Amelia Curran is a Canadian singer, playwright,
and songwriter. She was… Read Full Bio ↴Amelia Curran is a Canadian singer, playwright,
and songwriter. She was born in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador and currently lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The National Post describes her music as “a bit like Leonard Cohen being channeled in a dusty saloon by Patsy Cline.”

Curran started playing guitar and writing songs as a teenager and eventually dropped out of university in order to busk on the streets of St. John’s. That led to her first album release in 2000, and since then she has released four more.

Her 2006 release, War Brides, was initially released independently and was later given a European and national Canadian release by Six Shooter Records. She describes her signing to Six Shooter Records as a “promotion” and goes on to say “I have a lot more work to do, more often, as a result of which I will make some more money and sell some more records. But it is the same job that I have been doing for ten years.”

War Brides was nominated for two East Coast Music Awards: Folk Recording of the Year and Female Solo Recording of the Year.

In 2009, Curran released Hunter, Hunter. She describes this album as “a little tougher than War Brides but it’s still minimal”. She explains that the title is “Hunter Hunter as opposed to hunter-gatherer.” This is the first album that she recorded in her home-town of St. John’s.

Curran’s lyrics have been described as "evocative" by Spinner Canada who, referring to Curran’s song “The Mistress”, wrote that “Like the best poets, Curran packs so much meaning into each line that the listener barely has time to register each clever lyric before the next zinger comes along.”

Hunter Hunter earned Curran four nominations at the 2010 East Coast Music Awards; Female Solo Recording of the Year, FACTOR Recording of the Year, SOCAN Songwriter of the Year and Folk Recording of the Year.

In addition to being a musician, Curran is also a playwright and actor, and has had her plays performed in fringe festivals.

On April 17, 2010, Curran won a Juno Award in the category of Roots and Traditional Album of the Year: Solo. Curran also won first prize (Folk category) of the prestigious 15th Annual USA Songwriting Competition.

Last Call
Amelia Curran Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Wicked the weather can empty the heart
Sunsets are poetry falling apart
Pitchin' and weavin' down Gottingen Road
I never loved you, I know

But dance with my shadow on into the bar
Midnight is marked by broken-down choirs
And the red face prophets are claimin' their fame

But I don't remember their names

Morning comes like a broken-winged bird
As though daylight delivers a miracle cure
And here in the pink of a dangerous day
Forgive me, forgive me
Those red-faced prophets, bartender and me

Dancin' in riddles on top of dead dreams
I kissed a sailor, said he was the sea
But he never knew it from me
Last call

Time is an invalid inside us all

Leave all the lights on, we'll waltz out the door
I never loved you, I'm sure

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Amelia Curran's song "Last Call" carry a sense of melancholy and nostalgia about a night of revelry that has come to an end. The opening lines, "Wicked the weather can empty the heart, Sunsets are poetry falling apart," suggest that the singer's mood has been soured by atmospheric conditions and the passing of time. As they journey down Gottingen Road, there is a sense of aimlessness, as if they are searching for something that remained elusive.

The second verse continues in this vein, describing a scene of broken-down choirs and red-faced prophets claiming their fame. The singer doesn't remember their names, indicating that the night's events were transitory and fleeting. The morning comes like a broken-winged bird, as daylight serves as a reminder of the night's excesses. The singer seeks forgiveness from those they shared the night with- the bartender, the red-faced prophets, and whoever else they encountered- in a gesture of contrition for the actions of the previous night.

Line by Line Meaning

Wicked the weather can empty the heart
Harsh weather can make people feel sad and lonely.

Sunsets are poetry falling apart
As beautiful as sunsets are, they are fleeting and fleeting moments can cause sadness.

Pitchin' and weavin' down Gottingen Road
Navigating through difficulties in life can be like walking down a winding road full of potholes.

I never loved you I know
The artist is admitting that they didn't love someone, even though they may have said they did.

But dance with my shadow on into the bar
Despite feeling alone, the artist imagines dancing with their own shadow to keep themselves company.

Midnight is marked by broken-down choirs
Late at night, the sounds of the city are not always beautiful - they can be discordant and sad.

And the red face prophets are claimin' their fame
People who are intoxicated might say things that they wouldn't normally say, and they may feel like they are important or famous.

But I don't remember their names
Despite being around people who are memorable in the moment, the artist knows that they won't remember them the next day.

Morning comes like a broken-winged bird
When morning comes after a hard night, it can feel just as injured and ineffective as a bird with a broken wing.

As though daylight delivers a miracle cure
Despite the pain and struggles of the previous night, the hopefulness of a new day can feel like a cure for everything that has hurt.

And here in the pink of a dangerous day
The singer is acknowledging that this new day will not be easy, and could be just as dangerous as the previous one.

Forgive me, forgive me,
The artist is asking for forgiveness, though it is not clear who they are talking to or why.

Those red-faced prophets, bartender and me.
The people around the singer, including themselves, are lost and confused, like red-faced prophets who have lost their way.

Dancin' in riddles on top of dead dreams
The singer is dancing around and speaking in riddles, avoiding confronting the reality of their dead dreams.

I kissed a sailor, said he was the sea
The singer is saying that they kissed someone whose identity was tied up with their job or profession - like a sailor and the sea.

But he never knew it from me
Despite the kiss, the artist did not reveal their true feelings or identity to the person they kissed.

Last call
The night is coming to an end.

Time is an invalid inside us all
Despite having our whole lives ahead of us, time can feel as though it is running out or broken for all of us.

Leave all the lights on, we'll waltz out the door
The singer is leaving everything on and dancing out the door, signifying that they are done with a certain chapter in their lives.

I never loved you, I'm sure
The artist is repeating that they never loved someone, and they are now sure of it.

Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Amelia Curran

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS