Shindell's songwriting often involves storytelling from a first-person point of view: for example, from an INS officer and illegal immigrant in "Fishing", to a World War II soldier in "Sparrows Point", to a Confederate drummerboy in "Arrowhead", to an Argentine grandmother of Plaza de Mayo in "Abuelita", to a power broker in "Confession".
His first album was released in 1991. Shindell collaborated with Dar Williams, and Lucy Kaplansky to form the group Cry Cry Cry. On their eponymous 1998 album, Cry Cry Cry covered an eclectic mix of songwriters, from the famous R.E.M. to the lesser known folk singer James Keelaghan. The trio toured in support of their album, but later resumed their solo careers. They have not mentioned plans for future recordings, although Shindell and Kaplansky often appear on stage together. Shindell's "The Ballad of Mary Magdalen" (as performed by Cry Cry Cry) was used in the background during an ABC News Nightline report on The DaVinci Code.
Shindell's career received a boost in 1997 when Joan Baez recorded three of his songs ("Fishing", "Reunion Hill" and "Money for Floods") for her album Gone from Danger, and invited him to join her 1997-98 tour.
In 2000, Shindell released Somewhere Near Paterson (Signature Sounds), which quickly became his most successful release to date and established Shindell as one of the premier performing songwriters in popular music.
Somewhere Near Paterson was followed by Courier, the live reprise of many of Shindell’s best-loved songs, in support of which he continues to tour.
Also in 2000, Shindell and his family moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he recorded his latest album, Vuelta, released in 2004. He joined up with an Argentine group, Puente Celeste, to create a unique sound for his newest work.
He released Somewhere South of Delia, a record of cover songs, March 2007.
Discography:
Sparrows Point (1992)
Blue Divide (1995)
Reunion Hill (1997)
Somewhere Near Paterson (2000)
Courier (2002)
Vuelta (2004)
Somewhere South of Delia (2007)
Not Far Now (2009)
13 Songs You May Or May Not Have Heard Before (2011)
Tomorrow You're Going (2015), with Lucy Kaplansky
Careless (2016)
Ascent
Richard Shindell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I cannot be of help
But you see my situation
I don't recognize myself
It happened without reason
It happened just like that
I've no more information
Beyond the simple fact
There was never any warning
There was never any sign
It's just that I woke up this morning
And eternity was mine
Search my family history
Analyze my dreams
Expose my contradictions
Reduce me to the mean
What you find might be revealing
It might very well be true
But you don't know what you're dealing with
You haven't got a clue
There was never any warning
There was never any sign
It's just that I woke up this morning
And eternity was mine
God knows I don't deserve this
After all the pain I've caused
But do me one last service
Before I take that walk
Before my soul flies from this chamber
And heaven beckons me across
Read me what the Saviour said
To that thief upon the Cross
There was never any warning
There was never any sign
It's just that I woke up this morning
And eternity was mine
The singer of Richard Shindell's song Ascent is expressing their confusion about a recent change in their life. They are unable to explain what has happened, nor can they provide any information beyond the simple fact that something has fundamentally altered about them. The lyrics suggest that this change was sudden and without warning, as if the singer woke up one day to find that eternity was theirs.
The singer goes on to reflect on the meaning of their situation. They ask others to search their family history, analyze their dreams, and expose their contradictions, but they doubt that this will reveal anything of importance. They assert that others do not understand what they are dealing with and that there is no explanation for their situation. The lyrics suggest that the singer is resigned to their new reality, even though they feel they don't deserve it.
The singer asks for one last service before they pass on, to read them the words of the Saviour said to the thief upon the cross. This request may reflect the singer's search for meaning in their life and a desire for redemption. Overall, the lyrics to Ascent suggest a sense of loss and confusion coupled with a search for meaning and understanding.
Line by Line Meaning
I have no explanation
The singer is unable to provide any explanation or insight into his current situation.
I cannot be of help
The singer is unable to offer any assistance or aid to the person he is addressing.
But you see my situation
Despite the singer's inability to explain or offer help, the person he is addressing is able to perceive that something is wrong.
I don't recognize myself
The artist feels a sense of disorientation and disconnect from his own identity and self-perception.
It happened without reason
The artist is describing a sudden and unexpected change in his life that he cannot explain or understand.
It happened just like that
The change occurred suddenly and without any discernible cause or warning signs.
I've no more information
The singer has no further insight or details to offer about the situation he finds himself in.
Beyond the simple fact
The only thing the artist can state with certainty is that something has happened to him, and that this fact is simple and undeniable.
There was never any warning
The artist emphasizes that the sudden change he is describing was not predicted or anticipated in any way.
There was never any sign
The artist repeats that there were no indications or precursors to the dramatic change he has experienced.
It's just that I woke up this morning
The singer describes the moment of the change, emphasizing its suddenness and irreversibility.
And eternity was mine
The artist uses this phrase as a metaphor for a profound and lasting transformation or realization that has occurred in his life.
Search my family history
The singer challenges the person he is addressing to look for deeper causes or explanations for his situation, such as his family background.
Analyze my dreams
The singer suggests that his dreams, and perhaps his subconscious, may hold clues or insights into his situation.
Expose my contradictions
The singer asks the person he is addressing to look for conflicts or inconsistencies within his own beliefs or behaviors that may have contributed to his situation.
Reduce me to the mean
The artist implies that, in searching for explanations for his situation, he is willing to be stripped down to the simplest or most basic factors that may have played a role.
What you find might be revealing
The artist acknowledges that the search for explanations may uncover significant insights or revelations about his situation.
It might very well be true
The singer recognizes that some of the underlying factors that may have contributed to his situation may be difficult for him to face or accept, but they are nonetheless likely to be true.
But you don't know what you're dealing with
The singer warns the person he is addressing that his situation is complex and difficult to understand, and that any attempt to analyze it may be fraught with misunderstanding or misinterpretation.
God knows I don't deserve this
The artist expresses a sense of guilt or remorse for his past actions, and suggests that his current situation may be a kind of punishment or penance.
After all the pain I've caused
The artist implies that his current situation may be the result of past actions or transgressions that have led to a kind of karmic retribution.
But do me one last service
Despite his sense of guilt or remorse, the artist requests a final act of kindness or compassion from the person he is addressing.
Before I take that walk
The singer is likely referring to his own death, and implies that he is preparing for a final journey or transformation.
Before my soul flies from this chamber
The artist uses a metaphor for the moment of his death, suggesting that his soul will leave his body and pass into another realm beyond this life.
And heaven beckons me across
The singer implies that he is expecting an afterlife or some kind of divine judgment or transformation.
Read me what the Saviour said
The singer is likely requesting a final spiritual comfort or reassurance as he prepares to face his own mortality.
To that thief upon the Cross
The singer may be alluding to the biblical story of Jesus' crucifixion, where one of the criminals crucified alongside Jesus asks for forgiveness and is granted eternal salvation.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: RICHARD SHINDELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind