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
Pass Them By
Agnes Obel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Around the fire, here we go
Flaming higher, here we go
To my surprise a fever grows
Lamps will glimmer on the gloom
Prey on the light in the room
As we fill it to the brim
Oh how the hills were laughing
How the creeks they cried
How the grass would cheer on
As we passed them by
Room for many, room for few
Here in the dark I made for you
Oh why do I hear you and believe
That we come together to make it sweet
Oh how the hills were laughing
How the creeks they cried
How the grass would cheer on
As we passed them by
In "Pass Them By," Agnes Obel sings about a communal gathering where people come together in a shared space, possibly around a fire. The lyrics speak of the energy that builds as the group comes together, with the fire flaming higher and a fever growing. As the lamps in the room glimmer, the group fills the space to the brim, saying words and taking them in.
The chorus of the song is particularly poignant, with Obel singing about the natural world surrounding the gathering. The hills laugh, the creeks cry, and the grass cheers on as the group passes them by. This line speaks to a sense of interconnectedness, with the natural world bearing witness to the human gathering and participating in its own way.
The second verse speaks to a sense of intimacy within the group, as the singer claims to have made the dark space for someone else. The chorus repeats and ends the song on a note of reflection, as the singer muses on the moments of togetherness that have passed.
Overall, "Pass Them By" captures a sense of communal energy that is both powerful and fleeting. The lyrics speak to the connection between humans and the natural world, and the way that gatherings can leave a lasting impression.
Line by Line Meaning
We come together, here we go
We gather together and begin our journey
Around the fire, here we go
Encircling the flames, we embark on this journey
Flaming higher, here we go
The fire grows stronger as we venture on
To my surprise a fever grows
I am unexpectedly overcome with emotion
Lamps will glimmer on the gloom
Light will shine through the darkness
Prey on the light in the room
We focus on the light present in the room
As we fill it to the brim
As we saturate the space with our presence
We say the words we take them in
We speak words and absorb them as truth
Oh how the hills were laughing
The hills exuded joy
How the creeks they cried
The creeks expressed sorrow
How the grass would cheer on
The grass offered encouragement
As we passed them by
As we continued on our journey, barely noticing our surroundings
Room for many, room for few
The space we inhabit has the capacity for both a large or small number of people
Here in the dark I made for you
I have created something special for you in this dark space
Oh why do I hear you and believe
I listen to your words and find myself trusting them
That we come together to make it sweet
We unite to create something beautiful
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AGNES CAROLINE THAARUP OBEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gamze Karakus
We come together, here we go
Around the fire, here we go
Flaming higher, here we go
To my surprise a fever grows
Lamps will glimmer on the gloom
Prey on the light in the room
As we fill it to the brim
We say the words we take them in
Oh how the hills were laughing
How the creeks they cried
How the grass would cheer on
As we passed them by
Room for many, room for few
Here in the dark I made for you
Oh why do I hear you and believe
That we come together to make it sweet
Oh how the hills were laughing
How the creeks they cried
How the grass would cheer on
As we passed them by
Dylan Alexander
"We are living reminders."
"We don't smoke for enjoyment, we smoke to proclaim our faith."
"Stop wasting your breath."
"Not a cult."
"Don't save them."
Who the fuck are these guys?
Julian Penguin
We come together, here we go
Around the fire, here we go
Flaming higher, here we go
To my surprise a fever grows
Lamps will glimmer on the gloom
On the light in the room
As we fill it to the brim
We say the words we take them in
Oh how the hills were laughing
Oh how the creeks they cried
Oh how the grass would cheer on
As we passed them by
Room for many, room for few
In the dark I made for you
Oh why do I hear you and believe
We come together and make it sweet
Oh how the hills were laughing
Oh how the creeks they cried
Oh how the grass would cheer on
As we passed them by
Tereza Kempfová
I love the feel of life she gives to her songs.
Marcelle Belga
perfect
Torette Legg
Perfect isn't it?
João Matheus
Nunca vou enjoar de vir aqui escutar essa perfeição de música.
Namrita Chhibber
Agnes Obel is my music superhero...she saves the day...all I need is my headphones and everything is fine again ...
Logan Kerlee
I was just gifted tickets to see her live next year in May. I am stoked!! Obviously COVID or whatever has to not be an issue.. but I'm hoping we'll have things figured out by then. :)
Logan Kerlee
Also, was just introduced to her music today.. gifted by the same person who introduced me to her music. :) I'm so STOKED that I get to go. :) FeelsGoodMan
Musefloyd Gabriel
same
Laila Aziz
I love her art it's very beautiful and goes directly to your heart 💖
Mohammad Aliwi
I knew Agnes from Dark series but today i was watching the leftovers and i listened to the end and i knew this's Agnes's voice her voice is unique and i love it