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
Sprig
Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Falling asleep for the fifth time, early in the morning
Awake in terror we're staring back at him, never to be used
Their hands aren't cold
So quiet, they could hear each other's thinking, denying
Garner interest, each other's thinking, denying
Making of life, a forged painting
And listeners like you
Interpreting the lyrics of "Sprig" by Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton, it seems to be about the feelings of fear and powerlessness in the face of the unknown. The imagery of falling asleep for the fifth time, early in the morning, suggests the singer is struggling with insomnia or anxiety. The line "awake in terror we're staring back at him, never to be used" could be referencing a fear or sense of foreboding about the future, and the feeling of being powerless to change it. The idea that "their hands aren't cold" could suggest a sense of warmth or comfort that the singer wishes they could hold onto, but feels distant or unattainable.
The second half of the song seems to be exploring the idea of creating meaning in life through art or communication. The line "making of life, a forged painting" suggests that we create our own reality, and that the beauty and meaning we find in life is often subjective or invented. The reference to "life's big magnet talk" could suggest that communication and connection with others is an important part of finding meaning, but that the act of listening itself is what brings value to the conversation. The final line "and listeners like you" seems to invite the listener to participate in this conversation, and find their own understanding of the world around them.
Line by Line Meaning
Fresh when sleeping and every other night
Occasionally, sleep comes easily to me
Falling asleep for the fifth time, early in the morning
Struggling to sleep at night, and falling asleep when the sun has already risen
Awake in terror we're staring back at him, never to be used
Experiencing fear while looking at something with no use or purpose
Their hands aren't cold
They are not emotionally detached or aloof
So quiet, they could hear each other's thinking, denying
Being deeply silent, to a point where one can actually hear the thoughts of others, even when they are in denial
Garner interest, each other's thinking, denying
Feeling a desire to understand the thoughts and ideas of others, even when they refuse to acknowledge them
Making of life, a forged painting
Creating a life that is not authentic or true to oneself
Life's big magnet talk, talking
The endless chatter and noise of life, often pulling one's attention away from what truly matters
And listeners like you
Enabling others to listen and understand the deeper meanings behind the lyrics and the emotions they convey
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: EMILY HAINES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Michelle Trevizo Ponce
Fresh when sleeping and every other night
Falling asleep for the fifth time, early in the morning
Awake in terror we're staring back at him, never to be used
Their hands aren't cold
So quiet, they could hear each other's thinking, denying
Garner interest, each other's thinking, denying
Making of life, a forged painting
Life's big magnet talk, talking
And listeners like you
CavsterXII
I adore this
Afsheen Rashid
Take Me to Church by Hozier sounds somewhat similar to the "and they're sinners like you" part of this song. Both stunning songs.
SCANDALOUS RAGE
so haunting so pretty and yet a drift away from here death calls so many lifes but yet we all still feel alive we all still feel alive