Channel Title: Mary Chapin Carpenter Channel Description: <video> Mary Chapin Carpenter - Songs From Home Episode 58: The End Of My Pirate Days Description: Welcome back friends to Songs From Home, episode 58… “The End Of My Pirate Days”…. We’re wishing you all a happy Valentine’s Day today from the farm, with all the chocolate, champagne, roses, poetry, cards, songs and romance you can carry. As an antidote to all that sweetness, today’s song from my 1994 album Stones In The Road traces the end of a romance, because… sad songs make us happy! The sadder the better! Even on Valentine’s Day! My friends Shawn Colvin & Gretchen Peters will back me on this. We rose and fell just like the tides He filled my heart and soul and I Buried all my dreams for someone else to find In my pirate days… I read an article recently about what it feels like to hit the pandemic “wall”. It described much of what I feel from one day to the next; some are productive and creative, I’m getting things done and looking forward with clear eyes, I’m feeling pretty ok. Then there are other days that are hollow and dark AF. The article suggested, among other things, cultivating gratitude, practicing distracting yourself (hello Great British Baking Show, hello Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women”), asking for help (not easy), eating more carbs (no problem) exercising (Angus approves), remembering that the vaccine IS coming (a challenge given the abysmal roll out, but #patienceismysuperpower) and perhaps the simple act of writing down what you’re feeling & experiencing to tamp down the noise in your head. And then there are the wise words of our dear friend Carol Noonan from the legendary Stone Mountain Arts Center who reminds us that “dogs and mashed potatoes fix everything”. Amen sister. However you are making it through, I hope you stay well, stay strong, wear your (double) mask, carry on, and always, always, always #staymighty ! #theendofmypiratedays #stonesintheroad #valentinesday #blueridgemountains #virginia #farm #home #angus #hittingthepandemicwall #souldog #patienceismysuperpower #staythefuckhome #weareallconnected #sadsongsmakemehappy </video> <video> Mary Chapin Carpenter - Songs From Home Episode 61: Livingston Description: Welcome back to Songs From Home, episode 61: “Livingston”…. This song is from my 2016 LP “The Things That We Are Made Of” about a road trip out west… It’s been one year since the world changed with lockdown, and with it the cancellations of tours, plans, spontaneous road trips, hugs, and everything replaced by staying home, and trying to stay mighty. And I still am for now. But looking back I want to celebrate the things we were still able to pull off in the last year: the podcast called “One Story” with the beautiful and amazing poet Sarah Kay in the spring, the release of “The Dirt And The Stars” in August, the filming of “One Night Lonely” at our beloved Wolf Trap in the fall, and with the help of my little phone, 61 episodes and counting of “Songs From Home”. Every day that I live up to the exhortation “Stay Mighty” is a win. But there are days when we fall short…aren’t there? If you need help for those harder days check out Lucy Martin McBride, MD for solid advice on how to better manage pandemic-related stress and anxiety. She recommends, among many other things, getting outside as much as possible. The weather forecast for next week promises warmer days and I AM READY FOR IT. And when it arrives I’ll be blasting my spring anthem by the supremely talented Samantha Crain called “Bloomsday”…. Samantha says of writing it “…the song is meant to inspire the agency we have over our participation in any day. Although it feels like much of the time we are being pulled along in life, we have the instrumentality to find within us light and belief.” I hope you’ll look for it at all the usual places, it’s gorgeous and powerful. So here’s to spring, new musical anthems, future road trips, more vaccines, trusting science, believing in what is to come, and to all of you for being here… Until the next time, stay well, stay strong, wear your masks, carrying on and always #staymighty ! #songsfromhome #livingston #thethingsthatwearemadeof #sarahkaypoetry #onenightlonely #onestorypodcast #thedirtandthestars #angusgetsabath #angus #samanthacrain #drlucymcbride #oneyearanniversary #wolftrap #staythefuckhome #patienceismysuperpower #home #farm #spring #weareallconnected </video> <video> Mary Chapin Carpenter - Songs From Home Episode 50: Christmas Carol Description: Hi friends, welcome back to a holiday episode of Songs From Home…⁣ ⁣ This is another song from “Come Darkness, Come Light”, written after I saw holiday decorations being installed in town just before Halloween…it felt rushed, strange, out of order…⁣ ⁣ And that’s where the song begins, but it ends up being a wish for a snowy holiday, ⁣bookmarked by nostalgia for the Beatles, traditions and more than anything else⁣ the hope for peace on our one and only earth. ⁣ ⁣ In 2020, I say that Christmas is whatever makes you happy and comforted. Neon lights, singing wreaths, top 40 Christmas music, ugly sweaters, holiday movies, and spiked eggnog…⁣ ⁣ And while you’re enjoying all of those traditions, especially if you’re lucky enough to safely be with others this year, don’t forget those who aren’t as fortunate, who may be alone and far from home, who may be just barely hanging on, who are waiting in an endless food bank line, who are afraid of being evicted, who can’t pay their bills, who need kindness, empathy and compassion. Perspective has never been more valuable as it is during this Covid winter. ⁣ ⁣ Until the next time, stay well, stay strong, wear your mask everywhere, carry on, and #staymighty !⁣ ⁣ #christmascarol #comedarknesscomelight #songsfromhome #blueridgemountains⁣ #virginia #farm #home #whitekitty #patienceismysuperpower #staythefuckhome⁣ #weareallconnected </video> <video> Mary Chapin Carpenter - Songs From Home Episode 60: Here I Am Description: Friends, welcome back to Songs From Home, episode 60: “Here I Am”… Tomorrow marks the arrival of meteorological spring, *cue enormous exhale* and here at the farm there are hints of change in the air and on the ground…buds and shoots, birdsong, the angle of light shifting…there are still patches of snow in shady, north facing spots and today its pouring rain and chilly but I’m not fooled - spring is on its way. “Come with me into the woods where spring is advancing, as it does, no matter what, not being singular or particular, but one of the forever gifts, and certainly visible” -Mary Oliver From the department of “forever gifts” I read a story this past week about a woman who had her first vaccine jab scheduled but when she learned of a stranger in her area who was facing open heart surgery which required vaccination beforehand – whose own search for an appointment was fruitless- she gave her own appointment to this stranger. There are stories of sacrifice and kindness peeking up like spring crocuses amidst the frustration, loss, and sorrow of life in Covid times. It’s worth not glossing over them; it’s worth being lifted up by them; it’s worth remembering that we can all help each other despite our differences and distances. Song writing has always helped me make sense of my world; it has helped me navigate just about every hard thing and celebrate things I don’t even have names for. Sometimes it reaffirms something I already know and other times it teaches me something long after I thought I had cracked a code…today’s song is a long-ago reminder to myself that being there for someone else, stranger or friend, helps us understand purpose, meaning and identity. Life doesn’t wave as its speeding by Better grab on fast and hold on tight And don’t ever forget to fight this good fight Here I am Until the next time, stay well, stay strong, wear your mask (s), carry on and always #staymighty ! #hereiam #thecalling #maryoliver #meteorologicalspring #songsfromhome #blueridgemountains #virginia #home #farm #patienceismysuperpower #staythefuckhome #weareallconnected </video> <video> Mary Chapin Carpenter - Songs From Home Episode 51: The Longest Night Of The Year Description: Hi friends, welcome to episode 51 of Songs From Home…tomorrow is December 21st, marking this year’s winter solstice and it’s time to play “The Longest Night Of The Year”. The winter solstice means different things to different people; I cherish it as a time for self-reflection, and it holds more power than the fast approaching new year for imagining what new things I hope to do, accomplish, discover, experience and BE in the days to come, accompanied by the return of the light… There is so much to be thankful for in nature, in the rhythm of the seasons, and every year when the winter solstice arrives, I feel an easing up of whatever troubles I’ve been carrying around, a renewal of self, and a deeper appreciation for the simple, obvious truth that without darkness, one cannot wholly appreciate light. In 2020, it holds more meaning than ever. As one of my favorite authors Edna O’Brien said, “In a way winter is the real spring, the time when the inner things happen, the resurge of nature”… As we approach Christmas and New Years, I am hoping that all of you who have found a respite here also find hope in the return of the light, and that you also experience an easing up of the burdens and troubles that have weighed you down this year. This song was written during a cold, dark, and unhappy season of life and I was trying to remind myself that the solstice is as much about patience, courage, resilience and grace as it is about the lengthening of days. Make a vow when solstice comes to find the light in everyone keep the faith and bang the drum on the longest night of the year Until the next time, stay well, stay strong, wear your mask everywhere, carry on, merry Christmas when it comes and #staymighty ! #thelongestnightoftheyear #comedarknesscomelight #songsfromhome #wintersolstice #blueridgemountains #farm #home #virginia #staythefuckhome #weareallconnected #angus #candlelight </video> <video> Mary Chapin Carpenter - Songs From Home Episode 53: Farther Along And Further In Description: Welcome back to Songs From Home episode 53... This week has shaken and shattered me, with the horrific assault on the Capitol this past Wednesday, the destruction and violence resulting in lives lost, and the absurd posturing that has followed by various bootlickers, seeking to claim moral authority – sickening, all of it. I found myself walking in circles, dizzy with the bingeing of news and with varying degrees of fear and rage surging and then receding only to surge again… so I breathed, sang, got outside, walked for miles, hugged the dog, kissed the cat, cooked, read, did laundry, slept, avoided screens, called friends, listened to music, cleaned, did whatever it took to help me unscramble thoughts and calm myself, if only for a little while. Sometimes efforts like those above help enormously, and sometimes nothing helps. That’s the truth of it, but then the sun comes up the next day, Angus brings me a stick to throw, White Kitty wakes up and for a few minutes, my little world is okay. It’s not about giving up and retreating from the things that we all, as a society, need to address and fix, but rather keeping our tanks full so that we have the energy and clear heads to be useful. "Farther Along And Further In" from “The Dirt And The Stars” is about rediscovering something in one’s self, where “time, memory, love and grace/ in the kindred eyes of a strangers face/lead down to the deeper place”…it’s that stranger’s face that brings me closer to who I want to be, for as long as I am here. As I am reminded daily, we are all connected. Until the next time, stay well, stay strong, wear your mask absolutely everywhere, and always #staymighty ! #fartheralongandfurtherin #thedirtandthestars #blueridgemountains #virginia #home #farm #songsfromhome #patienceismysuperpower #january #staythefuckhome #weareallconnected #souldog #angus </video> <video> Mary Chapin Carpenter - Songs From Home Episode 59: Traveler's Prayer Description: Greetings everyone, welcome back to Songs From Home, episode 59: Traveler’s Prayer This song is a bonus track on the vinyl version of The Dirt And The Stars. Our legendary producer Ethan Johns and incomparable drummer Jeremy Stacey took on amazing in tandem drumming for the track, and the version on One Night Lonely is just me and my lonesome. I’ve always loved changing up arrangements; this song lends itself to that kind of shape shifting. In the before times, traveling the world was just a part of my job. How many days did I spend sitting in a far-from-home coffee shop, watching people go by, jotting down thoughts and observations in a beat up book that lived in my back pack? How many years did I take for granted the freedom that traveling gave me? Did I feel happy to be in the swim of the world and other days feel homesick and apart? And zooming out, who may be watching us from afar? Thursday’s incredible Mars landing of Perseverance has me thinking of the second verse: I’m scanning the sky for signs that we’re not alone Signals and messages bound for the twilight zone Maybe they’re wondering who keeps on waving down there And looking back on this week, my thoughts are with all of the folks down in Texas and across the south east who have suffered so with winter weather related power outages, burst pipes, damage from storms, ice, sleet, freezing rain and cold, not to mention the pandemic… Reciting the words as we’re yearning for home When darkness has found us at the end of the road Nobody’s hurting and nobody’s cold anywhere In a traveler’s prayer I keep that traveler’s prayer close to me. There are many ways to help, if you able, by heading to organizations like the Red Cross and for pets Operation Kindness as a start… Until the next time, stay well, stay strong, wear your double mask, carry on, stay warm and #staymighty ! #travelersprayer #thedirtandthestars #marslanding #nasa #nasaperseverence #songsfromhome #ethanjohns #jeremystacey #blueridgemountains #home #virginia #souldog #angus #whitekitty #patienceismysuperpower #staythefuckhome #weareallconnected </video> <video> Mary Chapin Carpenter - Songs From Home Episode 52: New Years Day Description: Welcome back to the first Songs From Home of 2021…here’s hoping your holidays were peaceful and that you are ready to embrace this new year with hope and patience to spare. It was quiet here on the farm, lots of fires, mince pies from lovely neighbors, long walks in the cold with Angus and on New Years Eve we popped some fine champagne and added a few strawberries. Zonk! Lights out! Today’s song is “New Years Day” which is from my 2012 album Ashes and Roses…I had a dream one new years eve about meeting up in a bar with a dear old friend, and we felt surrounded by the memories and ghosts of loved ones who were no longer with us. I woke up the next morning with the song ready to write and with Emily Dickinson’s famous line “I dwell in possibility” tying all the hopes, promises and wide open unknowns of the future together like a road map for the spirit and the soul. In dreams or in our waking it’s just enough to say Love and grace and endless flowers be ours On new years day Thank you to all of you who have kept coming back every week, leaving such generous comments and encouragement, sharing your own struggles and joys, joining us for One Night Lonely and over the course of days that turned into weeks that became months helping us stitch together this community of kindness and light. Endless flowers to all of you… Until the next time, stay well, stay strong, wear your mask (everywhere) carry on, and always #staymighty ! (I have a sore shoulder so I’ll let you all do the muscle move for me) #newyearsday #ashesandroses #blueridgemountains #virginia #home #farm #2021 #happynewyear #angus#songsfromhome #patienceismysuperpower #staythefuckhome #weareallconnected </video> <video> Mary Chapin Carpenter - Songs From Home Episode 55: What You Look For Description: Greetings everyone, welcome back to Songs From Home, episode 55! Episode 55? How did that happen?!? A year ago this week we were recording a new album - The Dirt And The Stars -at the magical @realworldstudios in England with the legendary Ethan Johns in the producer’s chair, Dom Monks at the board and Duke Levine , Jeremy Stacey, Nick Pini, and Matt Rollings bringing all of their glorious musical gifts to the project…we were blissfully unaware that the world was on the brink of shutting down in mere weeks. The last few days have been filled with images of ceremony and tradition that mark Inauguration Day here in the US - I am holding tight to the hope and the courage that the day brought me, for as long as possible. I want us to “be the light” that the marvelous spoken word poet and National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman invited us to be in her poem written for the ceremony “The Hill We Climb”. I hope you want to be the light too. This song is from 2010’s The Age Of Miracles, and it’s themes of tenacity, hope, and resilience had me making a beeline to it for this week’s song. Send it out into the universe A humble plea, a wish, a broken verse Be a seed that lands inside the cracks Seek the sun, and it shines back Until the next time, stay well, stay strong, wear your mask everywhere, carry on, and always, always #staymighty ! #whatyoulookfor #theageofmiracles #songsfromhome #farm #patienceismysuperpower #staythefuckhome #weareallconnected #inaugurationday #blueridgemountains #virginia #home #thedirtandthestars #dommonks #tenacity </video> <video> "A Heart That Never Closes" Official Lyric Video - Carpenter, Fowlis, Polwart Description: “A Heart That Never Closes,” the second track from "Looking For The Thread,” is penned by Mary Chapin Carpenter. The album, the debut collaboration from Mary Chapin Carpenter, Julie Fowlis, and Karine Polwart, is available everywhere on January 24th and available for pre-order now: https://li.sten.to/lookingforthethread. Catch the trio on tour: 02 March - Manchester - Aviva Studios 03 March - Birmingham - Town Hall 05 March - London - London Palladium 06 March - Sunderland - The Fire Station *SOLD OUT 07 March - Edinburgh - Festival Theatre *SOLD OUT 08 March - Edinburgh - Festival Theatre </video> <video> Mary Chapin Carpenter - Songs From Home Episode 62: Sometimes Just The Sky Description: Hi friends, welcome back to Songs From Home…episode 62: Sometimes Just The Sky This is the title song from the album we released in 2018, produced by the legendary @ethanjohnsmusic, recorded in our happy place Real World Studios in the beautiful South West of England. It feels very much like the right song for this episode… I started sending out these homemade videos a year ago and now it feels like the right time to wind things down…I want to thank everyone who has tuned in for your lovely comments, your unwavering support and your overwhelming kindness. It has been the light and connection that I could’ve only dreamed of, and you have my heartfelt thanks. Until the next time, you know what to do…#staymighty ! #songsfromhome #sometimesjustthesky #ethanjohns #realworldstudios #thewoodroom #angus #souldog #patienceismysuperpower #home #farm </video> <video> Mary Chapin Carpenter - Songs From Home Episode 54: A Keeper For Every Flame Description: Welcome back friends, to Songs From Home…today’s tune is “A Keeper For Every Flame”... I've received many requests for this song, from my 1994 album Stones In The Road…brushing up on it brought back memories of the wonderful Bias Studios in Northern Virginia and the many favorite musicians, artists and singers who took part in those sessions... The song speaks to how differently we deal with heartbreak and the letting go that it requires…except some never do quite let go. Cheers this past week for the news that our favorite legend Joan Baez is being honored by the Kennedy Center for the Kennedy Center Honors. In my opinion it is waaaaaay past due and so richly deserved - our country has endured tumultuous times in the past, and with the beacons of non-violence, peaceful protesters like Joan succeeded in illuminating many of the wrongs of those times. We still have a long way to go, but Joan has never given up, and we can all be inspired by that. Speaking of beacons, Happy Martin Luther King Day tomorrow! Until the next time, stay well, stay strong, wear your mask everywhere, carry on and #staymighty ! #akeeperforeveryflame #stonesintheroad #joanbaez #kennedycenterhonors #blueridgemountains #farm #songsfromhome #patienceismysuperpower #martinlutherkingday #patienceismysuperpower #staythefuckhome #weareallconnected #souldog #angus </video> <video> Mary Chapin Carpenter - Songs From Home Episode 56: Come On Come On Description: Welcome back friends to Songs From Home, episode 56! This week we are diving once again back into the last century and playing Come On Come On, the title song of my album from 1992…looking back, it opened so many doors for me as an artist, and it’s so wonderful to have received the many requests for this song as well as for many others on that record. It’s a meditation on the passing of time, the unspeakably beautiful recognition of first love, and the waning light that finds all of us as we grow older - when I sing it now, and get to the part about the honeymoon, I think of my parents, both gone now, and what they must have felt as they set out as young newlyweds, uncertain but betting on courage and each other. It’s a freezing cold, snowy Sunday here at the farm, and Angus, WK and I are spending much of the time lying in front of the fire, reading, bingeing more than we should (although as discussed before I don’t think one can ever watch too many episodes of “The Great British Baking Show”)… Until the next time, stay well, stay strong, wear your mask everywhere, carry on, and always #staymighty ! #comeoncomeon #blueridgemountains #farm #home #angus #souldog #songsfromhome #patienceismysuperpower #staythefuckhome #weareallconnected #greatbritishbakingshow </video> <video> Mary Chapin Carpenter - Songs From Home Episode 57: the Ending Description: welcome back friends to episode 57 of Songs From Home, today I'm sharing a song by a wonderful artist, Robert Vincent …it’s called “The Ending” from his new album “In This Town You’re Owned” produced by our hero @ethanjohnsmusic… Last week Robert was honored at the Americana UK Awards as the winner of both UK Artist of the Year and UK Album of the Year! He is a writer and singer of unusual beauty and depth and I hope you will go seek out his work at all the usual places. Also an addendum to the video…I actually played one more show in 2020 in addition to the one at the lovely Cadogan Hall in London where Robert and I met - I played WOLF TRAP and filmed “One Night Lonely” doing it! Wolf Trap I love you so… Last week I must have gone through 100 boxes of tissues while reading your comments after posting “Come On Come On” here - I cannot thank you all enough for sharing such poignant, beautiful and heart expanding memories, thoughts, and anecdotes. I came away again feeling so incredibly humbled and fortunate for this community that #songsfromhome has forged, we may not have met in person, but we are not strangers…there is such joy and comfort in that. *this and that*: just finished the 2020 Booker Prize winner “Shuggie Bain” by @douglas_stuart, and I’m still trying to put myself back together. Now beginning “Hamnet” by Maggie O’Farrell, and it took barely a few pages to be completely immersed. I’m still bingeing "The Great British Baking Show” , no soggy bottoms! Angus loved the snow and is sad that it’s all melted… Until the next time, stay well, stay strong, wear your mask everywhere, carry on, and #staymighty !!! #robertvincent #theending #inthistownyoureowned #ethanjohns #blueridgemountains #virginia #farm #home #souldog #angus #patienceismysuperpower #staythefuckhome #weareallconnected #shuggiebain #hamnet </video> <video> "Hold Everything" - Behind the Scenes - Mary Chapin Carpenter, Julie Fowlis, Karine Polwart Description: Mary Chapin Carpenter, Julie Fowlis, and Karine Polwart have announced the release of their new album “Looking For The Thread” on January 24, 2025; an exciting debut collaboration from the three artists. Pre-order the album including exclusive lavender vinyl available only direct from the artist or CD, and listen to the first single, “Hold Everything,” at the link in bio. “Hold Everything,” penned by Karine Polwart, gives a nod to the world as it is, and to John Berger’s beautiful and devastating 2008 book Hold Everything Dear: Dispatches on Survival and Resistance. No-one quite knew what to expect when Mary Chapin sought a collaboration with two of the most adventurous and versatile artists in Scottish music, Julie Fowlis and Karine Polwart – least of all the trio themselves. Conceived in the remote west of Scotland and recorded in Spring 2024 at the renowned Real World Studios with D. James Goodwin and Katie May at the controls, “Looking For The Thread” is a rich, resonant and unique record, one which supports and illuminates the core characteristics of each artist while bringing a powerful collective identity to the fore. The 10-track album is produced by Bonny Light Horseman’s Josh Kaufman (Bob Weir, The National, The Hold Steady) and features a world-class musical ensemble: Rob Burger (piano, organ, accordion, keys), Chris Vatalaro (drums, percussion), Cameron Ralston (bass) and Kaufman himself (guitar, keys). The stunning contributions of Caoimhin O’Raghallaig, whose globally recognised innovations on the hardanger d’amore, a ten-string fiddle, can be heard in The Gloaming, in productions at the Abbey Theatre and in the film Brooklyn, encapsulate the collective spirit of adventure and creativity which defined the sessions.. </video>

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