound. She confesses that she loves the ocean spray and the waves that break upon the rocks, and they have impacted her soul. However, she is not given an option to stay in the town as she is bound for a marriage that her father arranged. The groom-to-be is described to be twice her age and the owner of a fine estate in the western wilderness where the Alabama sun burns everyone brown.
The girl is helpless as Yankee clippers arrive at the bay to take her away to Charleston Town on Carolina's coast. She brings with her all her possessions, which are just some odds and ends and old rag-a-muffin man made by her mother's hands. She sings that her father made this marriage happen, but she has no idea about his intentions. The lyrics depict a picture of a young girl who is being forced into an arranged marriage without her consent, leaving behind the only place she has ever known.
Line by Line Meaning
Farewell to Newport Town,
I am leaving Newport Town and bidding it farewell.
Farewell, Rhode Island Sound,
I am also bidding farewell to Rhode Island Sound.
Just a maiden of sixteen – what do I know?
As a young and inexperienced sixteen-year-old, I have little knowledge or wisdom.
I love your ocean spray, your dark waves of green and grey,
I have a strong affection for the ocean spray and the dark waves of green and grey.
Upon the rocks they break, pounding in my soul.
The waves crashing against the rocks provide a powerful and emotional experience for me.
Bound for a marriage my father made, to a man who is twice my age,
I am being forced into a marriage that my father arranged, with a man who is twice my age.
He has a fine estate, or so I'm told.
This man supposedly has a beautiful and wealthy estate, although I have never seen it myself.
Yankee clippers on the bay, they've come to take my heart away,
The Yankee clippers on the bay are taking me away from the place where my heart lies.
Far down to Charleston Town on Carolina's coast,
I am being taken to Charleston Town on the coast of Carolina, far away from where I grew up.
Old rag-a-muffin man made by my mother's hands,
All I have to my name is an old rag-a-muffin man that my mother made for me.
This and some odds and ends are all that I own.
Besides the rag-a-muffin man, I have only a few other miscellaneous possessions.
Far from the sea he lives,
The man I am being forced to marry lives far away from the sea, which is distressing to me.
In the western wilderness, where the Alabama sun will burn me brown.
He lives in the western wilderness, where the hot Alabama sun will darken my skin.
Bound for a marriage my father made, to a man who is twice my age,
Once again, I am emphasizing that I have no choice in this marriage my father has arranged.
He has a fine estate, or so I'm told.
And once again, I am questioning whether this man really does have a wonderful estate, or if it is just a rumor.
Contributed by Adam P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.