About This Song
A Laughing Heart was a totally new experience. It’s the only song I’ve ever done with a full band— we had George Nikolov on drums, Dave Kirby playing guitar, Jarrod Ross on bass and Zaynab Wilson on steel drums. It was wild. These dudes could play. I learned a lot.
A Laughing Heart is meant to be a celebration of sincerity and earnestness. Throughout the song I’m wondering if I’m hiding my sincerity from people (“And I love you all so much / But I wonder if I’ve ever shown that to you enough?”), I’m antagonistic to people who want to bring me down (“Mr Beer belly / tear down this little wall”) and I’m promising to honour what I feel in my heart (“This is the heart that I've been given and it's mine til I go”).
Lyrics
Mr beer belly
Tear down this little wall
Tear what you’ve been talking about
What’s mine is mine and it’s my call
My quiet soul
Is my quiet little home
My life is my mine and
I will live while I’m here before I go
I believe that somewhere else
There is rhythm in my song
There’s a cause for me to live
A land and home to call my own
If I’ve got a soul
I’m gonna let it show
Love kiss me on the cheek,
give me a laughing heart
and praise to speak.
Mr talks too much, too loud
Only smart in his own head
Wants to take your heart away
Wants to see through everything
Has got a word for faith
A sign for sympathy
There’s promise every day
You have to have the ears for listening
I believe that somewhere else
There is rhythm in my song
There’s a cause for me to live
A land and home to call my own
If I’ve got a soul
I’m gonna let it show
Love kiss me on the cheek,
give me a laughing heart
and praise to speak.
I went to New York
I went to Chicago
I went to Pretoria
Have I made a labour of love?
I went to New York
(Went with my head in my hands)
I went to Chicago
(Went with my head in my hands)
I went to Pretoria
(Went with my head in my hands)
Have I made a labour of love?
(Always my head in my hands)
Have I ran from the light?
(I wait for you in body and soul)
From the glory I once knew?
(Recall the love that I used to know)
Can a heart overflow,
(I wait for you in body and soul)
In the warmth its been shown?
(Recall the love that I used to know)
And I love you all so much, your graciousness fills my cup
But I wonder if I’ve ever shown that to you enough?
Cause I feel clumsy with my words, so I shy from you
And in labouring my love I’ve become scared I’d lose you
I’m tired of living life,
So silly, sentimental,
This is the heart that I've been given and it's mine til I go
This is the heart that I've been given and it's mine til I g