Originally from the Atlanta, Georgia suburb of Snellville, Sam Heilig's early influences came from all corners - his parents' love of oldies stations, his older brothers' embrace of alternative rock, and his own love of Top 40 radio. Reminisces Heilig,"I always loved music, and I always wanted to play the guitar. The summer after eighth grade, a friend taught me how to read some tabs and I learned my first song. I went home and immediately asked for a guitar for my birthday."
And as his often bloody fingers would testify, Heilig got that guitar. A veracious learner, he dug deep into the music of his favorite artists, including folks like Dave Matthews and Jack Johnson. "As I learned songs that I liked from others, I began to develop a deeper understanding of the craft of songwriting. During the Spring of my senior year of high school, it finally began to click a little bit to put melodies over chord structures, and I just went from there."
Beyond the lure of pop music on the radio, Heilig was also deeply influenced by a much smaller, less well-known community of songwriters in the Atlanta area centered around Young Life, an outreach ministry for high school students. In general, these artists approached songwriting from an angle concerned less with superstardom and more with communicating love, hope, and joy to others through their songs. Among these songwriters was producer/engineer Paul Reeves. "Paul was doing music at a camp I attended when I was in high school, and afterwards, I got in touch with him to see if I could get some tips on writing songs. We ended up talking for an hour or so on the phone."
Now that you're caught up, let's fast forward things a few years. As it turns out, that phone call proved to be an important step in Heilig's journey. What began as a conversation about songwriting eventually became a friendship, and during the fall of 2009, Heilig set up camp at Reeves' Domus Studio in Athens, GA to record the five tracks that eventually became Between Here and Home. "It all happened so fast that I still don't know what to think of it," muses Heilig. "Paul and I first talked about the possibility at the end of the summer, and after that, we were off and running." After a whirlwind of activity and preproduction - including a successful crowd-funding campaign through Kickstarter.com - Heilig ended 2009 with a recording ready to mix and a lot of gratitude. "I have to look at it like it's a gift instead of something I've done on my own," he says.
Clocking in at under twenty minutes total, Heilig manages to cram a lot of life into a relatively small amount of time. From the upbeat, driving "Made to Love" about Heilig's own relationship with God to the fictitious story of a real man living near his street ("Henry"), Heilig emerges as a songwriter of considerable depth and width, especially for his debut release. "This is really about where I've come from versus where I'm going," he says. "It's about knowing that there's hope amongst the depravity, that ultimately love wins out. That's what I've seen in my own life and in the lives of others."
Now that we know where "here" is; what lies between this place and home? "I think that the Lord has given me a passion for music, and he's given me a gift. And I believe that we are to instinctually chase those passions and to use those gifts that he's given us to glorify him. So because of that, I get to do this thing that he's given me the ability to do to spread the gospel and joy and love. I'm just going to try my best to continue to look at all of this as a gift. I think that will be contagious. I hope to be able to write songs the way I want to write them, and if it's supposed to thrive, then it will."
And there it is. While nothing can be said for certain, Heilig will most certainly continue to embrace the journey, pursuing the gifts and passions he has received, and trusting that wherever he may find himself on this path, he is never - in fact - lost.
Henry
Sam Heilig Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In sixty three years, Henry′s seen more than his fair share
People, they come and go, but one thing stays the same
The world's still cold
But Henry believes, and he just won′t give up on this
Love, covered up
Underneath all the thorns and the brush
Hope's enough til the flood
People asked Henry how he could claim so boldly
He said it's as simple as the woman standing in front of me
The beauty she holds
It makes me believe, and I just can′t give up on this
Love, covered up
Underneath all the thorns and the brush
Hope′s enough til the flood
Has washed them away and all that remains is this love
It's hard to see past the trees
When your eyes can′t believe
But Henry, his spirit won't break
Stormy seas, desert heat
Up above, or beneath
Nothing can stand up to
Love, it′s a flood
Ripping right through all the thorns and the brush
Oh this love, rising up
Will wash them away til all that remains is this love
The song "Henry" by Sam Heilig tells the story of a man named Henry who at 63 years old has seen his fair share of hardships and difficult times in the world. Despite all that he has witnessed, Henry still believes in the power of love and refuses to give up on it. The song focuses on how Henry's beliefs in love are shaped by the beauty of the woman standing in front of him.
The lyrics convey a sense of hope and resilience, despite the obstacles that one may face in life. Love is portrayed as a force that can overcome even the toughest of thorns and brush, and can wash away all that remains until only love is left. Henry's belief in love is unwavering, and he sees the beauty in the world despite its coldness. He finds hope in love even when it's covered up, and sees it as a powerful force that can heal any wound.
Overall, "Henry" speaks to the human desire for love and the need to believe in something greater than oneself. It is a reminder that even when life is difficult, love is always present, waiting to be uncovered and embraced.
Line by Line Meaning
In sixty three years, Henry's seen more than his fair share
Henry has seen a lot of things in his lifetime
People, they come and go, but one thing stays the same
People are transient, but some things never change
The world's still cold
The world can be a harsh place
But Henry believes, and he just won't give up on this
Despite the world's hardships, Henry remains steadfast in his belief
Love, covered up
Love can be hidden or obscured
Underneath all the thorns and the brush
Love can be found amid the difficulties and challenges of life
Hope's enough til the flood
As long as there is hope, even in difficult times, love can persist
Has washed them away and all that remains is this love
After the hardships have cleared, love remains
People asked Henry how he could claim so boldly
People questioned Henry's unwavering belief in love
He said it's as simple as the woman standing in front of me
To Henry, the love he had for a particular woman was all the proof he needed
The beauty she holds
Henry saw beauty in the woman he loved
It makes me believe, and I just can't give up on this
The beauty of love gives Henry the strength to hold onto it
It's hard to see past the trees
It can be difficult to see the bigger picture
When your eyes can't believe
When you struggle to believe in something
But Henry, his spirit won't break
Despite difficulty, Henry's spirit remains unbroken
Stormy seas, desert heat
No matter what circumstances arise
Up above, or beneath
In all situations, love endures
Nothing can stand up to
Nothing is stronger than
Love, it's a flood
Love can sweep through life like a flood
Ripping right through all the thorns and the brush
Love can overcome all obstacles
Oh this love, rising up
Love can rise above any difficulties
Will wash them away til all that remains is this love
Love can wash away difficulties, leaving only itself behind
Contributed by Ethan H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.