Before you were born, before you were even a thought, who was your mother? What was it like to be her, in her specific context, in her own integrity? Leon Bridges studies his mother’s childhood in such intricate poetic detail and beauty, that his love for her is palpable, even though the song is not about him at all. This is exactly where the song draws its power; simple facts about his mother are being pondered, repeated and magnified to the level of profoundness, which actually rubs off on the listener.
It goes without saying that the storytelling in the song is marvellous. Where, Who, When, What, are all provided in his exposition, but the Why is never answered. We don’t know what prompted the song in the first place, we are just dumped in there. And there is no overall narrative being told about Lisa Sawyer, but we know all about Lisa Sawyer from the way she is described even though she is not pursuing an explicit goal!
What is interesting is that he stops at age sixteen when she gave her life to Christ at an alter. It is as if to say this was her coming of age moment. Forget puberty or her first kiss, this was the most significant decision she took. I’m sure his mum is really proud.
poetic reverb 