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
Philharmonics
Agnes Obel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In grey stockings, in all might
It was no loss
The only God of mine
He fell down, just to drown
In a sea of delight
To tame champagne
As the water took him over
Filled his lungs inside out
I sold his gold
For flowers and rice
Speaking fire, he would hire
Pawns and peasants just like me
To feed upon the conquered ones
But now we are free
The song "Philharmonics" by Agnes Obel has a dark and mysterious tone to it, which adds to the overall meaning of the lyrics. The song begins with the lines "Guess who died, last night, In grey stockings, in all might, It was no loss, The only God of mine" where the singer hints at the death of an important figure, who is considered as a God to them. The use of the word "Grey stockings" implies the attire of a person from an earlier era, and "in all might" signifies their power and control. However, the singer considers the death as "no loss", which indicates that their relationship with the deceased may have been complex or troubled.
The lyrics describe the death of the God-like figure who fell down, "just to drown in a sea of delight, to tame champagne and creatures of the night." This line implies that the deceased may have had an addiction, and the singer's use of the word "tame" suggests that they were trying to control their temptation but eventually succumbed to it. As the water took him over and filled his lungs inside out, the singer sold his gold for flowers and rice, which indicates that they may have been close enough to the deceased to have inherited or gained their possessions.
In the final lines, the singer reveals that the deceased was a brutal and ruthless leader, hiring "pawns and peasants just like me to feed upon the conquered ones". However, with their death, the singer claims that they are now free, suggesting that they are no longer bound by their previous commitments to the deceased. Overall, the lyrics of "Philharmonics" are shrouded in mystery and paint a picture of a complex relationship between the singer and the deceased.
Line by Line Meaning
Guess who died, last night
Someone has died and the singer is inviting the listener to guess who it was.
In grey stockings, in all might
The deceased was wearing grey stockings and was feeling powerful.
It was no loss
The singer didn't value the life of the deceased.
The only God of mine
The artist's only god (or idol) is not the one who just died.
He fell down, just to drown
The deceased intentionally fell down and drowned.
In a sea of delight
The body of water in which the person drowned was pleasant.
To tame champagne
The deceased was drinking champagne and trying to control their feelings.
And creatures of the night
The deceased was spending time with people or things that are active at night.
As the water took him over
As the deceased drowned, water filled their lungs and took control.
Filled his lungs inside out
The way the water filled the deceased's lungs was intense and overwhelming.
I sold his gold
The singer sold something valuable that belonged to the deceased.
For flowers and rice
The artist used the money from selling the gold to buy flowers and rice.
Speaking fire, he would hire
The deceased was known for hiring people and speaking in a passionate or fiery way.
Pawns and peasants just like me
The singer and the people the deceased hired were seen as disposable, low-status individuals.
To feed upon the conquered ones
The deceased and their employees would take advantage of people they conquered or overpowered.
But now we are free
The artist and the others who worked for the deceased are now free from their control.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AGNES CAROLINE THAARUP OBEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind