In 2002, she released The Song They Sang... When Rome Fell. In 2003, she was a winner of the New Folk Competition, at the Kerrville Folk Festival. In 2004, her second album, Hymns for the Exiled, was released (Waterbug Records).
On 8 Dec 2006, Anaïs' 'folk opera' "Hadestown" débuted (written / produced in collaboration with composer Michael Chorney & director Ben T. Matchstick). On 13 Feb 2007, her third album, The Brightness was released (Righteous Babe).
Hadestown, a concept album based on the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, was released on March 9, 2010. It features contributions from Justin Vernon as Orpheus, Ani DiFranco as Persephone, Greg Brown as Hades, and Ben Knox Miller as Hermes; Anais herself sings the part of Eurydice.
Her album, 'Young Man in America' was released on Wilderland Records in the UK on February 13, 2012 and in the US on February 28, 2012.
Make It Up
Anaïs Mitchell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You worked as a butcher in a yuppie store
And you'd go home to cheap beer and say
You didn't know what you stayed in the city for
And we were hog-tied to our demons
We just followed them around in a lonely haze
All through the swollen night time
And the hot hot hot of the week days
But then we're making dinner
And for once we stop bitching long enough
To hear the music and we dance
To Leonard Cohen in the kitchen
And we just made it up the way we wanted to
Nothing easier to do
There's a big moon in your window
And the noise from the guys downstairs
And it feels like your apartment
But outside could be anywhere
It could be Greece or San Francisco
Or Morocco or Madrid
And we could walk outside our lives
And do a thing we never did
It's like when we were making dinner
And for once we both stopped bitching long enough
To hear the music and we danced
To Leonard Cohen in the kitchen
And we just made it up the way we wanted to
Nothing easier to do
It's easy to complain about the dark of both eyes shut
Close our ears and then complain about the silence
Oh but then what is this light I see
The music that I hear around us
And could it be that it was always here
It's like when we were making dinner
And for once we both stopped bitching long enough to
Hear the music and we danced
To Leonard Cohen in the kitchen
And we just made it up the way we wanted to
Nothing easier
Nothing easier
Nothing easier to do
The lyrics of Anaïs Mitchell's Make It Up evoke a sense of feeling stuck and unhappy with the mundanity of life, as if being hog-tied to one's own demons. The song's opening lines paint a picture of a bad summer with the singer's partner working as a butcher in a yuppie store with no respite but cheap beer at home. The chorus then shifts to a memory of a time they were making dinner, listening to Leonard Cohen and dancing in the kitchen. The moment was unscripted, unpretentious and completely enjoyable because they just made it up the way they wanted it.
The second verse continues the song's themes of feeling confined and restless. It describes an evening where, despite being in their apartment, the world outside felt limitless. It was as if they could walk outside their lives and try something new. The final verse reframes the song's opening lines, offering a different perspective. The darkness and silence that was complained about, when they stopped for a moment and really paid attention, there was always music and light around them. The act of making up something out of nothing was the answer to the mundanity and stagnation in their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
It was a bad summer you said
The singer's conversation partner mentioned that they had a difficult summer.
You worked as a butcher in a yuppie store
The person the singer is talking to was employed as a butcher in a yuppie store.
And you'd go home to cheap beer and say
After work, the person the singer is talking to would drink low-cost beer and express discontentment.
You didn't know what you stayed in the city for
The person the artist is talking to was not sure why they continued to live in the city.
And we were hog-tied to our demons
Both the artist and their conversation partner were struggling with personal demons that affected their lives.
We just followed them around in a lonely haze
The singer and their conversation partner were constantly affected by their personal demons, causing them to drift aimlessly.
All through the swollen night time
Their struggles followed them into the night, intensifying their negative feelings.
And the hot hot hot of the week days
Their struggles also affected them during the workweek, adding to their difficulties.
But then we're making dinner
The artist and their conversation partner began to make dinner together.
And for once we stop bitching long enough
The two of them were able to pause their complaining and negativity for a moment.
To hear the music and we dance
They started to hear the music playing in the background and began to dance together.
To Leonard Cohen in the kitchen
They danced to a song by Leonard Cohen that was playing in the kitchen.
And we just made it up the way we wanted to
Their dancing was spontaneous and done in a way that felt natural to them.
Nothing easier to do
Dancing with each other felt effortless and easy.
There's a big moon in your window
The person the singer is talking to has a clear view of a large moon from their apartment window.
And the noise from the guys downstairs
They can hear the sounds of other people who live in the same building as them from downstairs.
And it feels like your apartment
The immediate space and environment around them feels familiar and like home.
But outside could be anywhere
Despite feeling comfortable and familiar in their apartment, everything beyond those walls is unknown and unpredictable.
It could be Greece or San Francisco or Morocco or Madrid
Anything could be happening outside their apartment; it could be taking place in any one of many diverse and distant locations.
And we could walk outside our lives
They have the potential to walk out of their current life situation and explore different ways of living.
And do a thing we never did
By doing this, they would be able to experience things that they had never experienced before.
It's easy to complain about the dark of both eyes shut
It is easy to get stuck in a mindset of negativity and pessimism, instead of being open to new experiences and opportunities.
Close our ears and then complain about the silence
It is easy to tune out the sounds of the world around us and then complain about its supposed emptiness.
Oh but then what is this light I see
Despite their struggles and negativity, the artist sees a positive light or hope in their situation.
The music that I hear around us
The singer hears real and present music in their immediate environment.
And could it be that it was always here
The singer wonders if the good things they are experiencing now were always present in their lives, but unnoticed until now.
It's like when we were making dinner
The singer recalls the positive, spontaneous moment they shared with their conversation partner while making dinner earlier.
And for once we both stopped bitching long enough to
They paused their negative attitudes for a moment to do something positive together.
Hear the music and we danced
They started to hear the music around them and in response, began to dance together.
Nothing easier
Dancing together felt like the easiest, most natural thing for them to do at that moment.
Nothing easier
The act of experiencing something in the moment, unforced and natural, was the easiest thing they had done in a long time.
Nothing easier to do
Being present and enjoying a moment of spontaneity was the easiest thing to do, and sometimes the most important thing.
Contributed by Liliana N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.