Alela Diane Menig (born April 20, 1983, Nevada City, California, USA) is an… Read Full Bio ↴Alela Diane Menig (born April 20, 1983, Nevada City, California, USA) is an American singer and songwriter. She grew up singing with her musician parents and performing in the school choir. She taught herself guitar, and began writing songs which blend tense, trance-like arpeggios with warm vocals and meditative lyrics about family and nature. Her first recordings were self-released in 2003 as Forest Parade. Her first solo public appearances were at the invitation of fellow Nevada City native Joanna Newsom. She also did a stint in the Nevada City slow grass band Black Bear before continuing with her solo pursuits.

The songs for her album, 'The Pirate’s Gospel', were written on a trip to Europe. They were recorded in her father’s studio and were initially self-released in 2004, in paper and lace sleeves with hand lettering. The album was issued in revised form by Holocene Music in October 2006, and received widespread critical acclaim.

A new song, "Dry Grass and Shadows", was issued on a compilation of Nevada City artists, and five more new songs were issued on a limited-edition 10" vinyl pressing, Songs Whistled Through White Teeth, released in the UK in October 2006. The Pirate's Gospel was released in the UK on Names Records in April 2007, garnering favorable reviews in The Times and NME.

Alela Diane has toured in the USA both solo and with Tom Brosseau, and has also opened for the Decemberists, Akron/Family and Vashti Bunyan. She performed in the UK in April and August 2007. According to a relatively recent interview, her second album is to be expected shortly. She now lives in Nevada City, California.

She toured Europe (UK, Ireland, France, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany) in March, April and May 2008.

Dry Grass And Shadows
Alela Diane Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

There are things that I've seen in my head while I'm sleeping in bed
They do not wither in the morning light
I'm taken back, oh I'm taken back to the dry grass and the shadows

Thinking I'd like to look at your teeth lined up in perfect rows
A maze of children feeding orchard trees
Where the flat lands stretch inside your mouth
And when you laugh all the star thistles stumble out

The flat lands stretch inside your mouth
And when you laugh all the star-thistles stumble out

Strong spines of valley hills all overgrown in gold
Look softer than a spool of old silk thread
But if we walked down with our feet
I'd be pulling spines and barbs and fox tails from your skin
Oh, if we walked down with our feet
I'd be pulling spines and barbs and fox tails from your skin

There are things that I've seen in my head while I'm sleeping in bed
They do not wither in the morning light

I'm taken back, oh I'm taken back to the dry grass and the shadows
I'm taken back, oh I'm taken back to the dry grass and the shadows

Overall Meaning

In the first verse of Alela Diane's song "Dry Grass & Shadows," the singer describes the vivid and haunting images that she sees in her dreams. These images stay with her long after she wakes up, and she feels transported back to a place "where the dry grass and the shadows" meet. This setting seems to hold some significance, although we are not given any concrete details about what it might represent.

The second verse introduces additional surreal imagery, as the singer wishes to "look at your teeth lined up in perfect rows" and imagines a "maze of children feeding orchard trees." Here, too, we are left to wonder at the meaning behind these bizarre mental images. However, we do get a sense of the singer's fondness for the person she is addressing, as well as her fascination with the strange and beautiful things that exist in her own mind.

The final verse brings us back to the scenery of the first, with its "dry grass and shadows," but adds a tactile element that suggests the singer is not merely observing the landscape, but interacting with it. Here, the hills are described as having "spines and barbs and fox tails" that would be painful to walk on. However, this does not seem to deter the singer from wanting to explore this rugged terrain. Overall, the lyrics of "Dry Grass & Shadows" create a dreamlike atmosphere that is mysterious, evocative, and haunting.

Line by Line Meaning

There are things that I've seen in my head while I'm sleeping in bed
I have dreams that are vivid and stay with me even after I wake up

They do not wither in the morning light
My dreams don't fade away with the coming of the day

I'm taken back, oh I'm taken back to the dry grass and the shadows
My dreams transport me back to a place with dry grass and shadows

Thinking I'd like to look at your teeth lined up in perfect rows
I imagine examining your teeth that are perfectly aligned

A maze of children feeding orchard trees
There are many kids feeding trees in an orchard

Where the flat lands stretch inside your mouth
Your mouth is like flatlands that seem to be never-ending

And when you laugh all the star thistles stumble out
Star thistles fall out of your mouth every time you laugh

Strong spines of valley hills all overgrown in gold
The hills in the valley have tough and spiky plants that are now golden and tall

Look softer than a spool of old silk thread
Despite looking imposing, the hills look soft like the old silk thread

But if we walked down with our feet
Despite their soft appearance, the hills may be painful to walk on

I'd be pulling spines and barbs and fox tails from your skin
You would have thorns, prickles, and fox tails stuck in your skin if we walked down the hills together.

I'm taken back, oh I'm taken back to the dry grass and the shadows
Again, I find myself transported back to the place with dry grass and shadows

I'm taken back, oh I'm taken back to the dry grass and the shadows
Once more, I'm taken back to the place with dry grass and shadows

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ALELA DIANE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS