Edie Carey is an American folk-pop singer-songwriter.

On her fourth … Read Full Bio ↴Edie Carey is an American folk-pop singer-songwriter.

On her fourth studio album, Another Kind of Fire, Carey explored the myriad kinds of "fire" - romantic and otherwise - that keep us burning below the surface: old resentments, creativity, anger, lost friendships, lust, and, of course, love. The disc, released September 19th independently on Accidental Poet, maintained much of the organic, woody sound of its predecessor, When I Was Made (2004), touted by Harp Magazine as "a little country, a little adult-contemporary, and a lot of fine music." But on her latest effort, producer Crit Harmon (Martin Sexton, Lori McKenna, Mary Gauthier) introduces a somewhat moodier, darker sound, painting haunting, vast landscapes behind her intimate vocals.

Drawn from her own experiences and the stories of those around her, Carey's poetic lyrics are the focal point of her songs. Paste Magazine confirmed this in a 2004 review of Made:"Economic instrumentation forces all your attention toward the gentle storytelling, rich with humanity and insight...Carey draws us into her world, where we find we have a lot in common."

Several fires have raged within Carey over the past two years - both personally and professionally - creating fertile ground for songwriting. After three years south in her adopted hometown of Atlanta, Carey has returned to her native Boston - though she plans to spend little time at home.

The 2004 Telluride Bluegrass Troubadour Finalist will hit the road in earnest this fall, performing at clubs, coffeehouses and colleges across the country. Carey kicks off her CD release tour for Another Kind Of Fire on September 8th at The Living Room in New York City.

Touring internationally since 1999, Edie has shared stages with Norah Jones, Leo Kottke, Ani DiFranco, Jonatha Brooke, Catie Curtis, Lucy Kaplansky, and Sandra Bernhard. She was asked to perform at The Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City and on Ed McMahon's "Next Big Star" ("Star Search"), and has had her songs featured on The WB's "Charmed" and MTV's "Road Rules". She was recently a featured act on Public Radio International's "Mountain Stage," and When I Was Made was a finalist for Album of the Year in the 2003 Independent Music Awards.

More About Edie...
"Accidental Poet," one of Edie Carey's earliest songs, describes a particularly eloquent friend, but could just as easily refer to Carey herself and the circuitous and serendipitous route that led her to become one of the country's most notable young songwriters. Somehow, all of the seemingly unrelated turns - from her intention to become a doctor, to a tiny music room in the basement of a Morningside Heights' chapel, to a year in Italy - managed to steer her towards music.

Born in Burlington, Vermont and raised in the Boston suburbs by her English teacher father, therapist mother, and poet stepmother, Edie Carey couldn't help but learn to love words. But her ear for music only became apparent after she "took the stage" in the back seat of her babysitter's green Cadillac, belting out her own rendition of "Up Where We Belong." From age nine, after beginning voice lessons, she became involved in singing groups and musicals, which she continued all the way through high school. A child of the 80's, she dressed in lace and sequins and dreamed of appearing on Ed McMahon's "Star Search." However, as much as she loved performing, Carey was unaware that there was any middle ground between singing at weddings and being Madonna, and never considered music a real career possibility. So, she made plans to major in English/Creative Writing with Pre-Med classes at Barnard College in New York City. However, during her freshman year, two pivotal discoveries knocked those plans right off course - The Postcrypt Coffeehouse and the Italian language.

In the Postcrypt, an intimate music venue in the basement of St. Paul's Chapel at Columbia University, the seeds of possibility were sewn as Carey watched Jeff Buckley, Ani Difranco, and Lisa Loeb among others perform unplugged to candlelit audiences. She saw how words could sometimes have even greater power when used in a song, and simultaneously came to appreciate the sonorous quality of words regardless of their meaning or the melody in which they were framed. This appreciation for their musicality grew deeper with the study of Italian, which eventually led her to spend a year abroad in Bologna, where she taught herself to play the guitar.

In Italy, Carey set herself up in a corner of the main piazza and played every Bonnie Raitt, Shawn Colvin, Sarah McLachlan, and Rickie Lee Jones song she knew, throwing in a few of her own tunes, which would later land on her debut album, The Falling Places . Her experience abroad gave her a newfound confidence and encouraged her to begin performing on campus, where she started to build a student following. She made her first album in 1997, while working long days at Worth Magazine and recording until 3 am each night. Though the process was a daunting one, by the time she was finished, Carey was sure she had "accidentally" ended up exactly where she was supposed to be.

After the release of The Falling Places in 1998, she began venturing outside of New York City to play neighboring east coast cities, and gradually expanded throughout the United States, then Canada and the UK. While the debut was a very sparsely produced acoustic contemporary folk album, Call Me Home, Carey's follow-up in 2000, was by comparison an all-out pop record, a tribute to her early inspirations and the reckless abandon of her childhood. With its release, the "accidents" continued, and Carey unexpectedly found herself achieving her childhood dream of appearing on television with Ed McMahon.

Since 2000, she has been working as a full-time performing songwriter, touring rigorously to promote all of her independently self-released records, which now include Come Close, her 2002 live CD, When I Was Made (2004), and the latest addition to her growing catalog, Another Kind of Fire. Looking back, she has to wonder if maybe this wasn't an accident after all.

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My heart
Edie Carey Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm not gonna lie to you
I don't know what I'm doing
Even after all these years
I'm lost

I'm not gonna lie to you
I'm a little bit crazy
I try to keep my head on straight

It's always a little bit off

But my heart feels right for the first time in my life
For the first time

You stay in one place too long
You become a target
Look at how I live my life
Always gone

But when it comes to me and you
I'm a little bit lazy
After all this running
I'm happy, happy to just stop

Cuz my heart feels right for the first time in my life
For the first time

So I'm just gonna stay right here
Just to see what happens
Funny how hard it is
To keep still

Long enough to let love in
No matter how you fight her
She'll always be the smartest
You don't think she'll get you
But she will, she will

My heart feels right for the first time in my life
For the first time

Overall Meaning

The song "My Heart in 2-3" by Edie Carey seems to be about the singer finally finding happiness and stability in her life with someone special. She admits to being lost and a little bit crazy, but with this person, her heart feels right for the first time. The singer also talks about how she's always been on the move and how that can make someone a target. However, when it comes to this person, she's happy to stop running and just stay there. She acknowledges that it's hard to stay in one place long enough to let love in, but it's worth it.

Throughout the song, the theme seems to be about the singer's struggle to find a place of peace and stability in her life. She talks about being lost and crazy, and how her head is always a little bit off. However, with this person, she seems to have found her way. The song also touches on the idea that it's hard to keep still and let love in, but it's something that is necessary for happiness and fulfillment.

Overall, "My Heart in 2-3" is a song about finding love and stability in an otherwise chaotic life. The singer is self-aware of her flaws and shortcomings, but with this person, she's able to find happiness and peace in a way she never has before.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm not gonna lie to you
I am going to be honest

I don't know what I'm doing
I am uncertain about my actions

Even after all these years
Despite the amount of time that has passed

I'm lost
I am directionless

I'm a little bit crazy
I am somewhat unconventional

I try to keep my head on straight
I attempt to stay focused

It's always a little bit off
But I am easily swayed

But my heart feels right for the first time in my life
Yet, I am content with following my heart

You stay in one place too long
Remaining in the same spot for too long

You become a target
Makes you vulnerable

Look at how I live my life
As evident in my way of living