Simone’s 2008 release, ‘Everyone is Crying Out to Me, Beware,’ covered the music of Russian cult icon, Yanka Dyagileva, a Siberian punk-folk singer who drowned under mysterious circumstances in 1991. Simone was first introduced to Yanka’s music in 2001, when a couple of Russian street performers she met hanging out in Brighton Beach made her a mix tape. Her interest in Yanka dovetailed with a growing obsession with Siberia, where she has spent an extensive part of each year living and working since 2001. Sung entirely in Russian, ‘Everyone is Crying Out to Me, Beware’ both echoes the samizdat quality of Yanka’s recordings and subverts it with lush arrangements and intricately textured layers of trumpet, cello and guitars. The album received widespread critical acclaim from major national and international outlets including The New Yorker, BBC’s “The World,” Billboard Magazine, Spin Magazine, New York Magazine, NPR, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and Pitchfork among many others.
Over the past five years, Simone has performed under a windmill in Aarhus, Denmark, at a club located within the Arctic Circle in far northern Russia, as well as hundreds of lonely bars throughout the United States. She has shared the stage with artists including Final Fantasy, Loney Dear, Alele Diane, The Dodos, Fiery Furnaces, Castanets, The Wedding Present, Dead Meadow, The Duchess and the Duke, Franz Ferdinand and many others. In 2010, Simone was among twenty musicians worldwide to be nominated for the prestigious Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative.
Simone’s first collection of personal essays, ‘You Must Go and Win,’ will be published by Faber and Faber on June 7, 2011, simultaneous with the release of her second original full-length album, ‘Make Your Own Danger.’ Best-selling author Neil Gaiman describes You Must Go and Win as “music, religion, Russia and family conjured and dissected with warm humor and sharp eyes.” Novelist John Wray describes the book as, “ a twenty-first century Portrait of the Artist, warts and all… a delight and, in all honesty, an inspiration.”
Simone's new album ‘Make Your Own Danger,’ was produced by Steve Revitte (Liars, Beastie Boys, Black Dice) and recorded in Brooklyn. It features a large cast of musicians and exotic touches like flute, autoharp, horns, Brazilian drumming and vocal loops.
Lonesome
Alina Simone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But the train is still far away
You said you'd come
By now everyone is drinking wine
From paper cups…
Are you lonesome tonight
Do you feel a little achy
I don't think you have a fever,
It's like black, black, black, black
Black cars you can't see into.
Leaving you wondering
And waiting on the curb
With all their little secrets
So keep on running from the winter
But you can't help missing the snow
And all these unfamiliar people
Who can't ever go back home
Who can't ever go back home
The lyrics of this song delve into themes of loneliness and the struggles of being alone in a big city. The singer paints a vivid image of a Sunday night, waiting for someone to arrive on the subway, only to feel more and more isolated as time passes. The party is in full swing around her, but she can't seem to shake the feeling of being disconnected from those around her. The line "Are you lonesome tonight" is a nod to the classic Elvis Presley song of the same name, which is also about feeling alone and disconnected.
The singer is grappling with conflicting emotions, missing the snow and the feeling of home, while also feeling out of place among the unfamiliar people around her. The "black cars you can't see into" add to the sense of mystery and isolation, leaving the singer feeling unsure of what's going on around her.
Overall, the lyrics of "Lonesome" capture the bittersweet feeling of being alone in a busy city, surrounded by people yet still feeling isolated. It's a relatable sentiment for anyone who's ever found themselves feeling lost in a big crowd.
Line by Line Meaning
Sunday night, by subway light
It's a Sunday night and the only source of light is from the subway. Alina Simone is waiting for someone special to come by.
But the train is still far away
The train that Alina Simone is waiting for hasn't arrived yet.
You said you'd come
Alina Simone expected someone to come and meet her, but they still haven't arrived yet.
By now everyone is drinking wine
Everyone around Alina Simone is relaxed and enjoying their time, sipping wine from paper cups.
From paper cups…
The wine that others are drinking is served in paper cups, indicating a casual or informal gathering.
Are you lonesome tonight
Alina Simone is sad and lonely, longing for company and attention from the person she was expecting to meet.
Do you feel a little achy
Alina Simone is experiencing a sense of pain or discomfort, probably related to the feeling of loneliness and abandonment from the person who didn't show up.
I don't think you have a fever,
Despite the physical and emotional pain that Alina Simone is experiencing, there is no actual sickness or medical condition involved.
But I don't know…you do seem cold.
Alina Simone is unsure whether the person she's waiting for has a valid excuse for not showing up or if there's any other reason that made them distant and cold.
It's like black, black, black, black
The atmosphere around Alina Simone is gloomy, dark, and hopeless, probably because of her thoughts and feelings at the moment.
Black cars you can't see into.
Alina Simone sees cars passing by, but she can't really tell who's inside or what they're doing, adding to the sense of isolation and disconnection she's feeling.
Leaving you wondering
The passing cars and people who don't notice Alina Simone makes her feel left out and wondering about her own place in that world.
And waiting on the curb
Alina Simone is standing on the side of the street, waiting for someone who may never show up, adding to her feelings of loneliness and confusion.
With all their little secrets
People around Alina Simone seem to have their own private affairs and secrets that she's not part of, adding to the sense of exclusion and alienation.
So keep on running from the winter
Alina Simone is trying to escape the cold and harsh conditions of life by seeking warmth and comfort from the person she was waiting for.
But you can't help missing the snow
Despite trying to avoid the pain and stress of life, there are some things that Alina Simone actually misses and longs for, such as the snow and the joy it brings.
And all these unfamiliar people
The people around Alina Simone are strangers to her, making her feel lost and disconnected from her own environment and society.
Who can't ever go back home
Alina Simone is suggesting that those unfamiliar people are probably immigrants or travelers who can't go back to their own country or place of origin, adding to the sense of longing and nostalgia that she's experiencing.
Contributed by Eliana T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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