Introducing Ray Lamontagne, His Song "Hannah," And Lyrics

One eternal yawp is never equal to another. Even if it doesn't echo here, it can hit the Top 40 elsewhere. There are only 10,000 downloads on this YouTube so far, but there's a singer you should know. He's from here, but he's big in the UK. From Wikipedia:

Ray LaMontagne was born in Nashua, New Hampshire, in 1974 to a constantly travelling mother. When LaMontagne was a child, his mother left his musician father, while his father was on tour, and moved him and his siblings up north. His father had no contact with LaMontagne and had no knowledge of his whereabouts for years. Because of the stories told to LaMontagne about his father, LaMontagne refrained from most musical activity, instead spending much of his time reading fantasy novels in the forest.^[1] His mother moved her six children wherever she could find work, so it was difficult for LaMontagne to make friends. LaMontagne attended high school at Morgan High School in Morgan, Utah, but frequently ditched class, wrote stories, or got into fights with other students. As a result of these interactions, his grades were poor — LaMontagne barely graduated.^[2] After graduation, LaMontagne moved away from his family to Lewiston, Maine in order to find a full-time job.^[3]

LaMontagne found a job at a shoe factory in Lewiston where he worked 65 hours a week. One morning at 4 a.m., LaMontagne heard Stephen Stills' song "Treetop Flyer" on the radio as it awoke him for an early work shift.^[4] After purchasing the Stills Alone album, LaMontagne decided that he wanted to quit his job at the shoe factory and start a career as a singer-songwriter.^[5] LaMontagne began touring in 1999, although he maintained a side job as a carpenter.^[4] In the summer of 1999, LaMontagne amassed 10 songs for a demo that he sent to various local music venues. Mike Miclon the owner of Buckfield Maine's Oddfellow Theater heard the demo and invited LaMontagne to open for folk acts such as John Gorka and Jonathan Edwards. A friend and business executive, Ron Clayton, heard LaMontagne's recordings and introduced him to Jamie Ceretta of Chrysalis Music Publishing. CMP recorded his first album, and sold it to RCA Records in the US and Echo Records in the UK.

The lyrics to 'Hannah:'

I lost all of my vanity when I peered into the pool
I lost all of my innocence
When I fell in love with you

I never knew a man fall so far until I landed here
Where all of my wounds they turned into gold when I kissed your hair
Now come to me Hannah
Hannah won't you come home to me--
And I'll lay down this bottle of wine
If you'll just be kind to me!

Ask her why she cries so loud
She will not say a word
Eyes like ice and hands that shake
She takes what she deserves

To celebrate her emptiness
In a cold and lonely room
Sweep the floor with your long flowered dress
If you cannot find a broom

Now come to me Hannah
Hannah won't you come home to me
And I'll lay down this bottle of wine
If you'll just be kind to me!

She's got hair that flows right down
Right down to the backs of her knees
Her Papa he was a preaching man
And the Lord is hard to please

So she comes down from the ozark hills
to these very streets to roam
With a banjo and a bible
and a fine tooth comb

Now come to me Hannah
Hannah won't you come home to me
And I'll lay down this bottle of wine
if you just be kind to me!

I'd walk one mile on this broken glass
to fall down at your feet
Mmm-hmm-mmm Hannah: you're the Queen of the Street,
and I climb the tree with my Hannah-lee

My intentions they were pure
Oh the breeze did whip and I lost my grip
And I tumbled towards the earth
Where you never would guess
who it was that stood below

And His name I would never tell
But His eyes were clear
And His arms were strong
And He caught me as I fell

Now come to me Hannah
Hannah won't you come on to me--
well I'll lay down this bottle of wine
If you'd just be kind to me!

Now I'd walk one mile on just broken glass
To fall down at your feet
Mmm-hmm, Hannah: you're the Queen of the Street;
The Queen of the Street.