A good chunk of popular music’s real estate has been carved up along lines of age these last half-dozen decades, and we’re used to seeing young musicians aim exclusively for young audiences then flounder as they outgrow teenaged listeners’ tastes and concerns. Pan-generational mentoring and mingling has done much to insulate bluegrass from this coming-of-age quandary. Still, Sierra Hull is the rare soul to make it through these years entirely unscathed.
Secrets—the debut album she recorded at 15, and released at 16—struck the ear with sensibilities that seemed both seasoned and fresh; kids’ stuff this was not. Three years and a move from her family’s home in tiny Byrdstown, Ten. to Boston’s Berklee College of Music later, she’s followed with one of the most surefooted transitions into early adulthood put to record. Thirty seconds into the opening track, she sings a line that puts a fine point on it: “I’m not a child anymore.”
Of course, the evidence of Sierra’s uncommon maturity—musical and personal (one might say she embodies the perfect balance of humility and capability)—has been there all along, and won her formidable fans: by age 11, Alison Krauss had called with an invitation to the Opry stage; by 12, Rounder was expressing interest; first Ron Block and now Barry Bales have served as co-producers, and her studio bands have featured the cream of the contemporary bluegrass crop—Stuart Duncan, Randy Kohrs and Bryan Sutton this time, alongside members of Sierra’s own crack band Highway 111. Then there’s the fact that Berklee gave her the school’s most prestigious award, the Presidential Scholarship, a first for a bluegrass musician; her choice to accept it, to delay her dream of hitting the road full-time after high school in favor of expanding her musical worldview, was hardly a light one.
If ever the “child prodigy” label did Sierra justice, its usefulness has completely fallen away and a distinctive new identity emerged. What you hear on Daybreak is one of bluegrass’s few full-fledged virtuosic instrumentalist/singer/songwriters, and one who’s gracefully grown into her gifts. While her mandolin playing has always possessed clarity and fleet-fingered precision, here she attacks her solos with newfound spontaneity and depth of feeling; she calls it “playing with a point to prove.” Her singing—always straight and true—has more heartfelt power behind it, to results Bales describes, simply, as “doing the songs justice.”
As for the songs, Sierra’s first album held just a few originals, but she wrote seven of these twelve, a collection that stands up quite well next to the outside material. There’s a pair of sprightly instrumentals, her first-ever western swing number and several that show her emotional sophistication: in songs that fall squarely in the bluegrass tradition, feelings are out in the open; during country-leaning compositions, she ponders relationships from more introspective angles; and the title track—a breathtaking pop ballad—is the most ruminative moment of all.
Boundaries—age, genre or otherwise—don’t hamper an artist like Sierra. She’s already earned considerable respect in the bluegrass world, the IBMA’s voting members having nominated her for no fewer than five awards over three years—there’s a good chance she’ll be the first woman to win the mandolin category. But as a player, a singer and a songwriter, she also has remarkable range, the potential to win over ears unfamiliar with Bill Monroe and give performances of broad cultural importance, as she’s done at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and the National Prayer Breakfast. Matt Glaser—head of Berklee’s American Roots Music Program—put it this way: “She has no limitations as a musician.” Daybreak is certainly a noteworthy arrival; you can’t help but feel it’s also just the beginning.
- Jewly Hight, Nashville, Tennessee, January 2011
daybreak
Sierra Hull Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where love is all I feel when I see your face.
All I need to do is close my eyes and open my heart,
And let you move.
[Chorus]
Oh daybreak, something' bout daybreak,
Breaks my heart in so many ways.
And it's all that I can take, to make it through the day,
After daybreak.
When I see the sun,
It feels like my whole world has just come undone.
Cause I think of him, and how it seems our hearts just couldn't ever win,
And how it had to end.
[Chorus]
Just like daybreak – something' bout daybreak,
Breaks my heart in so many ways.
Oh daybreak, somethin' bout the way the day breaks,
And it's all that I can take, to make it through the day,
After daybreak.
[Bridge]
I close my eyes, and feel you alive.
Lord, help me find a way,
To face the day.
[Chorus]
Oh daybreak – something' bout daybreak,
Breaks my heart in so many ways.
Oh daybreak, somethin' bout the way the day breaks,
And it's all that I can take, to make it through the day,
After daybreak.
Take me to a place,
Where love is all I feel when I see your face.
Sierra Hull's song Daybreak is a heart-wrenching tune about the struggle of moving on after a broken relationship. The opening line "Take me to a place where love is all I feel when I see your face" expresses the yearning for a place where the memory of the loved one doesn't cause pain or heartbreak. The lyrics delve deep into the emotions associated with heartache and moving on. The chorus, "Oh daybreak, something 'bout daybreak, Breaks my heart in so many ways," uses the metaphor of a new day to convey the sense of hopelessness and despair of starting a new day without the loved one. The line "And it's all that I can take, to make it through the day, after daybreak" conveys how the feeling of heartache overwhelms and consumes the singer every day.
The second verse, "When I see the sun, It feels like my whole world has just come undone. Cause I think of him, and how it seems our hearts just couldn't ever win, And how it had to end," uses the imagery of the sun setting to further emphasize the pain of moving on. The line "how it seems our hearts just couldn't ever win" suggests that the relationship was doomed from the start, and there was no way to salvage it.
The bridge, "I close my eyes, and feel you alive. Lord, help me find a way, To face the day," is a plea to a higher power to provide the strength needed to face a new day. The lyrics culminate in the final repetition of the chorus, which reinforces the sense of hopelessness and heartbreak felt by the singer.
Overall, Daybreak is a poignant song that captures the emotional turmoil associated with moving on from a relationship. It uses powerful imagery and metaphors to convey the pain and despair felt by the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
Take me to a place
I want to be taken to a new place filled with love
Where love is all I feel when I see your face
I want to be in a place where seeing your face brings me nothing but love
All I need to do is close my eyes and open my heart
In this place, I only need to close my eyes and open my heart to experience love
And let you move
I want to be able to let go and let love lead me
Oh daybreak, something' bout daybreak
The morning light of daybreak holds a special meaning to me
Breaks my heart in so many ways
But the feelings that come with it are too much to bear and break my heart
And it's all that I can take, to make it through the day
The pain of daybreak is all I can handle in order to continue on with my day
When I see the sun
The sight of the sun brings up painful memories for me
It feels like my whole world has just come undone
My entire world feels like it's falling apart when I see the sun
And how it had to end
I am reminded of a past relationship that ended in heartbreak
I close my eyes, and feel you alive
When I close my eyes, I can feel the presence of someone I love who has passed away
Lord, help me find a way
I pray for guidance and strength to get through the pain of losing someone
To face the day
I need help to be strong enough to face a new day despite my grief
Contributed by Claire C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Bill Burner
she has stolen my heart I swear.
Mitch C.
Just an incredible talent in so many way's. Her hard work and superior dedication to her craft has paid off in big dividends for those of us who love her music.
theanalog808
Not sure how I came across this here in You Tube, but I had not heard of her before. Since discovering her 20 minutes ago, I have listened to this song 4 times in a row. I hope she becomes the star she deserves to be! What a sweet voice and a beautiful song.
Lex McLlellan
Thank you soooo much for uploading this beautiful song! I had been wishing it was on Youtube for a while so I could show it to my friends. :)))
Gator
Good job Sierra, Kill it!! A1 everytime...
Kandi Conn
So glad I clicked on your video...you are so very talented hope to see you on the bluegrass trail in Kentucky!!
ghawk250
I love your voice it! makes me feel so good. Thank You
Rihanna Wu
More than love! this is a meaningful song for me personally
charlie kim
she is so amazing
Soonf
Beautiful ! Sounds more and more alike Allison Krauss.