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.

No Big Deal
Pierce Pettis Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Not gonna fall this time
Back in the same old hole
Of allowing my selfish mind
To drag my heart along

Not gonna be this guy
Calling you on the phone
It's just that you've been on my mind

And I thought I'd let you know

It's really no big deal
The way I love you

I'm not pulling your heart strings
I wouldn't do you that way
The very last thing that you need
Is some fool to cause you pain

Hey look it's only me
Nothing has really changed
It's as simple as can be
And the most amazing thing

Oh it's really no big deal
The way I love you

You're not gonna be misled
Where only fools rush in
And the angels fear to tread

I won't go that may again
'Cause you are my friend

Overall Meaning

In Pierce Pettis's song "No Big Deal," the singer is wrestling with his own selfishness and the impulse to act on his feelings for someone he cares about. He has fallen into this pattern before and ended up in a "hole" he could not climb out of. This time, he is determined not to fall into that trap. He doesn't want to be the type of person who constantly calls and bothers someone else with his emotions. However, he feels the need to let this person know how he feels, even though he is aware that it will not be reciprocated. He wants to make it clear that his feelings for this person are genuine, even though he knows nothing will come of it.

Despite his mixed feelings and uncertainty, the singer ultimately concludes that the love he feels for this person is "no big deal." He wants to assure this person that he is not trying to manipulate or hurt them in any way. He knows they do not feel the same way, but he feels better for expressing himself honestly. Ultimately, he values their friendship more than anything else and will not jeopardize that to pursue a romantic relationship.

Line by Line Meaning

Not gonna fall this time
I will not make the same mistake again.

Back in the same old hole
I find myself in the same situation as before.

Of allowing my selfish mind
My self-centered thoughts are controlling me.

To drag my heart along
My heart is following my selfish desires.

Not gonna be this guy
I do not want to be the person who calls you all the time.

Calling you on the phone
Contacting you through a phone call.

It's just that you've been on my mind
I have been thinking about you a lot.

And I thought I'd let you know
So I decided to tell you.

It's really no big deal
This is not something to worry about.

The way I love you
How I feel about you is not a big issue.

I'm not pulling your heart strings
I am not trying to manipulate your emotions.