Iris DeMent - Out Of The Fire Lyrics

Holy Shit! That got to me.

i am 70 and canadian ,i just discoverd this songstress an hour ago ,,i have listened thru my headphones a true folk singer ,,,,thank you for posting ,,,

Is she playing the piano, anybody know?

Finally got to see Iris perform last year. Thank you Good Lord for helping me cross a big one off the list.

I don't listen to cry though sometimes I might I listen as it is memories for me I feel as though I was there with her

Wow. A tour de force. What a voice.

Her Voice just makes me sad and the words to the song Don't help either my volume is at its highest and if this don't say how loud it is well then try 4 desables on a pioneer home stereo with 8 other speakers

Haunting ,like a Voice in the Desert.
It will be just a whisper soon,and just the wind over your dried bones .
Like your offspring i mean.

Brings back my childhood as mom would sing and we all tried to sing along

Meravellosa veu i música, vaig descobrir aquesta dona ara fa uns 6 mesos i em fascina cada vegada que l'escolto...

Every single time..... perfect

Just lovely.

a star in the country night.soulful. the best. don't ever stop.

I've listened to this masterpiece so many times. Feels the same every single time.

She's soo good....that voice tears me apart....

this is absolutely brilliant...! very deep poetry... with a voice like rain...

I absolutely adore this

This lady is a class so far above todays popular singers as to be unmeasurable! She just keeps getting better and better.

Such a brilliant writer whose voice touches the soul.

First heard her perform "Our Town" on Austin City Limits long ago. I've been in love with her ever since.

Haunting! I discovered Iris only recently and I am saddened about all the lost time. From an avid listener in Australia.

My husband just made the same statement. How in the word did we miss her talent all these years? Now we are two avid listeners in Kentucky, U.S.A.

one of her best

Thank you very much !!! such beautiful !!! Such a voice !!! it get me goose bumps !!!! And not only this one of course. I heard her first time singing with John Prine.

Why can't we appreciate what we have? 37,444 views in three and a half years.

Over 104,000 just two years later in 2018. Iris is taking off before our very ears and minds.

I don't know why Iris hasn't gotten the recognition she deserves.
Her voice and songs will haunt you and touch your soul so
deeply, you cannot keep from weeping.

I couldn't have said it better, Singmeluv, her voice is indeed, haunting, heartfelt and pure...that is real emotion and soul.

not dark yet , have the the same impact on me

amazing !

Exquisite.

amazing , thank you for sharing

Wow!!! Brought me to tears.

+Nennine1 Tears d'ont lie. Wish you do not have to cry alone...

That was sweet.  Thank you.

+Nennine1 Your tears are a sign of a good and sensitive heart. Love is the reason of life. One drop of love is more than a ocean of mind

A searing fire it is. Iris draws on four autobiographical vignettes to open questions of universal poignance and power.

She summons memories of a trusting child who knew she would always wind up safely (headin' back home) when years ago her Grandpa's old truck stalled (on a gravel back road) with little Iris and her Mama inside; with just the first intimations of the death and loss to come (and an autumn leaf scraped its way 'cross the road). As a young woman she asks whether life is better understood through rational/philosophical inquiry (all the fine words our poets have said) or the emotional acquiescence of her much earlier song “Let the Mystery Be”-- newly phrased (Does one matter more? Does one matter less? Who of us can say?). This leads to a third event, the questioning of faith, a faith that engendered two fine, loving parents and framed most of Iris's life. She is disturbed to lose any part of this bedrock connection to parents whose tears wet many a revival tent's ground. But she acknowledges without mockery the value of faith in a supernal love that has brought millions safely home and vows to continually express that love in her songs (deep in the pain, strong in the love. Singing my prayer to heaven above, heartfelt and true). Finally, she faces the loss of a loved one (without the dream of holding you tight, my days turned to black) then rises phoenix-like from the fire of heart-rending loss and pain. With a child's faith, a woman's acceptance, and the mature awareness that life just may be understood someday, she presses on. And with her lovely phrase (I shook from my wings the ash from the pyre) she is once again resolutely heading home as she did on that gravel back road, tucked safely between Grandpa and Mama.

i see you presume to know it all... but this song may have many meanings to each and every listener... save your proposed intelligent meanings for your classroom of children who actually believe you know something...

Worth Middleton, appreciated reading your analysis, thank you.

I too appreciate you taking time to share your analysis. I believe Iris' apparent struggle with faith sensitizes her to the complex disappointments in life in a way that more self-assured people are unable to grasp.

@impactbluev It is too bad that you have no appreciation for those who love Iris and feel free to do their own critiquing. Sad that it made you uncomfortable. She was sharing, not preaching to you, you are b grown up and you can skip over whatever you wish. There is no need for your arrogance when one is merely trying to express themselves. I do not like you impactbluev

@Kathleen Wildey i just dont like to be preached to about something that has different meanings to all.. btw i love iris dement...

Denise, we never shared a live. But I love you since we went to scool together.. Now we are 54 and my love for you never faded away, it became stronger every day. You are all I ever dreamed of... Still hoping and praying to hold you in my arms one day. My love for you will last longer than space and time. And when I have to go one day, my last thought will be with you, whishing you will holding my hand...

I Can Absolutely Relate... I am Widowed since Age 49... 8 years... But Jesus is Bringing Me Out of the Pyre... Thank You... Iris... Very Sincerely , Christopher... "WARRIOR FOR CHRIST"

love Iris what is there to say one of the greatest voice;s hope to see iris in person some day.

This Song Is So Beauitful, It Sure MakesThe Brain Think Back In Time, Thank You Iris & Thanks To Whom Posted this Song, This is a song that will be saved no matter how I do it .

Did not know Iris had new music.  What a wonderful surprise.  I have not quite appreciated the whole meaning of this song but ... the line "Folks too far down to hang back in pride"  strikes a deep cord in me and I suspect many others.  God bless you Iris.

I've loved Iris for a long time and there have been times when she's helped me cry because I couldn't do it by myself. I sometimes ask myself how she does it, where does it come from? The writing.. Deep, real, raw, honest. What a woman. What a beautiful song. And what a very fine album.

+Pamela McClure There are not many, who can touch a heart like iris can do it. She brings back all the memories of the love ones we lost ore the one, i love and never could hold in my arms...

My favorite is Walkin Home. Gut-wrenchingly beautiful, can't listen without crying.

I never like to categorise performers I suppose the nearest Iris could be classed as would be country, and that is and insult when you consider Taylor Swift originally was called a country singer she was never more than a very bad to ordinary pop singer which also applies to so many modern singers male and female

Thanks for the nice comment. This song is from Iris's new album "Sing the Delta".
Her voice and performance really seem not of this world. If given the chance, you should go to one of her concerts, she'll give you goosebumps!

Jesus,that was good.

Achingly beautiful!!!
Thank you for posting it.