Edson was formed by Pelle Carlberg in the summer of 1998, and he named the … Read Full Bio ↴Edson was formed by Pelle Carlberg in the summer of 1998, and he named the band after the great soccer player Edson Arantes do Nascimento, i.e. Pelé. The first couple of months the piano took a prominent part in the sound, giving the songs a tangible jazz pop flavour. Initially the band was Pelle's solo project, but since then it has more and more developed into a democratic unity, with Pelle as the songwriter and lead singer.

In december of 1999 the band got the formation it has today: Pelle sings, Filip Carvell plays the acoustic and the electric guitar and sings, Helena Söderman plays the flute, melodica, harmonica, glockenspiel, Wurlitzer and sings, Mårten Josjö plays the electric guitar, Mats Deltin plays the bass and Ulf Lundberg the drums.

In 1999 Edson made about 30 live appearances, e.g. one at the demo stage of the Hultsfred festival in Sweden. After the performance Edson met John Cloud, who was interested in releasing something on his label Stormstreet records. In September a four-track EP was released containing the songs Sunday, Lovely Sunday, I Didn´t Mean to be Mean, 22:22 {We Need a Quarrel, We Need a Fight} and Terry Whips.

The same year the band contributed with two songs on the compilation CD The Sound of Young Sweden and with one song each on Sound Affects Magazine's »Hultsfred special-CD« and the »Demoscenen«-CD of the Hultsfred festival. The Sunday, lovely sunday EP was also released by Matinée Recordings in the US, but with a slightly different tracklist.

In the autumn of -00 Edson was signed to Summersound Recordings and recorded their debut album Unwind with edson, which was released February 14 2001 and was received well.

Album number two, For Strength, was recorded and mixed during ten intensive days in the end of December of 2001, once again with Andreas Ahlenius as technician and once again mainly in the rock metropolis of Gävle, Sweden. The result is very satisfactory. Edson has evolved as a unity, and their sound is more homogenous and personal.

http://www.labrador.se/artists/edson.php3

Birth! School! Dole! Angst!
Edson Lyrics

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You don't have to be pitiful about me
There's no need to be merciful to spare me
You don't have to be pitiful about me
Cause I have got a pocket full of treasury

You don't have to worry
You don't have to cry
There will be another time

You don't have to worry
This is not goodbye
You don't have to worry, I'll be fine

I never meant to live a lie - no I
I still believe in honesty and I tried
To tell you about a year ago - honestly
And now I have deceitful writt en all over me

You don't have to worry
You don't have to cry
There will be another time
You don't have to worry
This is not goodbye
You don't have to worry, I'll be fine

Birth! School! Dole! Angst!
Birth! School! Dole! Angst!

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of the song "Birth! School! Dole! Angst!" by Edson presents the idea that the singer does not want anyone to feel sorry for him/her. The singer is confident and has a "pocket full of treasury." This line could mean that the singer has self-worth and does not need validation from anyone else.

The lyrics go on to say that there is no need to worry or cry because it's not the end. The singer will be fine. However, the song takes a melancholic turn when the singer confesses that he/she never wanted to live a lie and believes in honesty, but now has deceitful written all over him/her. This line implies the singer feels like a fake or a fraud.

The song title "Birth! School! Dole! Angst!" refers to the UK Department of Employment's pamphlet for school leavers from the 1970s. The pamphlet outlines the progression of one's life after leaving school, leading to a lack of fulfillment and sadness. Edson titles his song after this pamphlet to express the singer's frustration and disillusionment with the system.

Line by Line Meaning

You don't have to be pitiful about me
You don't have to feel sorry for me

There's no need to be merciful to spare me
You don't need to be kind to me to protect my feelings

You don't have to be pitiful about me
I don't want your pity

Cause I have got a pocket full of treasury
I am financially stable

You don't have to worry
Don't be anxious

You don't have to cry
No need to shed tears

There will be another time
We'll have another opportunity

You don't have to worry
Don't be anxious

This is not goodbye
We're not saying farewell forever

You don't have to worry, I'll be fine
I'll be alright

I never meant to live a lie - no I
I never intended to deceive anyone