Merritt's father taught her guitar chords and Percy Sledge songs. She began her professional career in 1998 with her band The Carbines playing small clubs. In her early twenties, though Tift had gigged by herself, she decided she was not very good at music and better suited for writing short stories. She and her dog Lucy started school at UNC to study creative writing. There, she met Zeke Hutchins, whose band had just taken a hiatus and who had decided to become a school teacher. With his encouragement and a big box of LPs from the 70's that they both liked, they started a band. Zeke set drums up in the kitchen of Tift's farmhouse on the outskirts of town, and they practiced songs at her red piano. The Carbines played Chapel Hill haunts like the Cave, the Cat's Cradle, and the front porch of the General Store in Bynum, NC. Tift also made a guest appearance on the Two Dollar Pistols with Tift Merritt EP.
In 2000, Tift won Merlefest's Chris Austin Songwriting contest, and with the help of Ryan Adams, found herself with a manager and a recording contract with Lost Highway records. The band headed to LA to record her first release, Bramble Rose, in 2002, produced by Ethan Johns. The record landed on Time Magazine's and New Yorker's top ten lists and was called the best debut of the year in any genre by the Associated Press. Tambourine followed in 2004. Produced by George Drakoulias, featuring Mike Campbell of the Hearbreakers on guitar, Tambourine was a soul-rock throw down, Grammy-nominated for Country Album of the Year, even though it was really not a country album. It was also nominated for three Americana Music Awards. The tour opened for Elvis Costello, recorded Austin City Limits, releasing the performance as a live DVD, and made Home Is Loud, a document of the tour's homecoming concert in Raleigh, NC. As the tour was winding down, Tift ran away to Paris looking for her mojo and, without intending to, started writing songs that would become Another Country. Another Country was released on Fantasy Records in 2008, again with George Drakoulias and her longtime band at the helm. Buckingham Solo, recorded in England, is an intimate concert behind Another Country, released on Fantasy in April 2009. Also in 2009, Tift had her first art exhibit, Other Countries, bringing the journals and pictures behind Another Country to light.
Tift also produces The Spark for KRTS Marfa, Texas Public Radio. The Spark explores the real lives and processes of the people behind great works of art. Guests have included writer Nick Hornby, artist Kiki Smith, songstress and Merge co-founder Mac MCCaughan. Emmylou Harris, when asked about Tift, said, “I first heard Tift Merritt some years ago during a writer's night at a small club in Nashville. She stood out like a diamond in a coal patch, and everyone there knew she carried a promise of great things to come.”
In 2009, Tift married longtime collaborator Zeke Hutchins. They lived in a small Greenwich Village apartment in NYC, and later divorced.
Traveling Alone, her fifth studio album, was recorded in Brooklyn and featuring guest spots from Marc Ribot, Andrew Bird, and others, was released in the fall of 2012.
Her sixth studio Stitch of the World was released in 2017. According to the review in Pop Matters, "The stories surrounding Stitch of the World, Tift Merritt's most recent album, make up their narrative, with divorce, relocation, and childbirth at the center of the tale... But Merritt's gift for the record has been to write a series of songs that sound personal without relying on anything autobiographical... the songs are individual, a capturing of Merritt's vision that's unguarded and inviting without being limited."
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After Today
Tift Merritt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I finally got all eyes on me.
My daddy made my sentencing,
Now there's a first for everything.
Don't ask me what comes after today.
Don't ask me what comes after today.
Sweet Emily's eyes are all I am thinking of.
You must be proud your conscience is clean.
I'm just what you'd expect I'd be.
There's plenty bad to be said for me,
But I never been your judge, I never been your judge.
Don't ask me what comes after today.
Don't ask me what comes after today.
Sweet Emily's eyes are all I am thinking of.
Don't ask me what comes after today.
What's yours to take for free out round here
Is a bullet and a hundred years.
But dream a dream might not be yours,
Keep your head down, boy, keep your head down, boys.
Don't ask me what comes after today.
Don't ask me what comes after today.
Sweet Emily's eyes are all I am thinking of.
Don't ask me what comes after today.
Nobody means for the gun to off, nobody wants it this way.
Nobody sees how the deal went bad but the ones living it everyday.
Up on 145th,
You can see the bridge but you can't cross the way.
I been scared before, I've been scared before,
No matter what you are, you get used to the chains.
No matter who you are, you get used your chains.
Don't ask me what comes after today.
Don't ask me what comes after today.
Sweet Emily's eyes are all I will be thinking of.
Don't ask me what comes after today.
Tift Merritt’s song “After Today” dives deep into the themes of guilt, sorrow, and apprehension about the future. The opening verse sets the tone of the song as the singer reflects on feeling like she may not make it to 18 years old, but now she’s survived and all eyes are on her. She mentions that her father has been the one to sentence her, which shows the internal conflict she feels about her role in the world. The chorus emphasizes the uncertainty of the future as she urges not to ask questions about it. Instead, she fixates on “sweet Emily’s eyes” as a source of comfort and stability amidst chaotic times.
The second verse gets more personal as the singer seems to be addressing someone who holds themselves above her for being morally superior. She acknowledges that she’s done bad things, but reminds them that they haven’t been in her shoes and haven’t had to make the decisions she has. The line “I never been your judge” is a subtle nod to the idea of not judging others without knowing their full story. The third verse delves into the idea of the American dream not being possible for everyone, despite it being advertised as such. The line “keep your head down, boy” is a reminder of the harsh reality of the world and the limitations that exist for people in certain socioeconomic situations.
Overall, “After Today” is a moving and haunting indie-folk song that captures the pain of growing up in a world filled with uncertainty and inequality.
Line by Line Meaning
I never thought I'd see eighteen.
I had doubts whether I would make it to my eighteen-year-old self.
I finally got all eyes on me.
I have finally gained the attention I always craved for.
My daddy made my sentencing,
My father was responsible for my punishment and discipline.
Now there's a first for everything.
It's a first for me to experience that kind of discipline.
Don't ask me what comes after today.
I am uncertain of what the future holds.
Sweet Emily's eyes are all I am thinking of.
I am constantly thinking about Emily.
You must be proud your conscience is clean.
You must be proud that you haven't taken part in any wrongdoing.
I'm just what you'd expect I'd be.
I have acted in accordance to what I am expected to be.
There's plenty bad to be said for me,
There are numerous negative things that can be said about me.
But I never been your judge, I never been your judge.
Despite what people may say about me, I have never judged you.
What's yours to take for free out round here
What you can easily take here without a price tag is a bullet and a hundred lost years.
Is a bullet and a hundred years.
The only thing available here for free is a lot of risk and potential imprisonment.
But dream a dream might not be yours,
Having a dream might come with its risks and consequences.
Keep your head down, boy, keep your head down, boys.
Keep yourself grounded and stay away from trouble.
Nobody means for the gun to off, nobody wants it this way.
No one intended for things to go this bad.
Nobody sees how the deal went bad but the ones living it everyday.
No one can truly understand how things have gone wrong except for those who are experiencing it.
Up on 145th,
Refers to a location called 145th.
You can see the bridge but you can't cross the way.
There's an obvious solution, but it is not within reach.
I been scared before, I've been scared before,
I have experienced fear many times before.
No matter what you are, you get used to the chains.
No matter who you are, you can adjust to a limiting and restrictive lifestyle.
No matter who you are, you get used your chains.
Regardless of one's background, one can get accustomed to their confinement.
Sweet Emily's eyes are all I will be thinking of.
Even in the future, I will continue to think about Emily.
Don't ask me what comes after today.
I am still not certain of my future after today.
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: TIFT MERRITT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind