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.
Rise from the ruins
Pierce Pettis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There ain't nobody wishes to die
Everybody whiles away the interim time
Sworn to rise from the ruins by and by
The engines are droning with progress
The pistons are pounding out time
And it's you and me caught
Left to rise from the ruins down the line
We will roll like an old Chevrolet
The road to ruin is something to see
Hang on to the wheel
For the highway to hell
Needs chauffeurs for the powers that be
Go and tell all your friends and relations
Go and say what ain't easy to say
Go and give them some hope that we might rock this boat
And rise from the ruins one fine day
Did'ja ever try to carry water in a basket
Did'ja ever try to carry tire in your hand
Did'ja ever try to take on the weight of the everyday freight
Til you find that you're too weak to stand
Why so pale and wan, fond lover
Why so downcast and desperately sad
We can walk, we can talk,
We ain't yet pillars of salt
And we will rise from the ruins while we can
We will rise from the ruins while we can
Pierce Pettis's song "Rise from the ruins" speaks to the universal human experience of facing the challenges of life head-on. The opening lines suggest the existential dilemma that we are all born into a world without our consent and that we are all going to die. People spend the interim time of their lives waiting for something better, something more substantial, something that will help them to rise from the ruins.
The song takes a turn and introduces the concept of progress as a double-edged sword. Engines are droning, and pistons are pounding, all for the sake of progress, but it's a juggernaut jaunt, and we are all caught in it. We are then left to rise from the ruins down the line. The imagery of an old Chevrolet rolling down the road to ruin is striking. The highway to hell needs chauffeurs, and we are all in it together for the powers that be.
Then, the song becomes more hopeful. Pettis urges the listeners to go and tell all your friends and relations, say what isn't easy to say, and give them some hope that we might rock this boat and rise from the ruins one fine day. The bridge reminds us that carrying water in a basket, carrying a tire in our hands and taking on the weight of the everyday freight can leave us too weak to stand. But we still have the ability to walk and talk, and we are not yet pillars of salt.
In the end, the chorus comes back around to remind us that we will rise from the ruins while we can. The song is a call to action, and it urges the listener to take what we have in the moment and do something with it, to move forward, to not succumb to despair, but to rise up and make something beautiful from what we have been given.
Line by Line Meaning
There ain't nobody asks to be born
No one voluntarily chooses to enter life
There ain't nobody wishes to die
No one wants to die
Everybody whiles away the interim time
Everyone spends their time between birth and death
Sworn to rise from the ruins by and by
Determined to overcome hardships and succeed eventually
The engines are droning with progress
Technology is constantly moving forward and advancing
The pistons are pounding out time
Machines are constantly working and keeping time like a clock
And it's you and me caught In this juggernaut jaunt
We are all being carried along by the unstoppable force of progress
Left to rise from the ruins down the line
We are tasked with overcoming the consequences of progress in the future
We will roll like an old Chevrolet
We will persevere and march forward like an old car
The road to ruin is something to see
The path to destruction is often visible and apparent
Hang on to the wheel For the highway to hell Needs chauffeurs for the powers that be
We must hold on and steer through difficult times because those in charge need people to get them there
Go and tell all your friends and relations
Spread a message of hope to everyone you know
Go and say what ain't easy to say
Speak the truth even if it's difficult
Go and give them some hope that we might rock this boat And rise from the ruins one fine day
Provide hope that we can overcome challenges and succeed in the future
Did'ja ever try to carry water in a basket Did'ja ever try to carry tire in your hand Did'ja ever try to take on the weight of the everyday freight Til you find that you're too weak to stand
Have you ever taken on too much until you couldn't bear it anymore?
Why so pale and wan, fond lover
Why do you look so sad, my dear?
Why so downcast and desperately sad
Why do you look so depressed and upset?
We can walk, we can talk, We ain't yet pillars of salt
We are still alive and able-bodied, we have control of our lives
And we will rise from the ruins while we can
We will overcome our problems and succeed while we still have the opportunity
Contributed by Adalyn Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.