Crowell was born in Houston, Texas to James Walter Crowell and Addie Cauzette Willoughby. A contemporary of Steve Earle and, like Earle, influenced by the (songwriting) greats Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt, Crowell played guitar and sang for three years in Emmylou Harris' "Hot Band".
He was married to Rosanne Cash (daughter of famous singer/guitarist Johnny Cash) from 1979 to 1992 and had a great influence on her career, producing most of her albums during that period. They collaborated on a number of duets, including 1988's "It's Such a Small World." Though Crowell and Cash are now divorced, they remain on friendly terms, performing together occasionally. Six years after the breakdown of his marriage to Rosanne he married Claudia Church.
Although best known as a songwriter and alternative country artist, Crowell enjoyed mainstream popularity during the late 1980s and early 1990s. His critically acclaimed album, 1988's Diamonds and Dirt, produced five No. 1 hits during a 17-month span in 1988 and 1989: "It's Such a Small World" (a duet with Cash), "I Couldn't Leave You If I Tried," "She's Crazy for Leaving," "After All This Time" and "Above and Beyond." His follow-up album, 1989's "Keys to the Highway," produced two top 5 hits in 1990, which were "Many a Long and Lonesome Highway" and "If Looks Could Kill."
As Crowell's popularity in mainstream country faded, he continued his prolific songwriting. In 2001 he released The Houston Kid on Sugar Hill Records. Many songs on the album were semi-autobiographical, and the album included a duet with Crowell's ex father-in-law Johnny Cash on "I Walk the Line (Revisited)". Initially, Cash was annoyed at Crowell changing the tune to his song, but he came to like the finished product. Crowell followed up this effort with Fate's Right Hand in 2003 and The Outsider in 2005. Crowell considers these three albums his finest work as a solo artist.
2004 saw the release of The Notorious Cherry Bombs, a reunion of The Notorious Cherry Bombs, a group that existed briefly in the 1970s with Rodney Crowell, Vince Gill, Tony Brown, and others. The future Keith Urban hit "Making Memories of Us" was included on this disc.
In 2005, Crowell served as producer for established Irish singer/songwriter Kieran Goss on the album Blue Sky Sunrise.
Ignorance Is The Enemy
Rodney Crowell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In our time of fear
Grant us the wisdom
Your message for to hear
Send down Your angel band
To fill Your hearts with power
Oh Mother, oh Father
Ignorance is the enemy
And it fills your head with lies
It's the kind of bliss that can make you miss
The very truth before your eyes
It's not who's right or wrong
Weak or strong, black or white you see
Ignorance is the enemy
And it's keeping you from me
Forgive me all my pettiness
Forgive me all my greed
Forgive me for I know not how
To live this life I lead
Ignorance is the enemy
Let's set the record straight
If history must repeat itself
Why worry while you wait
It's a perfect blue and beautiful world
You treat with such disdain
Ignorance is the enemy
And It can only bring you pain
Forgive me all my vanity
Forgive me my conceit
Forgive me when I'm crawling
Like a beggar at Your feet
Ignorance is the enemy
And it wields a mighty sword
It can cut you down in a blaze of glory
It can nail you to a board
If mercy and compassion only had a chance
It could fill these holes we've dug
But ignorance is the enemy
And it's working like a drug
Oh Mother, oh Father
In our time of fear
Grant us the wisdom
Your message for to hear
Send down Your angel band
To fill our hearts with power
Oh Mother, oh Father
In our darkest hour
The song "Ignorance Is The Enemy" is a plea to a higher power - a mother and father figure - for guidance and wisdom in times of fear and darkness. The lyrics acknowledge the power of ignorance, which can fill people's minds with lies and prevent them from seeing the truth. The song seems to be a call for people to look beyond their differences, such as race or socio-economic status, and recognize that ignorance is the true enemy that keeps them from understanding one another. The lyrics suggest that forgiveness and the rejection of vanity and conceit can help us to overcome this enemy and live in a more compassionate, merciful world.
Throughout the song, there are moments of desperation, as the singer seems lost and unsure of how to live the life they lead. They admit to petty acts and greed, and ask for forgiveness for not knowing how to make things right. At the heart of the song is a sense of hope - that even though ignorance may be a powerful force, wisdom and love can ultimately win out.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh Mother, oh Father
The singer summons God to hear their plea.
In our time of fear
The singer acknowledges that they are going through a difficult time.
Grant us the wisdom
The singer asks for divine intervention to help them find wisdom.
Your message for to hear
The singer wants to hear God's message to help them find guidance.
Send down Your angel band
The singer asks for angels to come help them.
To fill Your hearts with power
The angels will bring power to the singer's heart.
In our darkest hour
Despite the darkness, the singer still believes in God's support.
Ignorance is the enemy
The singer is making a commentary on the destructive power of ignorance.
And it fills your head with lies
Ignorance leads to a distorted view of the world.
It's the kind of bliss that can make you miss
Ignorance can give a feeling of happiness, but it can hinder the truth that needs to be seen.
The very truth before your eyes
Ignorance blinds people to the truth.
It's not who's right or wrong
The singer is stating that it does not matter who is right or wrong in a situation.
Weak or strong, black or white you see
No matter who someone is or what they look like, ignorance affects everyone.
And it's keeping you from me
Ignorance is preventing people from coming together.
Forgive me all my pettiness
The singer is asking for forgiveness for being petty.
Forgive me all my greed
The singer is asking for forgiveness for being greedy and acknowledging their own flaws.
Forgive me for I know not how
The singer recognizes that they do not have all the answers.
To live this life I lead
The singer is struggling with living their life and is seeking help.
Let's set the record straight
The singer is calling for clarity regarding the truth.
If history must repeat itself
The singer is lamenting the fact that history seems to be repeating itself.
Why worry while you wait
The singer questions why someone would wait for something bad to happen before taking action.
It's a perfect blue and beautiful world
The singer is describing the world as a good place full of beauty.
You treat with such disdain
The singer accuses people of treating the world with disrespect.
And It can only bring you pain
The result of ignorance can only lead to suffering.
Forgive me all my vanity
The singer is asking for forgiveness for being vain and self-centered.
Forgive me my conceit
The singer is acknowledging their own arrogance and is asking for forgiveness.
Forgive me when I'm crawling
The singer is willing to humble themselves and asks for forgiveness when they need it.
Like a beggar at Your feet
The singer is willing to prostrate themselves before God.
And it wields a mighty sword
Ignorance is a powerful weapon that can cause great harm.
It can cut you down in a blaze of glory
Ignorance has the power to destroy someone, even with great force and fanfare.
It can nail you to a board
Ignorance can place people in a terrible position.
If mercy and compassion only had a chance
The singer wonders what the world would be like if people were only more compassionate and merciful.
It could fill these holes we've dug
Compassion and mercy could repair damage.
But ignorance works like a drug
The addictive sensation of ignorance keeps people hooked and unable to be empathic even when there is no benefit to this behavior.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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