On 26 September 2006, Haines released the album Knives Don't Have Your Back on Last Gang Records. The album was written and recorded in Los Angeles, Montreal, Toronto, and New York over the previous four years, and features contributors including Sparklehorse's Scott Minor, Broken Social Scene's Justin Peroff, Stars' Evan Cranley, and Metric's Jimmy Shaw.
Though it took Haines four years to complete the album, the singer says she'd been plotting this for years. "When I was a little kid," she said in a statement, "I would creep downstairs to the piano and write rudimentary songs about imaginary places. I'm told the first song I ever wrote was a love song to a cranberry tree. I always used the mute pedal. I hated the idea of anybody hearing me.
"Everywhere I've lived while working with Metric, I've written songs on the piano and played them for no one," she continued. "On the advice of a friend, I decided I'd better start recording them before they were forgotten."
Among those songs are a track that was written while Haines was studying electroacoustics in Montreal while some were recorded in Toronto, Canada in the winter of 2002, shortly after the death of Haines' father.
Official site: http://www.emilyhaines.com
Detective Daughter
Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She walked right into my mirror.
Said she's here to waste time, I said, â??That's fine.â??
Listen to thy self, be true to thy self, be true to thy self, be true
Every thread, every hair rearranged to resemble you.
You could help her!
There are so many skirts under the table.
None of these long legs are mine.
She calls around, finds me crying.
Wish I were capable of lying sometimes.
Hide out and run when no one's looking.
Hide out.
Love is hell, hell is love.
Hell is asking to be loved.
She's still calling around to find half an hour.
She'll always have a place in my mirror.
She's got no more time now she wants mine
But I'm all out too,
To thy self, be true to thy self, be true to thy self, be true.
aaaaaahhhhhhhhh
It's no big deal
Emily Haines/Soft Skeleton's song Detective Daughter is a beautiful and poignant piece that speaks about the vulnerabilities and insecurities of a woman. The song opens with the singer, who is trying to find half an hour in her busy schedule, walking into a mirror and realizing that she is wasting her time. The singer, who seems to be a reflection in the mirror, tells her that it's okay to waste time sometimes. The repeated chant of "Listen to thy self, be true to thy self, be true to thy self, be true" highlights the importance of self-discovery and self-acceptance.
The second verse talks about how the singer tries to emulate someone she admires, even going so far as to rearrange every thread and hair to resemble them. The line "Detective daughter copy- please don't be me" suggests that she feels like she is losing herself in the attempt to be like someone else. The third verse talks about how the singer is constantly searching for validation from others and is unable to face her own emotions. The lines "Love is hell, hell is love. Hell is asking to be loved" suggest that she feels trapped and overwhelmed by her own feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
She was calling around to find half an hour.
She was desperately trying to squeeze in some free time.
She walked right into my mirror.
She found an unexpected reflection of herself.
Said she's here to waste time, I said, â??That's fine.â??
She admitted to spending her time idly, and I was okay with it.
Listen to thy self, be true to thy self, be true to thy self, be true
This line repeats a call to uphold personal values.
Every thread, every hair rearranged to resemble you.
She has reconstructed herself in your image.
You could help her!
She needs your assistance in some way.
Detective daughter copy- please don't be me.
She doesn't want her daughter to follow in her investigative footsteps.
There are so many skirts under the table.
There are many secrets hidden away.
None of these long legs are mine.
She doesn't identify with the people concealing these secrets.
She calls around, finds me crying.
She reaches out to others for human connection, and finds them emotional.
Wish I were capable of lying sometimes.
She desires the ability to deceive others and perhaps herself.
Hide out and run when no one's looking.
She escapes her problems when they are out of sight.
Love is hell, hell is love.
A powerful romantic connection can bring great pain and suffering.
Hell is asking to be loved.
It can be excruciating to expose one's vulnerability and ask for love.
She's still calling around to find half an hour.
She still yearns for some free time.
She'll always have a place in my mirror.
She will always recognize some piece of herself in me.
She's got no more time now she wants mine
But I'm all out too,
She is out of time herself, yet seeks more from me, which I cannot give.
aaaaaahhhhhhhhh
This is the sound of an anguished cry.
It's no big deal
This closing line seeks to diminish the importance of what has been discussed.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: EMILY HAINES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Simon Tedder
such an under appreciated album
Recyclable
Love this song, my personal interpretation of this song is about a narcissist mother, and a daughters struggle in not wanting to become her.
Rocío Buenafé
this song hits me hard
Keely Popejoy
She was calling around to find half an hour.
She walked right into my mirror.
Said she's here to waste time, I said, that's fine.
Listen to thy self, be true to thy self, be true to thy self, be true
Every thread, every hair rearranged to resemble you.
You could help her!
Detective daughter copy- please don't be me.
There are so many skirts under the table.
None of these long legs are mine.
She calls around, finds me crying.
Wish I were capable of lying sometimes.
Hide out and run when no one's looking.
Hide out.
Love is hell, hell is love.
Hell is asking to be loved.
She's still calling around to find half an hour.
She'll always have a place in my mirror.
She's got no more time now she wants mine
But I'm all out too,
To thy self, be true to thy self, be true to thy self, be true.
aaaaaahhhhhhhhh
It's no big deal
Amber Smith
If anyone can find this song in the version without the beats in the back, just her playing piano, PLEASE send it to me! I heard it in 2007 and had it in my possession for a while. I cannot find that version ANYWHERE!!!
Ian Oosthuizen
Amber Smith i have it hahaha
Mel Mcconville
Kinda creepy... But I guess its a compliment in a way?
Russell Blandford
<3 Emily Haines please be them mother of my child.
zimzimbar
Sam Parker