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
The Curse
Agnes Obel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the start they didn't know exactly why, why
Winter came and made it so all look alike, look alike
Underneath the grass would grow, aiming at the sky
It was swift, it was just, another wave of a miracle
But no one, nothing at all would go for the kill
If they called on every soul in the land, on the moon
Only then would they know a blessing in disguise
The curse ruled from the underground down by the shore
And their hope grew with a hunger to live unlike before
The curse ruled from the underground down by the shore
And their hope grew with a hunger to live unlike before
Tell me now of the very souls that look alike, look alike
Do you know the stranglehold covering their eyes?
If I call on every soul in the land, on the moon
Tell me if I'll ever know a blessing in disguise
The curse ruled from the underground down by the shore
And their hope grew with a hunger to live unlike before
And the curse ruled from the underground down by the shore
And their hope grew with a hunger to live unlike before
In Agnes Obel's song The Curse, the lyrics describe a group of people who go into hiding without knowing why. Winter arrives, making everything look the same, and grass grows underneath them, reaching for the sky. The following words talk about a wave of miracles that are swift and just, yet no one seeks to harm other beings. They discuss that if they called upon every soul in the land and moon, only then would they recognize any blessing in disguise. The curse is depicted as ruling underground by the shore, where people are starving for hope to live unlike before.
Obel’s song is obscure but the symbolism is striking. The song might be discussing death, a pandemic, or inner conflict that people are avoiding. Winter and underground caves could demonstrate the ultimate darkness where people tend to hide. On the other hand, the descriptions of grass and the sky demonstrate growth and freedom, which tends to contradict the general feel of the song.
The song seems to look into the human psyche, discussing the roots of the curse and the hope that is needed for people suffering from an unknown enemy that is messing with their lives. It's reminiscent of the current COVID-19 epidemic, but it's meant to have a more in-depth and personal connection to the listener.
Line by Line Meaning
And the people went into their hide, they oh
The people went into hiding, without understanding why.
From the start they didn't know exactly why, why
The people didn't understand the reason behind their hiding.
Winter came and made it so all look alike, look alike
Winter made everything look similar to each other.
Underneath the grass would grow, aiming at the sky
Even though everything looked similar, the grass continued to grow towards the sky.
It was swift, it was just, another wave of a miracle
Something miraculous happened quickly and fairly.
But no one, nothing at all would go for the kill
Despite the miracle, nobody wanted to take advantage of it and harm others.
If they called on every soul in the land, on the moon
If every living being was asked for their input.
Only then would they know a blessing in disguise
Only then would they understand the true nature of the miracle, which was a hidden blessing.
The curse ruled from the underground down by the shore
The curse dominated the underground and the nearby shore.
And their hope grew with a hunger to live unlike before
Despite the curse, the people's hope for a better life grew stronger.
Tell me now of the very souls that look alike, look alike
Tell me about the people who look similar to each other.
Do you know the stranglehold covering their eyes?
Do you understand the limiting beliefs that are holding them back?
If I call on every soul in the land, on the moon
If I ask for the input of every living being, regardless of where they are.
Tell me if I'll ever know a blessing in disguise
Tell me if I'll ever experience a hidden blessing.
The curse ruled from the underground down by the shore
The curse dominated the underground and the nearby shore.
And their hope grew with a hunger to live unlike before
Despite the curse, the people's hope for a better life grew stronger.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AGNES CAROLINE THAARUP OBEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jezebeth
And the people went into their hide, they oh
From the start they didn't know exactly why, why
Winter came and made it so all look alike, look alike
Underneath the grass would grow, aiming at the sky
It was swift, it was just, another wave of a miracle
But no one, nothing at all would go for the kill
If they called on every soul in the land on the move
Only then would they know a blessing in disguise
The curse ruled from the underground down by the shore
And their hope grew with a hunger to live unlike before
The curse ruled from the underground down by the shore
And their hope grew with a hunger to live unlike before
Tell me now of the very souls that look alike, look alike
Do you know the stranglehold covering their eyes?
If I call on every soul in the land on the move
Tell me if I'll ever know a blessing in disguise
The curse ruled from the underground down by the shore
And their hope grew with a hunger to live unlike before
And the curse ruled from the underground down by the shore
And their hope grew with a hunger to live unlike before
@chandrakristian6602
Why song like this so underrated? This is master piece
@bhrbehavioralhealthracing30
It’s not underrated lol ! She’s a leading musician of our time lol “sets a standard for the rest to follow”
@jessie6662
As well as the song "Fuel to fire" 😍
@pabloreyesr.9238
@@bhrbehavioralhealthracing30 Indeed
@TaraTheAndroid
SHUT UP YOU IDIOT AGNES IS A RESPECTED GENIUS AMONG SMART PEOPLE TO CALL HER UNDERRATED IS A DISGRACE OF HER
@pierrebe4492
10M views isn't what I call underrated
@lightrevolutionsdotcom9415
Introduced to "Agnes" by my teenage granddaughter, this proves beautiful music can bridge the generations. Agnes' music is stirring in its simplicity and fluid melody, like a warm knife carving and shaping butter are the tones that waft the human heart. What a great role model on so many levels.
@DaqoIRC
I'm a teenager myself, male, but this really can provide a bridge to the youth of our world, if we will all allow it to!
@graceji9677
🙌
@calebkimball1422
I think this video is a legitimate gateway to drugs
If we allow it to be