Emmylou Harris: Boulder to Birmingham - from Pieces of the Sky, 1975
Universally accepted that this was written in memoriam to Gram Parsons on her coping with the grief it left her after his death in 1973 and it stands as one of the most haunting songs about loss and grief ever IMHO.
I got on this airplane just to fly
And I know there's life below me
But all that you can show me is the prairie and the sky
Full of heartbreak and desire
The last time I felt like this
I was in the wilderness and the canyon was on fire
In the night and I watched it burn
I watched it burn, I watched it burn
I would hold my life in his saving grace
I would walk all the way from Boulder to Birmingham
If I thought I could see, I could see your face
And the hardest part is knowing I'll survive
And I come to listen for the sound
Of the trucks as they move down out on 95
Coming down to wash me clean, to wash me clean
Baby, do you know what I mean?
I would hold my life in his saving grace
I would walk all the way from Boulder to Birmingham
If I thought I could see, I could see your face
If I thought I could see, I could see your face
After Parsons’ death, Harris was reeling and inconsolable. She had already established herself as an impressive interpreter of song, a legacy cemented by her exquisite second solo album, 1975’s Pieces of the Sky. It contained just one Harris writing credit, Boulder to Birmingham. Composed with Bill Danoff, it helped her work through the loss of Parsons.
“That song was very important,” says Harris, whose connection with the married Parsons was artistic and emotional, not physical. “Words can be so powerful to help you express something you otherwise can’t. And everyone has experienced loss, so even though the song is deeply personal, I can understand how people can relate to it, having lost someone who is very close to them.” It took Harris until the 80s to be able to write about Parsons again, and she still speaks about him with tenderness.
Marissa Moss (The Guardian)
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