Singer/songwriter Hayley Reardon delivers a haunting, raw reflection on the planet, women, and female force in “Forgiveness,” a stirring and beautiful outpouring of deep emotion.
Stream: “Forgiveness” – Hayley Reardon
It’s a meditation on women, the planet, and the subtle fierceness of femininity.
We cannot take the Earth for granted, because none of this is a given. We need to cherish the land and the sea and all that surrounds it, balancing the stripping of our world’s natural resources with actively giving back to this order that long pre-dates us, and should long outlive us. Each of us has the capacity to have a true and lasting impact on people and the planet; we must actively work on being the best versions of ourselves each and every day. Singer/songwriter Hayley Reardon delivers a haunting, raw reflection on the planet, women, and female force in “Forgiveness,” a stirring and beautiful outpouring of deep emotion.
Oh mother earth
Why did you marry father time
Was it him who drew the line in the sand
Oh father, father
There is dust in my hands
There is sleep in my mouth
And wildfire on my land
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering the music video for “Forgiveness,” Hayley Reardon’s latest single (released October 4, 2019). An indie folk singer/songwriter based Nashville, Reardon has been actively pursuing music since 2012, when she was a mere twelve years old. Now in her twenties, the artist’s recent EP release Where I Know You and its accompanying commentary reveal Reardon to be an emerging voice of contemplative thought in the contemporary folk world. Her ability to build off of the traditional simplicity of the vocals-and-guitar and develop something ear-catching and new is uncanny; taking into consideration her young age and growing influence, it’s only a matter of time until Reardon blows us all away.
Following her moving single release “Everything Else” in early September, “Forgiveness” finds Reardon honing in on environmental justice and our human impact on earth. The stunning song is made even more powerful by Joe Angelini’s visual, which focuses audience attention wholly on Reardon through a single-camera shot of the artist’s head, largely silhouetted against a dark backdrop. The scene evokes the song’s message of plight and pain, as well as the need for resilience and for us to persevere.
But you can’t
You can’t ask the mother of a mother
of a mother of a mother
For forgiveness
No you can’t
You can’t ask the mother of a mother
of a mother of a mother
For forgiveness
Forgiveness
For Reardon, “Forgiveness” underscores an increasing sense of urgency to act in the best interests not of individual selves in the moment, but of society and our world as a whole. Her music demands a “sense of accountability” in its listeners: It comes with a message to be heeded not as a warning, but as a wake-up call to how we treat ourselves and our planet. “I wrote it thinking about ‘Mother Earth’ as the original mother — the mother of all mothers — and how in many ways she bears the greatest burden of all,” Reardon tells Atwood Magazine. “The first verse of ‘Forgiveness’ came to me in its entirety in the middle of a British lit class during my second year of college. It’s a meditation on women, the planet, and the subtle fierceness of femininity.”
You were born by a lady
With a burden in her eyes
Is there always a disguise
For the reason we can only set so many people free
You can’t
You can’t ask the mother of a mother
Of a mother of a mother
For forgiveness
You can’t
You can’t ask the mother of a mother
Of a mother of a mother
For forgiveness
Forgiveness
Displaying incredible lyrical depth atop breathtakingly emotive and nuanced musicality, Hayley Reardon asserts her very best in “Forgiveness” – a somber, yet ultimately inspiring song with a powerful message of pain and hope, change and renewal. Stream “Forgiveness” exclusively on Atwood Magazine!
Oh ‘cause history repeats itself
And if you run she will chase you down
Stream: “Forgiveness” – Hayley Reardon
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