Diane Cluck has been performing her original brand of intuitive folk around… Read Full Bio ↴Diane Cluck has been performing her original brand of intuitive folk around New York City and the wider world since 2000.

On her website, http://dianecluck.info, she has been releasing brand new songs directly to subscribers in her fan-funded "Song-of-the-Week" project, and she continues to introduce new songs through her live performances.

Stylistically, her voice has been compared to "the broken coo of an outraged owl or howling bark of a horny dove" (Voodoo-Eros). Her songs have been noted for their "irregular, or even cellular, logic" (Other Music). Her self-taught guitar style, influenced by years of playing the piano, has been described by The Village Voice as “brilliant” and “idiosyncratic.” Known for oblique vocal harmonies on recording, Diane’s live show focuses on singing as a healing, textural experience, leaving space in which listeners may wander, ponder or simply be.

Diane’s six home-recorded albums have received international distribution and acclaim; songs from “Oh Vanille / ova nil” (re-released on vinyl in 2010) appeared in the film “Margot at The Wedding” and the U.K. television series “Skins.” She has toured the U.S., U.K. and Europe, and often works with versatile cellist Isabel Castellvi, and cellist Isabel Castellvi. Past collaborators include CocoRosie, Jeffrey Lewis and André Herman Düne. A current generation of songwriters, including Sharon Van Etten, Laura Marling and Florence Welch (Florence + the Machine) have cited Diane’s work as influential

Petite Roses
Diane Cluck Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Petite roses bend
To sniff at my ankles
Pink and red roses lining the path
The flagstone path that leads to nowhere
To nowhere decided for now

And the dog runs up
With a heart in its mouth

Deposited pulsing at my feet
Blood still ushering from it's valves
It shudders and gives up one last beat
Shudders and gives up one last beat

Oh, who am I to get this gift
The giver bounding off in retreat
The dog runs up with the heart in its mouth
And drops it bloody at my feet

Roses pester at my ankles
The heart lies bloody at my feet

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Diane Cluck's song "Petite Roses" convey a sense of mystery and wonder, juxtaposed with a visceral image of a dog bringing its heart to the singer's feet. The opening lines describe the beauty of petite roses that bend to sniff at the singer's ankles, creating an idyllic scene of pink and red roses lining a flagstone path. However, the path leads to nowhere, revealing the underlying sense of uncertainty and aimlessness in the singer's life.

The sudden appearance of the dog carrying its heart in its mouth disrupts the peaceful scene, as the singer witnesses the dog's last shudder before it dies. The gift of the heart brings up questions about the nature of love and sacrifice, and the singer seems to be both puzzled and grateful for receiving it. The image of the roses pestering at the ankles reinforces the sense of vulnerability and fragility, as fleeting beauty can easily be overshadowed by the darker aspects of life.

Overall, the lyrics of "Petite Roses" explore the delicate balance between joy and sorrow, beauty and decay, and the mystery of life that can never be fully comprehended.

Line by Line Meaning

Petite roses bend
Small roses bow down towards me

To sniff at my ankles
They reach for the scent of my feet

Pink and red roses lining the path
The path to nowhere is covered in roses of various colors

The flagstone path that leads to nowhere
The path is made of flat stones and doesn't have any destination

To nowhere decided for now
There isn't a plan for where to go

And the dog runs up
A dog approaches

With a heart in its mouth
The dog carries a bloody heart in its mouth

Deposited pulsing at my feet
It drops the heart, still beating, in front of me

Blood still ushering from it's valves
Blood is flowing from the heart's valves

It shudders and gives up one last beat
The heart stops beating after one final shudder

Oh, who am I to get this gift
I wonder why the dog chose to give me the heart