Casey Dienel (born March 10, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter and pia… Read Full Bio ↴Casey Dienel (born March 10, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She released her debut album, Wind-Up Canary, in 2006 on Hush Records. Dienel presently performs and records as White Hinterland, whose first album, titled Phylactery Factory, was released on March 4, 2008, by the independent record label Dead Oceans.

On January 4, 2008, after a few months hinting at "change," Dienel announced in her blog that "for the present and foreseeable future, there won’t be any more Casey Dienel." Her blog post coincided with Dead Oceans' announcement of the forthcoming release of White Hinterland's album Phylactery Factory.

Embroidery
Casey Dienel Lyrics

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Since I was a girl, I've been good at embroidery.
I finished up my finishing school in Switzerland.
Then I escaped to Evian, wound my car down the Alps, lived only on apricots
Picked by the side of the road.

In Vevey I lived with two spinsters who spoke only French
But mostly bickered.
They fed me strawberry wine,

I sat in my room writing you lines on doilies,
They all said the same thing:
I wish you were here.

The lights on Lake Geneva are a sight for sore eyes.
They turn the water into glass,
I could step on it and be in Lausanne.
Then I'd be just miles from you, maybe I'd see you in line at the shooting booths,
Maybe you'd buy me an ice cream cone.

But if you look you'll see my initials stitched inside your left breast pocket,
The one you keep your handkerchief in,
The one closest to you heart.

Since I was a girl I've been good at embroidery,
Since I was a girl I've been good at embroidery.
But no needlepoint will bring you,
Across this continental divide,

Across the Atlantic Ocean to where
I am now!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Embroidery" by Casey Dienel delve into the singer's memories and experiences while living in Switzerland. The first stanza describes the singer's skill in embroidery, which she learned as a young girl. She then attended finishing school in Switzerland, but ultimately decided to escape to Evian, where she subsisted solely on apricots picked from the side of the road. The second stanza describes the singer's time in Vevey, where she lived with two French spinsters and drank strawberry wine. Alone in her room, she wrote lines on doilies wishing her love was there with her.

The final stanza is a lament for the distance between the singer and her love. She dreams of being close to him, even imagining a chance encounter at a shooting booth or sharing an ice cream cone. But ultimately, the distance between them is too great, and no amount of embroidery or wishful thinking can close the divide. The last line is a poignant expression of the singer's longing and despair at the prospect of being apart from her love.

Overall, "Embroidery" is a melancholic and nostalgic exploration of memory, longing, and the emotional toll of distance. The lyrics are beautifully crafted, with evocative imagery and a haunting melody that perfectly captures the mood of the piece.

Line by Line Meaning

Since I was a girl, I've been good at embroidery.
Embroidery has been a skill I have possessed since a young age.

I finished up my finishing school in Switzerland.
I completed my formal education in Switzerland.

Then I escaped to Evian, wound my car down the Alps, lived only on apricots Picked by the side of the road.
After graduation, I traveled to Evian, drove down the Alps, and survived on roadside apricots.

In Vevey I lived with two spinsters who spoke only French But mostly bickered. They fed me strawberry wine, I sat in my room writing you lines on doilies, They all said the same thing: I wish you were here.
I resided with two French-speaking spinsters in Vevey who incessantly argued while I drank strawberry wine and wrote about wanting you here on doilies.

The lights on Lake Geneva are a sight for sore eyes. They turn the water into glass, I could step on it and be in Lausanne. Then I'd be just miles from you, maybe I'd see you in line at the shooting booths, Maybe you'd buy me an ice cream cone.
The striking Lake Geneva lights turn the water into a glassy surface I could step on to reach Lausanne and potentially see you at the shooting booths and get an ice cream.

But if you look you'll see my initials stitched inside your left breast pocket, The one you keep your handkerchief in, The one closest to you heart.
If you check your left breast pocket, where you keep your handkerchief and heart closest, you will see my initials lightly sewn inside.

Since I was a girl I've been good at embroidery, Since I was a girl I've been good at embroidery. But no needlepoint will bring you, Across this continental divide, Across the Atlantic Ocean to where I am now!
Embroidery may be a skill I've held since childhood, but it cannot bridge the distance between us over this continental divide and across the vast Atlantic where I currently reside.

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Casey Susan Dienel

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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