In… Read Full Bio ↴Elisa Peimer is an American singer/keyboardist based in New York.
In a musical landscape where anybody can record some songs, burn them onto a CD and toss them up on the Internet, Elisa Peimer writes songs that make people stop what they're doing and ask, "Wow, who is this?"
The New York City pop singer/songwriter's accomplishments are impressive: a publishing deal with Sonica Music, a Pop Artist Spotlight at Amazon.com, TV and film placements, and licensing deals with Columbia Tri-Star Television, MTV, the Oxygen Network, etc. She has been featured as an Unsigned Beauty on iVillage.com, sung the National Anthem at Giants Stadium and Keyspan Park, and received heavy video rotation on the CBS Spectacular screen in Times Square. Old and new media have lauded her recordings: Billboard, CMJ, Blogcritics, and many others.
But "nobody cares about all that," says Elisa. "When people hear the music and it makes an impact - that's why I'm doing it."
Elisa's music has been making an impact since her first release: four albums ago she tested the waters with a four-song EP that received an overwhelmingly positive response. She met the demand for more music with the 13-song Shed This Skin, and in 2003 her second full-length album, Transparent, came out to even more impressive reviews. Elisa and John Kurgan (Sting, Stanley Clarke, Stewart Copeland) co-produced that enhanced CD, which contained a stunning video of the pop anthem "Turning Circles." Transparent "hits home with heavenly force," wrote Indie-Music.com, and Icon Magazine called it "captivating from the first track to the last."
Continuing to outdo herself, Elisa has released a new album, Pull of the Moon, that testifies to her startling and ever-strengthening songwriting mastery. Featuring 10 brand new tracks, including a cover of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” (a popular staple of her live show), Pull of the Moon covers all the bases, from rockers to ballads. The songs delve into the dark complexities of relationships, but are brightened by Elisa’s trademark note of optimism.
"People relate to each other with positive and negative feelings at the same time. It’s never just straight-ahead simple. That’s why it's hard for me to write a pure love song," says Elisa. "Life is far too complicated and layered for anything that easy. This is my way of saying - hey, I don't get this any more than you do." These thorny issues electrify songs such as "Marine Layer," which deals with trying and failing to communicate, and "Don't Come Around," a pop nugget that admits that a relationship probably isn't such a good thing. Mastered by Daniel Wyatt, whose credits include Norah Jones and Blues Traveler, the album contains a powerful blend of the warm musicality of Sheryl Crow and the pop sensibility of Kelly Clarkson.
The music industry has changed dramatically since Elisa's first foray into the recording studio. But the demand for well-crafted, universally appealing songs has not. In this, Elisa's music rises above the fray, reminding us that classic songwriting is alive and well in the hands of this modest and hard-working writer and singer. Walking the streets of New York, humming new snippets of melody to herself, sculpting them into songs, teaching them to her band, and singing them for enthusiastic crowds, Elisa continues to build her audience. More and more people are discovering a little bit of their own lives in the music of this powerfully talented singer and songwriter.
Marine Layer
Elisa Peimer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The cold wind off the sea
And I'm gasping for air
But you won't talk to me
I'm struggling for words
To shout above this din
But the layer marine layer, the marine layer
Is rolling in, rolling in
I step into the tide
And hear the ocean roar
I turn and look behind
But you're still on the shore
I try to catch your eye
To see me once again
But the marine layer, the marine layer
Is rolling in, rolling in
I know that a million years have come and gone
And time polishes rocks and stones we're stepping on
But I'm feeling the pull of the moon upon my heart
And I don't have a way to tell you, tell you
I can't start
I sink into the sand
And hold my feelings in
But if I were to speak
Where would I begin
And though the sun is bright
The light begins to dim
As the marine layer, the marine layer
Comes rolling in, rolling in
As the marine layer, the marine layer
Comes rolling in, rolling in
Rolling in (rolling in)
Rolling in (rolling in)
Rolling in (rolling in)
The lyrics of Elisa Peimer's song Marine Layer convey a sense of longing, difficulty in communication and the passing of time, all intertwined with the natural phenomenon of the marine layer, a thick blanket of fog that often rolls in from the ocean and covers the California coast. The marine layer becomes a metaphor for the emotional distance between the singer and the person she's addressing, who seems unwilling to engage with her. The singer is struggling to find words to express herself, to catch the other person's attention, but the layer keeps rolling in and obscuring her attempts. She contemplates nature, the roar of the ocean and the pull of the moon, feeling their primal force, but unable to translate it into human connection.
The lyrics also evoke a sense of melancholy, a loss that cannot be articulated, but is still deeply felt. The contrast between the brightness of the sun and the dimming of the light as the marine layer advances creates a mood of wistfulness and uncertainty. The image of sinking into the sand and holding feelings in suggests a resignation, a recognition that sometimes words are not enough and that some things remain unsaid. The final repetition of the phrase "Rolling in" adds a sense of inevitability, of cycles that come and go, but leave an imprint in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
It's blocking out the sun
The marine layer, a thick fog coming from the ocean, is so dense that it makes it impossible for sunlight to shine through it.
The cold wind off the sea
The wind blowing from the ocean feels cold, adding to the uncomfortable atmosphere created by the marine layer.
And I'm gasping for air
The thickness of the marine layer is making it hard to breathe and the situation is becoming suffocating.
But you won't talk to me
Despite the discomfort of the situation, the person the singer wants to talk to is not communicating with her, making her feel even more isolated.
I'm struggling for words
Trying to convey what she feels in this state of suffocation is difficult, and she is finding it difficult to articulate her thoughts.
To shout above this din
The noise of the ocean, combined with the thickness of the marine layer, is making conversation almost impossible and it is challenging for the singer to communicate with the person she wishes to speak with.
But the marine layer, the marine layer
The repetition of the marine layer symbolizes the persistent presence of this unpleasant fog, which is slowly shutting everything out.
Is rolling in, rolling in
The marine layer is moving closer and closing in on everything around, making it harder to see, speak, and breathe.
I step into the tide
The singer is trying to seek solace in the ocean and its waves instead of worrying about the discomfort caused by the marine layer.
And hear the ocean roar
The sound of the waves crashing against the shore is a reminder of the powerful force of the ocean, which can erode even the most solid of rocks over millions of years.
I turn and look behind
The singer is hoping for reassurance from the person she wants to talk to, but they are not there, adding to her sense of loneliness and isolation in this thick fog.
But you're still on the shore
The person she wants to communicate with is yet again shutting herself off, retreating instead of facing the situation head-on.
I try to catch your eye
The singer seeks the attention of the person she wants to talk to, but her message is lost in the din of the fog and talking is almost impossible.
To see me once again
The singer is trying to connect with the other person by catching her attention and getting her to respond, but she is failing at even the slightest connection.
But the marine layer, the marine layer
The marine layer is closing in on everything and is becoming the foremost focus of the entire experience, making all else irrelevant.
Is rolling in, rolling in
The marine layer is slowly and steadily advancing closer and closer, creating an overwhelming sense of suffocation and isolation that makes it feel like the end of the world.
I know that a million years have come and gone
The vast stretches of time that have long passed can be felt in the constancy of the ocean, which has remained unchanged for aeons.
And time polishes rocks and stones we're stepping on
Despite the wear and tear of time's passage, the rocks and stones around us remain resilient because they are made stronger by the effects of erosion from the ocean.
But I'm feeling the pull of the moon upon my heart
The moon's gravitational pull on the ocean's tides also affects the human heart, and its distant pull can be felt in the center of the singer's being.
And I don't have a way to tell you, tell you
The complex emotions of love and heartbreak cannot be easily conveyed with mere words, leaving the singer feeling as though she has no way to truly communicate what she feels.
I sink into the sand
The singer has given up trying to bring meaning to the current situation and seeks comfort in the stability of the solid ground beneath her feet.
And hold my feelings in
The singer is trying to keep her emotions in check in order to avoid further pain or distress, because she knows they will not be well received by the person she wishes to communicate with.
But if I were to speak
The core of the singer's personality is locked away behind her deep emotions, and speaking what she feels in her heart could expose her to hurt or rejection from the person she wishes to talk to.
Where would I begin
The singer feels emotionally paralyzed due to the complex nature of her situation, leading her to be unsure of how to initiate such an intense conversation.
And though the sun is bright
Despite the mental and emotional turmoil the singer is experiencing, the natural world around her continues to function as normal, with the sun shining bright in the sky.
The light begins to dim
The arrival of the marine layer means that the light will eventually begin to fade away and soon everything will be covered in darkness, suffocating hope and happiness.
As the marine layer, the marine layer
The marine layer has once again become the central focus of the song, stressing its all-encompassing presence and the way in which it dominates the singer's thoughts and feelings.
Comes rolling in, rolling in
The fog is encroaching and enveloping everything around and becoming the central focus of the entire experience. Its presence stifles, suffocates and smothers everything that stands in its path.
Rolling in (rolling in)
The repetition of 'rolling in' at the end of the song reinforces the unstoppable, persistent nature of the marine layer, the fog that is slowly closing in on everything, leaving nothing but foggy haze and hopelessness in its wake.
Contributed by Camden P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.