He Reached Down ~ Iris DeMent

A timeless and beautiful song. My favorite from Iris...of many favorites.
Atlanta City Winery, Wednesday, April 13, 2023
~~~
A certain man one day did go down to Jericho
Fallin' among thieves along the way
Well they stripped him then they fled
Leaving him for dead
Lying on the side of the road
And then the priest came passing by
He crossed over to the other side
Then the Levite came and he did just the same
When the Samaritan heard his cry
He just could not pass on by
He dressed his wounds and he carried to the nearest inn
Well he reached down, he reached down
He got right there on the ground
He reached down, he reached down
And he touched the pain
He paid the keeper the amount that was due
If you need more he said I'm good for that too
He reached down, he reached down
And he touched the pain
And then the Scribes in the Pharicese
Brought the adultress in for Jesus to see
Lord, she's sinned, now the law says she must be stoned
If there's a one of you that's without sin
Said you can cast the first stone in
One by one they left, leaving Jesus and the woman alone
Well he reached down, he reached down
He got right there on the ground
He reached down, he reached down
And he touched the pain
Well no accusers are left that I see
And Woman, neither do I condemn thee
He reached down, he reached down
And he touched the pain
In the Bible a story is told
About a traveler at the end of life's road
He's at the gates of the Kingdom and the Master says "Come on in"
For I was hungry and you gave me meat
I was cold you put shoes on my feet
When I was in prison there was you who come to see about me
Well you reached down, you reached down
You got right there on the ground
You reached down, you reached down
And you touched my pain
When you did it to the least of these
He said you were doin' it unto me
You reached down, you reached down
And you touched my pain
Well he reached down, he reached down

[@tps607]

A very fine share, Nancy....this is a delight

[@nllleonard]

SHe was indeed a delight! Happy to hear from you, Tom!

[@MrRayzer1]

Iris is good, Nancy, great song, and good videoing :)

[@nllleonard]

She really is, Ray! I especially love this song. I did alright recording but the waiter came to collect for our pizza and had questions while she was singing so I wiggled a little. :)

[@karlmahlmann]

What an incredibly beautiful song and performance. I love those wonderful lessons from the Bible.

[@nllleonard]

Thank you very much for coming to listen, Karl! I love those Bible lessons too and thought it was too beautiful a song not to share.

[@zepp2498]

Yes, it's always difficult to choose between more than one favorite song, héhé. Very nice performance. Thank you Nancy for sharing. Have a nice day.

[@nllleonard]

Yes, and my favorites are constantly changing! Thank you for coming for Iris' song, Joseph! She is one of a kind!

[@RotraudSchulte]

Hello dear friend, this song is very beautiful, a video that touches the heart. Congratulations .🌹❤🌹

[@nllleonard]

Thank you, Rotraud! I am happy this beautiful song from Iris touched your heart, friend!

[@gerdenshed]

Very nice my friend. Never heard of her before or the song to be honest. I enjoyed it 😎 Mark.

[@jamesfdonaldson]

Wonderful Nancy, thank you for the video. Iris DeMent is the real deal. This song on her LIFELINE cd . One of my favourite singer-songwriters. Megan ( wife ), says she looks 'homely'. She's a fan too. I've said before on YT she's a courageous writer, with wonderful truthful songs. Thanks for sharing.

[@LychkovIA]

Wow, I love her voice! Never heard anything quite like this before.

[@nllleonard]

I'm so glad you enjoyed Iris and her song, Ivan! She does have a very unique and distinctive singing voice for sure! Really good to see you and thanks for letting me know you listened! Hoping for a song from you soon!

[@oldnrone]

I love Iris! Thank you Nancy!

[@FedericoBorluzzi]

Wow, that's an amazing music moment!

[@nllleonard]

Thank you for listening, Federico! I'm glad you enjoyed Iris! She was great!

[@mihaelaclaudiap..2]

Excellent performance, loved the video very much!

[@reliablebow]

Love how she plays piano…a great old style. Got that upbeat gospel sound. Great singing and vibe🎶🐝 Thanks, S for sharing🪁🐝 Good to hear you singing🌹 Great smile at the end!!!!!

[@nllleonard]

Hi B! 🐝Yes, I recorded several songs but this one was so very special I just had to share! I love her joyful piano style and her all-out singing too. The smile at the end was the icing on the cake. Thank you for listening, B! Also, for camera-finding prayers!!!

[@BDFAN65]

Oh, so beautiful. Love it Nancy. I like her songs a lot. My fave by Iris is "Our Town". I covered that one. Always takes me back home to my town 😊. Great share 👏👏👏👏👍👍👍👍Lone Wolf :)

[@nllleonard]

I'm so glad you came to hear, since you also love Iris, Lloyd! "Our Town" was her final song, and it was gorgeous. I may upload that one too, since you have an interest. Thank you for coming, for your wonderful comment, and for reminding me about your cover. I will look it up.

[@BDFAN65]

@nllleonard Hello Nancy, Our Town would be a nice upload. Like I said, that song always makes me a bit homesick. I left home from a small fishing town in Bonavista Newfoundland in my teens to find work in Toronto. There is a video on KZbin of my home town Bonavista with Iris Dement singing "Our Town". I share the link here... kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5XVf3yYoNmco6c Thanks again for the beautiful share...Lloyd :)

[@KyleCastroTheDrummerBoy090613]

Excellent live performance my dear friend! Love and respect Kyle!! 😊🥁🇵🇭

[@nllleonard]

Thank you very much, Kyle!

[@GuyEmusic]

She still got it! Splendid! Take good care my friend!

[@nllleonard]

She surely does. You would have loved her latest songs. She tells it like it is and we were cheering her on. Love to you and your bunch, Guy.

[@elisalouise2678]

Thankssss always for the discoveries, Nancy !!!!! She has such a wonderful young voice !!! (she makes me think of Minnie Mouse :)

[@nllleonard]

You made me smile, Elisa! Hadn't thought about that, but I do like Minnie Mouse! Yes, Iris is dynamic and full of youthful energy! Thank you for coming by to listen! It was a wonderful concert!

[@turtledrum7386]

Wow, what a song. Nancy, I don't think I've heard this one and now I don't think that I'll ever forget it. Thanks so much for sharing this glimpse of the concert with us. I think you know what coming next: I so hope that she'll sing this on June 9th on Long Island. We sure could use that reaching down. xo

[@justcallmethelma]

Oh I love Iris and loved this! Wish I could’ve been there to see her live!

[@nllleonard]

Me too, Kat! She is one of a kind for sure! I surely wish you could have come. It was such a good time!

[@jimmymac30]

Wow, that was great!

[@nllleonard]

Thanks Jim! Iris was really great! Very glad you came by to listen!

[@onewomanandsomesongs]

She's a wonderful performer, Nancy. Thanks for sharing this with us, Southern Sis! :) Janet

[@nllleonard]

Hi Janet! She is, and what a great songwriter and musician! Makes me want to go back and start playing piano again! THanks so much, Janet! Hope you are doing great! P.S. I love your new song...travelin' down that road where Jesus walked... Really lovely, Janet!

[@onewomanandsomesongs]

@@nllleonardThanks so much, Nancy. I used to sing this at the Presbyterian church I went too, and they always liked it. My little church folded, so now I go to a Methodist church nearby....I grew up Methodist, but hubby grew up Presbyterian, so it balances out, hehe. I never really understood the pre-destination thing. I was actually christened Catholic (my mother was from Poland) but John Wesley won out in the end. You could say I've had a wide exposure. Me, I'm not one for organized religion anyway, but I go to church because I remember my grandmother saying, "Church may not help you, but it won't hurt you either. " 😄

[@nllleonard]

@@onewomanandsomesongs That is such a good song, Janet! Amy Ray, of the Indigo Girls, has a song called Jesus Was a Walking Man, and your song makes me think of that. (They are nothing alike, just the "walking" and Jesus"... } I grew up Methodist, too. I would have guessed that about you. ;) The Methodist church I grew up in also closed a couple of years ago. How interesting, that your Mom was from Poland! That must be an interesting story...how she met your Dad. Yep, Grandmas can be pretty wise! 😉

[@onewomanandsomesongs]

@@nllleonard Wow, thanks for introducing me to "Jesus Was a Walking Man." I'd never heard it before....what a wonderful song! And it's really speaks to who I think Jesus was. One day, I'll tell you the story of my mom and dad. Hope you have a wonderful weekend, my friend. Talk with you later. :)