He approached his music with a new found freshness and decided to put some songs down on record. His grandmother told him he had a distant cousin in London in the music business. Borrowing money from those that would lend it, he recorded his demo and sent it off to his cousin, renowned producer and film composer, David Arnold (Bjork, James Bond). Arnold liked what he heard and provided enough money for Damien to buy his own mobile studio.
Damien Rice formerly sang with Lisa Hannigan and released his debut solo album, O, in Ireland in early 2002. In July 2002 O was released in the UK and it received widespread critical acclaim. In June 2003 O was released in the USA and Europe, with Rice appearing on The Letterman Show and receiving more acclaim from publications such as Rolling Stone, Newsweek and The Boston Globe. Arnold joined him on stage in New York to perform a version of the Björk/Arnold track Play Dead.
He gained further popularity after some of his most famous songs were included in the media. An example of this is 9 Crimes used in the soundtrack of the summer blockbuster Shrek Three and The Blower's Daughter was featured in the movie Closer. Delicate was also featured in the hit T.V. show Lost.
Damien Rice is an intense live act - with emphasis laid on emotional intensity and experiments, rather than technical perfection. At a 2005 concert, for instance, he threw out big cheeses to the audience. This can sometimes be more demanding for the listener than the radio hit edit of the song Cannonball suggests. 'Cannonball' was re-mixed in 2004, for UK radio, to make it more radio-friendly. Rice later was reported to be very unhappy with it, saying to Tom Dunne on PetSounds (Today FM) that he did not "...really like it". He stated that he had allowed the remix to go through only if he signed a contract that would forbid anyone from ever remixing one of his songs ever again.
Damien spent 2004 and 2005 recording the follow-up to O. The album, 9, was released in Ireland on November 3, 2006, on November 6 in the rest of Europe, and in North America on November 14, 2006. Even though the new album maintained Rice's sense of "emotionality," some argued that it did so through volume and intensity rather than with the reflection and lyrical commentary that characterized his first release, O.
Rice has also developed a reputation as a live performer, selling out at venues across Europe and the United States. He is a performer who gives a lot of himself to the audience.
As of March 25th, 2007, this was posted on the Damien Rice official website: After much thought and discussion Damien has decided that his professional relationship with Lisa Hannigan has run its creative course. As a result Lisa will not be appearing at any of the upcoming live shows. Lisa is embarking on her own artistic endeavours and there are no plans for them to work together in the foreseeable future. The current band on tour at the moment are - Damien Rice, Joel Shearer, Shane Fitzsimons, Tom Osander, and Vyvienne Long.
Rumors that Damien Rice is currently dating Mélanie Laurent, a French actress, has not been verified. However, there have been reports that he is working with the actress to record her debut album.
Coconut Skins
Damien Rice Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And show her how you cry
Explain to her your weakness so she understands
And then roll over and die
You can brave decisions
Before you crumble up inside
Spend your time asking everyone else's permission
You can sit on chimneys
With some fire up your ass
No need to know what you're doing or waiting for
But if ever anyone should ask
Tell them I've been licking coconut skins
And we've been hanging out
Tell them God just dropped by to forgive our sins
And relieve us our doubt
Lalala, lala, lala
Lalala, lala, lala
Lalala, lala, lala, lalalala
Lalala, lala, lala
Oh, you can hold her eggs
But your basket has a hole
You can lie between her legs and go looking for
Tell her you're searching for her soul
You can wait for ages
Watch your compost turn to coal
Time is contagious
Everybody's getting old
So you can sit on chimneys
With some fire up your ass
No need to know what you're doing or looking for
But if ever anyone should ask
Tell them I've been cooking coconut skins
And we've been hanging out
Tell them God just dropped by to forgive our sins
And relieve us our doubt
Lalala, lala, lala
Lalala, lala, lala
Lalala, lala, lala, lalalala
Lalala, lala, lala
Lalala, lala, lala
Lalala, lala, lala
Lalala, lala, lala, lalalala
Lalala, lala, lala
The lyrics of Damien Rice's song Coconut Skins are a deep reflection on life choices, self-awareness, and ultimately, what it means to truly live. The song opens with the suggestion that we should be vulnerable and show those we love our fears and weaknesses so they can understand us better. However, the lyrics suggest that once you have shared your vulnerability, you should then move on and be willing to let go of the past. This is highlighted in the line 'And then roll over and die', which may suggest the need to let go of past traumas and move forward in life.
The song then explores the idea of making decisions before we crumble up inside, suggesting that we should take control of our lives and not wait for things to happen to us. Rice poetically suggests that we should sit on chimneys with fire up our ass, meaning we should take risks and not be afraid to take chances. The line 'No need to know what you're doing or waiting for' implies that we should be spontaneous and not overthink things.
The chorus of the song is a powerful statement about living in the moment, enjoying life, and not worrying about the future or the past. The imagery of licking coconut skins and cooking coconut skins is a metaphor for living in the present, enjoying the here and now, and making the most of every moment. The line 'God just dropped by to forgive our sins, and relieve us our doubt' suggests that living in the moment and enjoying life is a form of redemption, as it allows us to let go of our past mistakes and regrets.
Line by Line Meaning
You can hold her hand
You can physically hold someone's hand
And show her how you cry
You can show vulnerability to someone else
Explain to her your weakness so she understands
You can explain your weaknesses to help someone else understand you better
And then roll over and die
You can give up after showing vulnerability
You can brave decisions
You can make tough decisions
Before you crumble up inside
Before giving in to your fears and anxiety
Spend your time asking everyone else's permission
You can waste your time seeking approval from others
Then run away and hide
Then avoid taking responsibility for your actions
You can sit on chimneys
You can sit on something high up and dangerous
With some fire up your ass
With some motivation/drive
No need to know what you're doing or waiting for
No need to have a clear goal or purpose
But if ever anyone should ask
But if someone asks about your lack of direction
Tell them, I've been licking coconut skins,
Tell them something nonsensical or unimportant
And we've been hanging out.
And we've been spending time together
Tell them, God just dropped by to forgive our sins,
Tell them something absurd or irrational
And relieve us our doubt.
And give us peace of mind
You can hold her eggs
You can hold someone else's future/destiny
But your basket has a hole
But your plans have an inherent flaw
You can lie between her legs and go looking for'
You can have sex with someone and try to find something deeper
Tell her you're searching for her soul
Tell her that you're looking for something meaningful in your relationship
You can wait for ages
You can wait around for a long time
Watch your compost turn to coal
Watch something that was once useful become useless
But time is contagious
But time is always moving and affecting everyone
And everybody's getting old
And everyone is aging
So you can sit on chimneys
So you can still choose to be unproductive
With some fire up your ass
With some sense of urgency/motivation
No need to know what you're doing or looking for
No need to have a clear goal or purpose
But if ever anyone should ask
But if someone asks about your lack of direction
Tell them, I've been cooking coconut skins,
Tell them something random or unimportant
And we've been hanging out.'
And we've been spending time together
Tell them, 'God just dropped by to forgive our sins,
Tell them something unbelievable or implausible
And relieve us our doubt.
And give us peace of mind
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Damien George Rice
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind