"The Wonder You Bring . . ."

Something special this Good Friday evening for The Wild Reed's "music night." It's "Goodbye, Old World," a track from Emmylou Harris' latest album, Hard Bargain, to be released next Tuesday, April 26, 2011.

I think this song and its accompanying video are quite appropriate for Easter, that ancient springtime celebration of new beginnings that has deep roots in humanity's spiritual heritage and is powerfully expressed in a number of different religions. As you'll see, a cross features rather prominently in the video, and while the lyrics speak hauntingly of the sadness and weariness of this "old world," they also convey hope in a "child" who "softens the sorrow" so that we can "greet the new day with the wonder you bring."

I had the pleasure and honor of seeing Emmylou Harris in concert in August 2001 at the Historic State Theater in downtown Minneapolis. Without doubt she's a gifted singer/song writer and a mesmerizing performer. This past Tuesday she was a guest on Tavis Smiley's PBS show, and as I watched and listened to her being interviewed, I was reminded once again of what a beautiful person she is on multiple levels. I think the following video conveys not only this beauty but the wonder Emmylou Harris herself brings to this "old world."

Sometimes I feel like I'm drowning in teardrops
My eyes are so tired of the trouble I've seen
Then you fell from the heavens right into this sad place
Remembering God for a while in your dreams
And you look to me now so I greet a new day
With the eyes of a child and the wonder you bring

So goodnight old world
See you tomorrow
We rise with the sun
And fall with the sparrow
But here is this child
To soften the sorrow
Goodnight old world
Old world goodnight

You fell from the heavens right into this sad place
Remembering God for a while in your dreams
And you look to me now so I greet the new day
With the eyes of a child and the wonder you bring

So goodnight old world
See you tomorrow
We rise with the sun
And fall with the sparrow
But here is this child
To soften the sorrow
Goodnight old world
Old world goodnight

Goodnight old world
Old world goodnight

Following, with added images and links, is an article from National Public Radio about Emmylou and the making of Hard Bargain.

Emmylou Harris is the first to admit that songwriting doesn't come easy for her: "It's the fear of writing that's still there with me," she said recently. Harris found inspiration for her newest set of songs in the lives of old friends, in the 1955 story of Emmett Till, and even at the dog pound. Hard Bargain, her 21st studio album, tells a batch of stories in her own words, while bringing her serene grace and light touch to some heavy topics.

Harris was an aspiring folksinger in the early '70s when she met Gram Parsons, who taught her about country music, harmony singing and life on the road. "The Road" kicks off Hard Bargain — out April 26 — with a fond remembrance of Parsons, whom she humbly calls "the only reason I'm here, or that anyone is interested in what I say or do." Harris turns their story into a universal look at forging friendships that turn out to have a lifelong impact.

Part of that impact has been Harris' career-long habit of defying genres and boundaries — and, like her previous releases, Hard Bargain frames her thoughts in folk, country and rock. Producer and collaborator Jay Joyce adds modern, quirky touches to simple arrangements that bring Harris' lilting voice front and center.

After Parsons, Harris gives similar respect to the late Kate McGarrigle, Canadian songwriter and mother to Rufus and Martha Wainwright. "Darlin' Kate" is a goodbye letter to her dear friend, who lost her battle with cancer last year.

The range of Hard Bargain continues from the somber to the serious with "New Orleans" (someone had to rhyme "hurricane" and "Pontchartrain"), and on to the sweet with "Big Black Dog." And, amid her own stories, Harris continues to share her gift for finding great songs from other writers. The Ron Sexsmith-penned title track is one of two covers — the other is Joyce's "Cross Yourself."

After a career that's seen 12 Grammys and inductions into the Country Music Hall of Fame and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Harris chooses to spend her time as a working musician, a "road dog" who still loves the life of recording and touring, because that's all part of the bargain.

To listen to Hard Bargain in its entirety, visit this page on the NPR website.




For more of Emmylou Harris at The Wild Reed, see the previous post:
"Here I Am" – The Lenten Response