Heaven Help Us

Album: East (2016)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The Canadian singer and songwriter explained in his 2016 Songfacts interview what inspired this tune. "I wrote that song years ago about a friend of mine who started a band and he was really excited about it," said Rutledge. "They were playing in New York for the first time and they were all going down. I guess that's how it starts anyway. I just remembered my first time when I started going down to the States. It's just so hard down there. I mean, you're playing for no one."

    He continued, "I just started with this tale of this band going down, white-knuckling their way down South. 'They're going to be angry at the cops and at the parking.' I just envisioned them getting into New York and trying to find their way around.

    But then it broadens out. There's a verse where I talk about my fictional wife. I don't have a wife, but there's a verse:

    My wife is sad upon the morning
    She says nothing ever goes her way
    She looks at me and then she looks away


    There are just these little moments. In the chorus, 'Heaven help us all,' and then the bridge, 'Something changes, something changes us,' there are these little moments that change you. Everyone talks about 'the moment my life changed,' but it doesn't have to be a big event. It can be the way someone looks at you or it can be a night in New York. It can be anything anywhere and it can be really small."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Thomas Dolby

Thomas DolbySongwriter Interviews

He wrote "She Blinded Me With Science" so he could direct a video about a home for deranged scientists.

Jimmy Jam

Jimmy JamSongwriter Interviews

The powerhouse producer behind Janet Jackson's hits talks about his Boyz II Men ballads and regrouping The Time.

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside Story

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside StorySong Writing

The in-depth discussion about the making of Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neeley, who played Jesus in the 1973 film.

Lace the Music: How LSD Changed Popular Music

Lace the Music: How LSD Changed Popular MusicSong Writing

Starting in Virginia City, Nevada and rippling out to the Haight-Ashbury, LSD reshaped popular music.

Tony Joe White

Tony Joe WhiteSongwriter Interviews

The writer of "Rainy Night in Georgia" and "Polk Salad Annie" explains how he cooks up his Louisiana swamp rock.

John Kay of Steppenwolf

John Kay of SteppenwolfSongwriter Interviews

Steppenwolf frontman John Kay talks about "Magic Carpet Ride," "Born To Be Wild," and what he values more than awards and accolades.