He attended Monterey High School in Lubbock, Texas. His contemporaries at Monterey High School included Butch Hancock, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely, Jo Harvey Allen and Jo Carol Pierce. Trained as an architect, he received a B.F.A. from the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles. His art has been supported by three NEA grants and a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship. His work Trees (the music, literary and third trees) is installed on the campus of the University of California San Diego as part of the Stuart Collection. His artwork has been featured at the L.A. Louver art gallery in Venice, California.
Terry Allen is represented by Gallery Paule Anglim in San Francisco, CA. His works are represented in the collections of many international museums including the New York Museum of Modern Art, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Nelson/Atkins Museum in Kansas City, the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, l’Espace Lyonnais d'Art Contemporain, Musee Saint Pierre, Lyon, France, the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Dallas Museum of Art, and the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art.
Terry Allen recorded eight albums during the years 1979 to 2004 and collaborated with David Byrne on the soundtrack for Byrne's movie True Stories. Allen's music is far from traditional. A quote attributed to Allen states: "People tell me it's country music, and I ask, 'Which country?'" Allmusic calls his 1979 release, Lubbock (On Everything), "one of the finest country albums of all time" and a progenitor of the alt-country movement
Bloodlines
Terry Allen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She is a mountain
And her breast
It touch the sky
And my father
He is a river
Running through her
Sweet bye and bye
She is a songbird
And she's singing in her flight
And my brother
He is a moonbeam
Failing on her in the night
There is a river
Run through the mountains
Under moonlight
Hear the song
Of the bloodlines
Gone long before me
And ever after… Moving on
Ever after…moving on
Terry Allen's song Bloodlines is a poignant reflection on family and ancestry. The lyrics conjure an image of the singer's mother as a powerful figure, a mountain, with breasts that touch the sky. The father is represented as a river, running through the mother, his movements in harmony with hers. The singer's sister is a songbird, singing a sweet tune as she flies, while the brother is a moonbeam, illuminating the mother's form in the darkness of night. The river that runs through the mountains is, therefore, a part of the family's history and legacy, a symbol of its long lineage, and the song we hear is the song of the ancestors, who have long gone before us.
The refrain of "ever after... moving on," perhaps symbolizes the idea of legacy and continuity, a recognition that the past is always present and that we are constantly moving towards the future. The idea of moving on is also present in the image of the river, always moving forward, even as the mountains remain still. Bloodlines is a song of reverence for past generations and a reminder to live in a way that honours them, by embracing the richness of life and always moving forward.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh my mother
The singer is talking about his/her mother.
She is a mountain
The singer compares his/her mother to a mountain to emphasize her strength and immovability.
And her breast
The singer refers to his/her mother's chest.
It touch the sky
The artist uses hyperbole to emphasize the grandeur and vastness of his/her mother's presence.
And my father
The artist is talking about his/her father.
He is a river
The singer compares his/her father to a river, emphasizing his fluidity and constant movement.
Running through her
The singer is saying that his/her father runs through the mother, possibly meaning the unity or connection between them.
Sweet bye and bye
The artist uses this phrase as a way of saying 'in the future or the afterlife.'
And my sister
The artist is talking about his/her sister.
She is a songbird
The artist compares his/her sister to a bird, emphasizing her freedom and musicality.
And she's singing in her flight
The singer describes his/her sister as a bird in flight, singing as she goes. This is probably another metaphor for freedom and joy.
And my brother
The artist is talking about his/her brother.
He is a moonbeam
The singer compares his/her brother to a moonbeam, possibly emphasizing his ethereal or magical qualities.
Failing on her in the night
The singer describes the brother (moonbeam) 'failing on her (mother).' This may mean shining his light down like a spotlight, or simply connecting them as a family unit.
There is a river
The singer refers to a river.
Run through the mountains
The artist describes the river running through the mountains, using nature imagery to emphasize the interconnectedness of everything.
Under moonlight
The artist describes the river as it appears under the moonlight, possibly emphasizing the beauty or mystery of it all.
Hear the song
The singer asks the listener to 'hear the song.' This likely refers to the song of the bloodlines, or the history and heritage that has come before.
Of the bloodlines
The singer is referring to the history of his/her family, and the traits and qualities that have been passed down through generations.
Gone long before me
The artist acknowledges the passage of time and all the ancestors who have come before him/her.
And ever after… Moving on
The artist acknowledges that life goes on, and the bloodlines will continue on into the future.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: TERRY ALLEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lila Charalabatou
Very good!