Raised in Connecticut, Pureka is said to have begun writing songs at the age of eight; by 16 they were playing the guitar. Following performances at local coffee houses and open mics, they began opening shows for such artists as Erin McKeown and Pamela Means while completing a degree in biology at Wesleyan University. After graduating, they worked in a microbiology research lab at Smith College in Northampton, eventually leaving to focus on their music full-time. In June 2001, they recorded a self-titled seven-song EP in preparation for a three-month nationwide tour with lesbian folk poet Alix Olson.
In 2004, Pureka released Driving North, their first full-length album, earning rave reviews from fans and fellow artists alike. In 2006, they released Dryland, and toured the US a second time as a headlining act. In May 2007, Pureka was a member of the month-long New American Songwriter Tour in New York City, Philadelphia, and Massachusetts. The tour also featured Krystle Warren, Jesse Harris and Ryan Scott. In July 2007, Pureka's song, "Swann Song" won 1st Place in the Acoustic competition on the independent music site OurStage.com.
In October 2007, Pureka was nominated for 2007's Outstanding Folk Act by the Boston Music Awards. They were also awarded an ASCAPLUS award in the summer of 2007.
Pureka is the founder of their label, Sad Rabbit Music. As well as their own releases, they have lent their vocals and guitar playing to several tracks by artists like Olson and Arjuna Greist; a notable track is "Checking My Pulse" with Olson, which went on to become a relative hit for Olson.
Pureka identifies as genderqueer and cultivates an androgynous appearance. They have received positive reviews in the long-running radical feminist publication off our backs and other magazines. Pureka's music does not deal explicitly with LGBT issues, focusing instead on emotional interactions between individuals.
On January 20, 2009, Pureka released a fourth album, an EP entitled Chimera. In April 2010, Pureka released their fifth album, How I Learned To See In The Dark
www.chrispureka.com
Cruel And Clumsy
Chris Pureka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've been thinking about the last time,
But I know
There's still a window that leads outside...
Sweet air through the summer screen,
Tall grass and warm stones,
Where are you today?
You were twisting the lens,
But it never stayed in focus,
So you laid on your bed,
And just lost track of the seasons...
And now you know the feel of cold steel to temple
And you know the feel of razor to wrist
And you're lost in a room
That rocks back and forth like a ship deck...
Sweet air through the summer screen,
Tall grass and warm stones,
Where are you today?
'cause you're missing it all...
But we never explain
Why we treasure our secrets,
How we're in love with our sadness sometimes...
But you wanted something you saw in the sunset,
So don't you leave her 'til you know what it is
And let's turn to the west
And let's turn up the music
And let's hope it's always as good as this...
Life is cruel and it's clumsy
(but we never explain)
I wish I could say that it's better than that
(why we treasure our secrets)
But this is our time
(how we're in love with our sadness sometimes)
This is all that we have 'til we turn out the lights...
Life is cruel and it's clumsy save its very best moments
(but we never explain)
I wish I could say that it's better than that
(why we treasure our secrets)
But this our time
(how we're in love with our sadness sometimes)
This is all that we have 'til we turn out the lights....
In Chris Pureka's song Cruel And Clumsy, the singer expresses concern and empathy for someone who has been struggling with mental health issues and contemplating suicide. The first verse acknowledges the person's past struggles and encourages them to look beyond that and see that there is still a way out, represented by the metaphorical "window that leads outside." The second verse describes idyllic images of nature, emphasizing the beauty in life that the person is currently missing out on. The next verse describes the person's failed attempts to cope with their pain through photography and withdrawing from the world, ultimately leading to suicidal ideation. The chorus then repeats the imagery of nature and encourages the person not to give up on life and on finding what they are searching for.
Line by Line Meaning
You've been low,
You've been feeling down,
You've been thinking about the last time,
You've been dwelling on the past,
But I know / There's still a window that leads outside...
But I know there's still hope for you to find some happiness.
Sweet air through the summer screen,
Imagine the fresh air blowing through a screen door,
Tall grass and warm stones,
The sensation of walking through tall grass while the sun warms stone structures nearby.
Where are you today?
Where are you mentally/emotionally right now?
'cause you're missing it all...
Because you're too caught up in negative thoughts to appreciate life's simple pleasures.
You were twisting the lens,
You were trying to change your perspective,
But it never stayed in focus,
But you couldn't stay optimistic for long,
So you laid on your bed,
So you gave up and laid down,
And just lost track of the seasons...
And lost touch with the world around you.
And now you know the feel of cold steel to temple
You know the feeling of contemplating suicide with a gun to the head,
And you know the feel of razor to wrist
And you know the feeling of self-harm through cutting,
And you're lost in a room
And now you're trapped in a dark place,
That rocks back and forth like a ship deck...
That rocks you back and forth like a ship on rough seas.
But we never explain / Why we treasure our secrets,
But we never discuss why we hold onto our secrets,
How we're in love with our sadness sometimes...
Or how we become attached to feeling sad at times.
But you wanted something you saw in the sunset,
But you saw something beautiful in a sunset that you desired,
So don't you leave her 'til you know what it is
So don't walk away from that beauty until you've figured out what it represents to you,
And let's turn to the west / And let's turn up the music / And let's hope it's always as good as this...
Let's face the future with optimism, turn up the tunes, and hope things always feel this good.
Life is cruel and it's clumsy
Life can be rough and unpredictable,
(but we never explain)
Yet we never fully understand why it can be so difficult.
I wish I could say that it's better than that
I wish I could tell you that things are better than they seem,
(why we treasure our secrets)
But again, we never fully understand why we cling to our secrets.
This is our time
This is our only chance at life,
(how we're in love with our sadness sometimes)
And sadly, we can become attached to our own sadness at times.
This is all that we have 'til we turn out the lights...
This is all we get until our time on earth ends.
Life is cruel and it's clumsy save its very best moments
Life can be tough, but there are those special, wonderful moments that make it all worthwhile.
Contributed by Ethan N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.