Plenty of decent options for New Mexico, but no standouts. I gave serious thought to two old titans–Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings–but neither of their treatments really struck to the core of the state. To me, New Mexico is defined by the landscape: the mountains rising to the sky, the rugged hills laying all around, baked dry under the sun. It’s a place of unearthly beauty, of quietude, of reflection. So I wanted a song that captured that sense. Which led me back inevitably to Hearts and Bones.
It’s set in New Mexico, and the extraordinary beauty of the place is a key feature of the story. It begins as a shared journey, a romantic getaway for “one and one-half wandering Jews.” But as the story continues, you understand the contrast between the natural beauty of the land, which endures long after the tiny people who climb over its surface have disappeared, and the impermanence of human creation. Before long, the wandering Jews “return to their natural coasts, to resume old acquaintances.” Their love fades. And we remember that only rocks live forever.