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
Stretch Your Eyes
Agnes Obel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They dance so sweet and slow
Dug-out from below there
To damn the gods
A grip that will hold
That is so tight and close
Around my throat with
You could give to my heart
Thousand words or more
You could give to my heart
Thousand words or more
The drum you stroke
Damn, that beat so old
In the ground it grows there
To damn the sun
The gates of gold
In your head you hold
A kingdom molten
May the gods be on your side
You could give to my heart
Thousand words or more
You could give to my heart
Thousand words or more
Agnes Obel’s song “Stretch Your Eyes” is a stunning, yet eerie masterpiece. The lyrics of this song are truly poetic, and the meaning is open to interpretation. The atmosphere of the song is haunting from the beginning to the end with deep, dark instrumentals that crawls under your skin. The song opens with the lines “The darkness and the ghost, they dance so sweet and slow. Dug-out from below there, to damn the gods”. This opening line could be interpreted as the darkness and lore of the past haunting the present, reminding us that though time passes, pain lingers. The ghost is a metaphor for the past, and how it remains with us, haunting us in the present. The rest of the lyrics speak to the idea of being held captive, whether by one's own demons or by others, even our own memories.
The lyrics also speak about the weight of life and the desires that we all harbor but don't always acknowledge. The lines, “A grip that will hold, that is so tight and close. Around my throat with the weight of all our lives” can be interpreted as the weight of all our desires and wants that we carry with us throughout our lives. The lyrics, “In your head you hold, a kingdom molten, may the gods be on your side” can be seen as a plea for luck, for a higher power to guide us through the chaos of life.
Line by Line Meaning
The darkness and the ghost
The shadowy elements and the supernatural entities
They dance so sweet and slow
They move gracefully and unhurriedly
Dug-out from below there
Emerging from under the ground
To damn the gods
To curse the divine entities
A grip that will hold
A strong, unrelenting grasp
That is so tight and close
To the point of being constricting and suffocating
Around my throat with
Encircling my neck with
The weight of all our lives
The burden of all our experiences
You could give to my heart
You have the ability to impart to my emotions
Thousand words or more
An abundance of language and expression
The drum you stroke
The percussion you play
Damn, that beat so old
The rhythm is incredibly ancient
In the ground it grows there
It originates and flourishes beneath the soil
To damn the sun
To cast a curse upon the celestial body
The gates of gold
The entranceway to abundant riches
In your head you hold
Within your mind you possess
A kingdom molten
A domain made of melted material
May the gods be on your side
May divine beings offer assistance to you
You could give to my heart
You have the power to impart to my emotions
Thousand words or more
A plethora of language and expression
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AGNES CAROLINE THAARUP OBEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mementomori7949
I always find myself in another world while listening Agnes. Here lyrics:
The darkness and the ghost
They dance so sweet and slow
Dug-out from below there
To damn the gods
A grip that will hold
So tight and close
Around my throat with
The weight of all our lives
You can give to my heart
Thousand words or more
You can give to my heart
Thousand words or more
The drum you stroke
Damn that beat so old
In the ground it grows there
To damn the sun (oh what will come to life)
Gates of gold
In your head you hold
A kingdom molten
May the gods be on your side
You can give to my heart
Thousand words or more
You can give to my heart
Thousand words or more
@DeWonaTay
Lyrics ♡☆
The darkness and the ghost
They dance so sweet and slow
Dug-out from below there
To damn the gods
A grip that will hold
So tight and close
Around my throat with
The weight of all our lives
You could give to my heart
Thousand words or more
You could give to my heart
Thousand words or more
The drum you stroke
Damn that beat so old
In the ground it grows there
To damn the sun (oh what will come to life)
Gates of gold
In your head you hold
A kingdom molten
May the gods be on your side
You could give to my heart
Thousand words or more
You could give to my heart
Thousand words or more
♡
@BellaChallis
is there a grammy category for "most underrated artist"?
@catya1583
Maybe she is still a little underrated, but now she is more popular than 4 years ago. Those who are searching for real music finally will find her :-)
@francisbroka9471
If it existed, it's the extraordinary Imogen Heap who would win it.
@andrewbrent9524
The problem is winning such a category automatically invalidates your consideration.
@gemmaw4059
Nautilus Meredith
@zigpop67
I love both ! Agnes O more organic, Imogen H more versatile. Both extraordinary creative, with that sensitivity, and a touch of madness. Big love !!
@Evan-bw8zr
True story: I saw her live a few weeks ago. I was just standing there absorbing all of these violins and crescendos and her voice, her voice literally hypnotized me. My palms started getting sweaty. I kept looking for the bathroom sign because I thought I was going to pass out. I didn't understand why I was feeling that way in the moment. I had food in my stomach. Didn't even drink alcohol. It was simply her music. Her music is that powerful.
@markkil
someone spiked your drink with ecstasy
@Colonies_Dev
@@markkil you probably DEFINITELY dont mean ecstasy, you mean some kind of depressant that puts people to sleep
@Colonies_Dev
sorry to me that sounds like saying somebody spiked your drink with cocaine and now u are sleeping