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Workin' On A World

by Iris DeMent

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1.
I got so down and troubled I nearly lost my head I started wakin’ every morning Filled with sadness, fear, and dread The world I took for granted Was crashing to the ground And I realized I might not live long enough To see it turn around But then I got to thinkin’ Of the ones who came before And all the sacrifices that they made To open up so many doors Doors I got to walk through On streets paved for me By people who were workin’ on a world They never got to see Now I’m workin’ on a world I may never see Joinin’ forces with the warriors of love Who came before and will follow you and me I get up in the mornin’ knowing I’m privileged to be Workin’ on a world I may never see I don’t have all the answers To the troubles of the day But neither did all our ancestors And they persevered anyway When I see a little baby Reaching out it’s arms to me I remember why I’m workin’ on a world I may never see
2.
I’m goin’ down to sing in Texas Where anybody can carry a gun But we will all be so much safer there The biggest lie under the sun Go ahead and shoot me If it floats your little boat I’ll live by my conscience Even if that’s all she wrote I’m goin’ down to sing in Texas Where anybody can carry a gun It’s been way too long comin’ But I wanna thank The Chicks They found out what it’s like to be a women And defy the Establishment Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson Any guy in a cowboy hat Would’ve walked away unscathed Takin’ a stand like that It’s been too long coming But I wanna thank The Chicks I’m so glad Jesus drove those moneychangers Out of the church He didn’t mince his words for fear Their feelings might be hurt He spoke truth to power He stood up for the poor The church today wouldn’t even Let him through the door I’m so glad Jesus drove those moneychangers Out of the church I know a couple of Muslims They seem like decent folks to me I’d take any one of them Over that evangelist I’m watchin’ on T.V. You wanna ban somethin’? I’ve got a plan Let’s ban hate from every corner of our land I know a couple of Muslims And they seem like decent folks to me What’s the deal with all these war criminals Who get to walk around free Like that president who lied about WMD Hundreds of thousands of people Are lying in their graves Celebrities are calling him The sweet new friend they’ve make What’s the deal with all these war criminals Out walkin’ around free I just wanna say thank you To those brave women in The Squad Everyday their lives are jeopardized By that hate monger and his mob But, when you care about something That’s bigger than you Even the fires of hell ain’t too much To go walkin’ through And I just wanna say thank you To those brave women in The Squad Aren’t we all just a little bit tired Of greedy people gettin’ a free pass Hoarding obscene amounts of wealth Ridin’ on everybody else’s back Hey Mr Bezos, I’m talking’ to you That flimsy veil you’re wearing Is so easy to see through Aren’t we all just a little bit tired Of greedy people gettin’ a free pass How many more people of color Are we gonna let be gunned down by police How many more perpetrators Are we gonna sit back and watch walk free You took a knee to stand up for your rights I want you to know I’m right there by your side How many more people of color Are we gonna let be gunned down by police I know I’m just a pilgrim I’m only passing through It’s a choice I’m making Tryin to be true I don’t know if there’s a judgement day Or a master plan But I’ wanna be ready If before the Lord I stand I know I’m just a pilgrim Only passing through I’m going down to sing in Texas Where anybody can carry a gun But we’ll all be so much safer there The biggest lie under the sun Go ahead and shoot me If it floats your little boat I’ll live by my conscience Even if that’s all she wrote I’m going down to sing in Texas Where anybody can carry a gun I’m going down to sing in Arkansas Where anybody can carry a gun I’ll go on up and sing in Michigan Where anybody can carry a gun My mama told me: you can run to the rocks And try to hide your face But those rocks will cry out there’s no hiding place So I’ll go on down and sing in Texas Where anybody can carry a gun
3.
Home’s become such an angry place Friends now wear an enemy’s face The chasm’s grown so wide Words of wisdom from a different time: An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind The same is true today We drown in ill will or we swallow the pill And go on and say a good word to them now Say a good word, say a good word, Say a good word, say a good word Say a good word, say a good word, Say a good word, say a good word Nobody gets everything right Shine your love light And say a good word to them now Life is so hard, who isn’t scarred Go on and say a good word to them now Magnanimity, magnanimity, oooo… Magnanimity, magnanimity, oooo… It’s not too late, don’t hesitate Go on and say a good word to them now Say a good word, Say a good word……… Say a good word (say a good word to them)…….
4.
A dream come true From way back when We remember Then forget again Just for awhile Then recall somehow We’re all here in the sacred now Oooo…the sacred now Time speeds by, then slows down All is lost, hope is found In the night, hear the wise old owl It’s not a dream, It’s the sacred now Oooo…the sacred now Those who stand to gain Draw dividing lines You’re over there with yours I’m over here with mine We can’t speak and yet somehow We all share the sacred now Oooo…the sacred now All for one, one for all The earth is breathing While dreamers fall See these walls Let’s bring ‘em on down No need to wait in the sacred now Oooo…the sacred now Here we are holding on somehow It’s not a dream, it’s the sacred now Oooo…the sacred now
5.
Your mama’s tender hands Held the needle and the thread That stitched that pretty bonnet You used to wear upon your head Nobody ever dreamed That in one groundless stretch of time Sorrow would move in And make the final bind The light atop the stairs Was flickering then gone No one was there to walk you From the dark into the dawn You were so vivid and so fair So fragile yet so bold With so much story That never will be told I can see you there I can hear your song Like a kid, looking for a place To belong And this old world, so magical and sweet Knocked the ground Right out from underneath your feet Slipping on the pearls Falling to the floor Could you hear the bells of Sunday morning Coming through your door Simple as a breath Shifting like the sky You don’t have to worry I won’t ask you why You don’t have to worry no more I won’t ask you why
6.
John Lewis stood on the Pettus Bridge His life he was ready to give To break the bonds of tyranny And live a life with dignity Six hundred strong They marched straight into a sea of blue Trampled by horses, tear-gassed Billy clubbed, too But all this and such Don’t amount to much To a great warrior of love Rachel Corrie laid it on the line When she took her stand for Palestine The bulldozer rolled She wouldn’t budge She had her feet planted down deep In that little ‘ol thing called love And though her life ended violently Her gentle spirit is still walking here with you and me And she lights up the stars above That brave, young, warrior of love Some still among us soldier on Some from the flesh now have gone But they’ve paved the very road we’re traveling on Our brave warriors of love Look around you, you will see People still building the beloved community In every corner of this earth You’ll find people in a fix, willing to risk An early ride in the hearse Folks who don’t bend Folks who don’t bow They get right up to Goliath And shoot their shot somehow Now it’s on us to be worthy of Our great warriors of love Some still among us soldier on Some from the flesh now have gone But they’ve paved the very road we’re traveling on Our brave warriors of love
7.
Let me be your Jesus I’ll lift you out of hell Protect you from the heathen press And the infidel I’ll lead you to the Promised Land Where everyone is white And everything that’s so wrong now Will be so very right Let me be your Jesus I can make wine out of water Teach you how to command your sons And how to love your daughter Jesus brought you the good news Just the same as me Now I’m standing in the light I’ve come to set you free It’s all one big disaster I know that you agree Tell me who can fix it now That’s right, only me There’s no global warming That’s just more of their lies So love me, follow me You’re in for a big surprise Don’t believe what you hear Don’t believe what you see Just listen to your savior now Only believe in me For I am risen from the dead I’ve come to be your king and queen Let me be your Jesus And you’ll find out exactly what I mean
8.
A morning frost covers the orchard But the cherries are all in bloom A heavy stone rests on my shoulders And leaving’s all that’s left to do Give all I have to that stranger Passing through, passing through My life, my youth, my happiness I bid adieu, I bid adieu What’s true, what’s false, you see so clearly While I, it seems, have lost my sight The sureness of youth is pressing you forward But life’s still hidden from your eyes And so, you say, you want your giants If this be so, I wish you well But be warned, they’re not compliant And only good in fairytales There’s no way out, No use in trying I promise you. I promise you The train has pulled into the station Don your cape, lace your shoes A morning frost covers the orchard But the cherries are all in bloom After the dark cold winter You are young, young again
9.
Looking out at a solitary tree Standing in a snowy park Everything that lives gets battered Everyday goes dark Love is such a tender thing But not everyone can bear up to a gilt Some get hauled away to the graveyard Wrapped up in gramma’s pretty quilt A little boy is screaming in the corner While his mama tries to soothe him on her lap He’s dressed up just like his father They’re both in matching baseball caps From the cradle poured straight into the mold It’s kinda sweet but kinda sad Don’t be fooled, there is no separating The good stuff from the bad I’m all twisted up inside Is there something left to learn here in this school Where all my truth and all my fiction Is facing off in a duel The storyline I can read with my own eyes Don’t fit the one that I’ve been carrying around in my head Life is no respecter of persons Even little childrens’ hearts get torn to shreds And these waves of inspiration Sure can be few and far between Like a train that just won’t leave the station They resist my plans and schemes But I’m not holding back nothin’ anymore And I’m done with being afraid of being bled Use me up while I am living, Lord Let’s not leave nothin’ for the dead Use me up while I am living, Lord Let’s not leave nothin’ for the dead
10.
Mahalia 05:02
A hard rain is falling Trouble is clouding my mind No one’s at home waiting for me And I can’t find the reason or rhyme I hear you sing “How I Got Over” And straight into my heart your voice lands So I move in a little closer Cause you make me feel like I can Mahalia, Mahalia, I’m reaching back now to you Mahalia, Mahalia, you were a woman, too When you travelled this world You moved mountains You answered the call when it came through But I wonder, did you have a shoulder To lean on when your long day was through You gave to a world that never had your back, The balm, the balm, the very Balm of Gilead Mahalia, Mahalia, I’m reaching back now to you Mahalia, Mahalia, you were a woman, too
11.
How Long 04:03
Someone asked a question once Of Martin Luther King How long do you stay the course And dream the dream When it seems evil’s won And greed is on the throne And you feel like the silenced voice In the wilderness all alone How Long? How Long? He said “Till justice rolls down like water, ‘Till justice rolls down like water, ‘Till justice rolls down like water And righteousness flows like a mighty stream A little boy about ten years old Sits watching his T.V. He’s alone most every night ‘Till two or three Though his mama works two jobs She still can’t make ends meet He sees the fat cats lie and steal But they always go scot free He says “How Long, how Long ‘Till that justice rolls down like water ‘Till justice rolls down like water ‘Till justice rolls down like water And righteousness flows like a mighty stream?” Power, greed, and profit Will never feed the soul These three shovels have dug us A deep dark hole Compassion, understanding And living one for all And all for one is what it’s gonna take To break this fall How long? How long? He said “Till justice rolls down like water ‘Till justice rolls down like water ‘Till justice rolls down like water And righteousness flows like a mighty stream”
12.
I’m walkin’ daddy, in the steps that you put down I’m walkin’ daddy, in the steps that you put down I’m walkin’ daddy, and I know now where I’m bound I’m walkin’ daddy, and this road is dark and long I’m walkin’ daddy, and this road is dark and long I’m walkin’ daddy, and your blood is in me strong I’m walkin’ daddy, where the Jack’s Fork river bends Down in Missoura, where the Jack’s Fork river bends With you and mom and sister and all of our dear friends Ain’t no road a good road, ‘till it’s free to everyone Ain’t no road a good road, ‘till it’s free to everyone I’m walkin’ daddy, Father, Holy Ghost and Son Ain’t no sorrow can dim the love come shinin’ through Ain’t no sorrow can dim the love come shinin’ through I’m walkin’ daddy, and I know what I’m here to do To be of use and try to help the deal along To be of use and try to help the deal along I’m walkin’ daddy and I’m gonna keep walkin’ on
13.
I met a man from Waycross, Georgia I met a man from Waycross, Georgia He was traveling down the road He was traveling down the road I asked that man from Waycross, Georgia I asked that man from Waycross, Georgia Do you mind if I come along Do you mind if I come along He said Listen to me stranger He said Listen to me stranger I’m just going home, I’m just going home In his eyes was joy and pain In his eyes was joy and pain When he said I must go alone, I must go alone Along that road that leads toward home Along that road that leads toward home Are the people who fed your life The people who fed your life Smile and thank each one of those people Smile and thank each one of those people And then say farewell, Say farewell

about

On her transcendent new record, Workin' On A World, Iris DeMent faces the modern world — as it is right now — with its climate catastrophe, pandemic illness, and epidemic of violence and social injustice — and not only asks us how we can keep working towards a better world, but implores us to love each other, despite our very different ways of seeing. Her songs are her way of healing our broken inner and outer spaces.

With an inimitable voice as John Prine described, "like you've heard, but not really," and unforgettable melodies rooted in hymns, gospel, and old country music, she's simply one of the finest singer-songwriters in America as well as one of our fiercest advocates for human rights. Her debut record Infamous Angel, which just celebrated its 30th anniversary, was recently named one of the “greatest country albums of all time” by Rolling Stone, and the two albums that followed, My Life and The Way I Should, were both nominated for GRAMMYs. From there, DeMent released three records on her own label, Flariella Records, the most recent of which, The Trackless Woods (2015), was hailed as “a quietly powerful triumph” by The Guardian. DeMent’s songs have also been featured in film (True Grit) and television (The Leftovers) and recorded by numerous artists. Fittingly, she received the Americana Music Trailblazer Award in 2017.

Workin' On A World, her seventh album, started with the worry that woke DeMent up after the 2016 elections: how can we survive this? “Every day some new trauma was being added to the old ones that kept repeating themselves, and like everybody else, I was just trying to bear up under it all,” she recalls. She returned to a truth she had known since childhood: music is medicine. “My mom always had a way of finding the song that would prove equal to whatever situation we were facing. Throughout my life, songs have been lending me a hand. Writing songs, singing songs, putting them on records, has been a way for me to extend that hand to others.”

With grace, courage, and soul, Iris shares 13 anthems — love songs, really — to and for our broken inner and outer worlds. DeMent sets the stage for the album with the title track in which she moves from a sense of despair towards a place of promise. “Now I’m workin’ on a world I may never see / Joinin’ forces with the warriors of love / Who came before and will follow you and me.”

She summons various social justice warriors, both past and present, to deliver messages of optimism. “How Long” references Martin Luther King, while “Warriors of Love” includes John Lewis and Rachel Corrie. “Goin’ Down To Sing in Texas” is an ode not only to gun control, but also to the brave folks who speak out against tyranny and endure the consequences in an unjust world. “I kept hearing a lot of talk about the arc of history that Dr. King so famously said bends towards justice,” she recalls. “I was having my doubts. But, then it dawned on me, he never said the arc would magically bend itself. Songs, over the course of history, have proven to be pretty good arc benders.”

Bending inward, DeMent reaches agilely under the slippery surface of politics. She grapples with loss on the deeply honest “I Won’t Ask You Why,” while encouraging compassion over hate in the awe-inspiring “Say A Good Word.” Album closer “Waycross, Georgia,” encompasses the end of the journey, thanking those along the way. As she approaches subjects of aging, loss, suicide, and service, an arc of compassion elevated to something far beyond words is transmitted. The delicate fierceness encompassed in the riveting power of her voice has somehow only grown over time.

Stalled partway through by the pandemic, the record took six years to make with the help of three friends and co-producers: Richard Bennett, Pieta Brown, and Jim Rooney. It was Pieta Brown who gave the record its final push. “Pieta asked me what had come of the recordings I’d done with Jim and Richard in 2019 and 2020. I told her I’d pretty much given up on trying to make a record. She asked would I mind if she had a listen. So, I had everything we’d done sent over to her, and not long after that I got a text, bouncing with exclamation marks: ‘You have a record and it’s called Workin’ On A World!’” With Bennett back in the studio with them, Brown and DeMent recorded several more songs and put the final touches on the record in Nashville in April of 2022.

The result is a hopeful album — shimmering with brilliant flashes of poignant humor and uplifting tenderness — that speaks the truth, “in the way that truth is always hopeful,” she explains. Reflecting on the lyrics of the song “The Sacred Now” (“see these walls/ let’s bring ‘em on down / it’s not a dream; it’s the sacred now”), DeMent is reminded of Jesus saying the Kingdom of God is within you and the Buddhist activist monk Thich Nhat Hanh saying the rose is in the compost; the compost is in the rose. On Workin’ On A World, Iris DeMent demonstrates that songs are the healing and the healing arises through song.

credits

released February 24, 2023

Tracks 1-4, 6, 7, 10, & 12 Produced by Richard Bennett, Pieta Brown, and Iris DeMent

Tracks 9 & 13 Produced by Richard Bennett, Pieta Brown, Iris DeMent, and Jim Rooney

Tracks 5, 8, & 11 Produced Iris DeMent and Jim Rooney

Original Tracks 5, 8, 9, 11, & 13 Recorded by Cameron Davidson at Cowboy Arms Hotel & Recording Spa, Nashville, TN

Tracks: 1-4, 6, 7, 10, 12, and additional recording on Tracks 5, 8, 9, 11, & 13 RECORDED BY Brad Jones at Alex The Great Studios, Nashville, TN

All tracks mixed by Brad Jones at Alex The Great Studios, Nashville, TN

Mastered by Jim DeMain at YesMaster Studios, Nashville, TN

Cover photo and design by Ingrid Weise

Interior photo of Iris DeMent by Iris DeMent

All songs written by Iris DeMent except:

The Sacred Now (Iris DeMent & Pieta Brown) / I Won’t Ask You Why (Iris DeMent & Pieta Brown) / Let Me Be Your Jesus (Greg Brown & Iris DeMent) / Walkin’ Daddy (Greg Brown) / Waycross, Georgia (Rev. Samuel E. Mann & Greg Brown)

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Iris DeMent Iowa City, Iowa

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