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.
To Dance
Pierce Pettis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's clearing a path of one's own,
Blue jeans and muscle or crinoline rustle,
You learn it in class or alone: to dance.
To dance – it's a gravity thing
Shoes to the earth, pulling toward a verse that is beckoning,
Oh, the dizzy effect of rhythm and sweat,
To dance.
Arms in a moment's unworried connection,
A telling of hearts, where they don't need protection,
A journey in place; a private affection to share.
To dance is swimming in time,
Where passion in public and prudence can somehow align,
Moving like lovers on top of the covers,
And everyone knows it's alright to dance,
Touch without touching; love without grieving,
Hold on and let go without anyone leaving,
All of it part of the beat you're receiving and sending back out through your feet,
In itself, it's complete,
And, God, it is sweet to dance.
To dance – the movement confides limbs in a language spoken in three quarter time,
And it's suddenly gone at the end of the song,
And you know you were safe all along to dance,
To dance, to dance.
The song "To Dance" by Pierce Pettis is all about the joy, freedom, and connection that can be found in dancing. The lyrics describe dancing as a way of clearing one's own path and finding a perspective of bones and a musical bath. It's something that can be learned in a class or alone, and it's a gravity thing--the shoes on your feet pull you toward the rhythm and beckoning verse. Dancing can make you feel dizzy with the excitement of moving to the beat and working up a sweat, but it's also about finding moments of connection with other people. Arms can come together in a moment's unworried connection, telling the story of hearts where there's no need for protection. It's a private affection that can be shared in a journey that takes place right where you are.
The song goes on to describe dancing as swimming in time and finding a way for passion and prudence to somehow align. It's like moving like lovers on top of the covers, where everyone knows it's alright to dance. There's a sense of touch without touching, love without grieving, and holding on and letting go without anyone having to leave. The beat of the music is taken in and sent out through the feet, making it a complete experience. The final lines of the song affirm the sweetness of dancing and the safety it brings, with the repeated refrain of "To dance, to dance."
Line by Line Meaning
To dance – a perspective of bones, a musical bath,
Dancing is like a perspective of our bones, where we immerse ourselves into a musical pool.
It's clearing a path of one's own,
Dancing helps us discover our own unique path.
Blue jeans and muscle or crinoline rustle,
Dancing can be done by anyone, regardless of their physique or attire.
You learn it in class or alone: to dance.
Dancing can be learned in a class or by oneself.
To dance – it's a gravity thing
Dancing is affected by gravity and our connection to the earth.
Shoes to the earth, pulling toward a verse that is beckoning,
We use our shoes to connect with the earth and move towards the music.
Oh, the dizzy effect of rhythm and sweat,
Dancing can be intoxicating and can make us sweat.
Flying like a kid in a swing,
Dancing can make us feel free and light, like a child on a swing.
Arms in a moment's unworried connection,
When dancing with someone, our arms can connect without any worries.
A telling of hearts, where they don't need protection,
Through dancing, our hearts can communicate without any need for protection.
A journey in place; a private affection to share.
Dancing can take us on a journey without us having to leave our place, and can be a private way to share affection with someone.
To dance is swimming in time,
Dancing is like moving through time and space.
Where passion in public and prudence can somehow align,
Dancing allows us to express our passion in public without losing our sense of prudence.
Moving like lovers on top of the covers,
Dancing can feel like making love on top of the covers.
And everyone knows it's alright to dance,
Dancing is universally accepted as something that is acceptable and desirable to do.
Touch without touching; love without grieving,
Dancing allows us to touch without physically touching, and love without feeling any grief.
Hold on and let go without anyone leaving,
When dancing, we can hold on to someone and let go without feeling abandoned or rejected.
All of it part of the beat you're receiving and sending back out through your feet,
When dancing, we receive the beat of the music and send it back out through our feet.
In itself, it's complete,
Dancing is a complete experience in and of itself.
And, God, it is sweet to dance.
Dancing is a sweet and enjoyable experience.
To dance – the movement confides limbs in a language spoken in three quarter time,
Dancing is like a language spoken by our limbs, moving in time to the music.
And it's suddenly gone at the end of the song,
The experience of dancing is fleeting and ends when the song ends.
And you know you were safe all along to dance,
Through dancing, we feel safe and secure the entire time.
To dance, to dance.
Dancing is a joyful experience that we want to keep doing.
Contributed by Kennedy H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.