Agnes Obel was born Agnes Caroline Thaarup Obel in 1981. Living in Copenhagen, and coming from a musician family, Agnes Obel learned piano at a very young age. Her mother used to play Bartók and Chopin at the piano. During her childhood, Agnes Obel found inspiration in Jan Johansson's work. Johansson's songs, European folk tunes done in a jazzy style, have influenced the young musician a lot.
She attended high school at Det frie Gymnasium and university at Roskilde University.
At the age of seven, Agnes Obel worked in a little band where she used to sing and play bass guitar. The group appeared in a festival and even recorded some titles.
Later, and with the help of Danish musician and producer Elton Theander, Obel founded the Copenhagen based band Sohio. After few years of collaboration, Obel debuted as a solo singer with her first album Philharmonics (2010).
Agnes Obel writes, plays, sings, records and produces all her material herself.
She is influenced by artists such as Roy Orbison, Joni Mitchell, PJ Harvey and also by the French composers Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel and Eric Satie.
Obel lives in Berlin.
Website: http://agnesobel.com
On Powdered Ground
Agnes Obel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
but all is melting like the snow
Taking all from us
all we thought was left to know
On what we treasure
falls a dusty snow
taking us backwards
Don't break your back on the track
Don't break your back on the track
Don't break your back on the track
Don't break your back on the track
This strong old blizzard
I will let it blow
to undiscovered places
underneath the snow
Don't break your back on the track
Don't break your back on the track
Agnes Obel’s “On Powdered Ground” is a hauntingly beautiful song with insightful lyrics that convey a deep sense of loss and uncertainty. The opening lines, “Go back and forward, but all is melting like the snow,” suggest a sense of ambivalence, a feeling of being caught between the past and the future, unable to move forward. The image of melting snow is a poignant metaphor for the transience of life and the inevitability of change.
The next lines, “Taking all from us, all we thought was left to know,” serve to underscore the theme of loss and uncertainty. The singer seems to be struggling to come to terms with the fact that everything they once held dear is slipping away from them. The use of the pronoun “us” suggests that the loss is not just personal but collective, as if the entire world is on the cusp of a great transformation.
The final stanza, “This strong old blizzard, I will let it blow, to undiscovered places underneath the snow,” can be read as a message of hope amidst the despair. Despite the relentless march of time, there are still hidden treasures waiting to be discovered beneath the surface of things. The last repeated line, “Don't break your back on the track,” might be interpreted as a warning against becoming too attached to any particular outcome and an admonition to remain flexible in the face of change.
Line by Line Meaning
Go back and forward
Reflecting on the past and anticipating the future
but all is melting like the snow
Everything is fleeting, ephemeral and transitory
Taking all from us
Time is constantly taking away things from us
all we thought was left to know
We realize that we don't know as much as we thought we did
On what we treasure
The things we hold dear
falls a dusty snow
These things are slowly fading away
taking us backwards
We are forced to remember the past
but where we will never know
But we can never go back to the past
Don't break your back on the track
Don't overexert yourself
Don't break your back on the track
Marathon not a sprint
Don't break your back on the track
Take it easy
Don't break your back on the track
Don't overwork yourself
This strong old blizzard
A storm representing the hardships and struggles of life
I will let it blow
I will accept these struggles and let them happen
to undiscovered places
We will discover new things as a result of these experiences
underneath the snow
These discoveries will be hidden, buried and obscured from view
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AGNES CAROLINE THAARUP OBEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Estefanía Pérez Hidalgo
Lyrics
Go back and forward
but all is melting like the snow
Taking all from us
all we thought was left to know
On what we treasure
falls a dusty snow
taking us backwards
but where we will never know
Don't break your back on the track
Don't break your back on the track
Don't break your back on the track
Don't break your back on the track
This strong old blizzard
I will let it blow
to undiscovered places
underneath the snow
Don't break your back on the track
Don't break your back on the track
MissCookie
"On Powdered Ground"
Go back and forward,
but all is melting like the snow
Taking all from us,
all we thought was left to know
On what we treasure
falls a dusty snow
taking us backwards
but where we will never know
Don't break your back on the track
Don't break your back on the track
Don't break your back on the track
Don't break your back on the track
This strong old blizzard
I will let it blow
to undiscovered places
underneath the snow
Don't break your back on the track
Don't break your back on the track ...
wweltschmerz
Go back and forward
but all is melting like the snow
Taking all from us
all we thought was left to know
On what we treasure
falls a dusty snow
taking us backwards
but where we will never know
Don't break your back on the track
Don't break your back on the track
Don't break your back on the track
Don't break your back on the track
This strong old blizzard
I will let it blow
to undiscovered places
underneath the snow
Don't break your back on the track
Don't break your back on the track
Rebekah Fuller
Agnes Obel: You have gotten me through countless papers and exam study sessions... thank you from the bottom of my heart for cheering my anxiety-ridden heart, and calming my restless soul.
Kat Karsecs
She's shaping up to be one of my go-to singers to do the same thing for me as I write my thesis... <3
pernille66
Rebekah H
Maasak Ice Queen
Love your lyrics n music too, relaxes my anxiety n stress, " dont break your back on the track,"
Name Surname
Press F
Maria Vitória
As músicas dessa mulher são mágicas.
toriana
é como uma pintura, não é uma música para mídia, mas ela em si expressa sentimentos
Lia Sena
tori a Sim, tem razão.
Felipe Santos
A melhor música da minha vida!!! Amo demais!!!
"Sobre o que não estimamos, cai uma neve empoeirada.."
Namrita Chhibber
Agnes Obel is a rockstar...her music is magical...