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
The Last Page
Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Until I see you in a dream,
Singing animals to sleep...
By the way, it's over without you.
I'm in the way, I'm in the way.
I'm in the way, I'm in the way.
Sleep all day
(yeah, yeah, yeah)
(Sha la la la)
Dark and quiet, only the owls are watching,
Only the sky is up and I'm leaving for a place
(yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
From Another time, just to be near you, just to be near you, just to be near you
(sha la la la la la la la la..)
I'm in the way, I'm in the way.
I'm in the way, I'm in the way, I'm in the way.
I'm in the way, I'm in the way...
Don't become the one you hated.
Death is absolutely safe, billion bibles mark the last page.
I've gotta move through the days without you here
I get a shock, shock hurts to heal
I've gotta move through the weeks without you here
I get a shock, shock hurts to heal
I've gotta move through the months without you here
I get a shock, shock hurts to heal
I've gotta move through the weeks without you here,
I get a shock, shock hurts to heal
I've gotta move through the weeks without you here
I get a shock, shock hurts to heal
Shock, shock hurts to heal
Hurts to heal
Hurts to heal
Hurts to heal
The lyrics of "The Last Page" by Emily Haines/Soft Skeleton convey a melancholic mood of longing and separation, as the singer expresses their desire to be reunited with the person they miss, whom they only see in their dreams. The opening lines, "Hover through the foggy vapours, until I see you in a dream, singing animals to sleep," create a surreal and mysterious atmosphere, as if the singer is in a limbo between reality and imagination. The image of singing animals to sleep suggests a soothing and peaceful scene, but it can also be interpreted as a metaphor for the singer's subconscious attempt to calm their restless mind and find solace in their dreams.
However, the dream world is not enough to satisfy the singer's longing, as they admit that "it's over without you" and they are "in the way." This line suggests that the relationship has ended and the singer feels like they are holding onto something that they cannot have anymore, making them feel like an obstacle in their own path. The chorus repeats this idea, emphasizing the sense of being stuck and unable to move on, as the singer tries to cope with the shock of loss.
The last lines reveal a philosophical undertone, as the singer warns against becoming someone they hated and reflects on the finality of death. The phrase "billion bibles mark the last page" suggests that death is an inevitable and universal experience, regardless of one's beliefs or actions. The song ends with the repetition of "shock hurts to heal," which implies that the singer is going through a process of emotional recovery, painful but necessary to overcome their grief.
Line by Line Meaning
Hover through the foggy vapours,
I am wandering aimlessly through uncertainty.
Until I see you in a dream,
I long for you and my subconscious conjures you up.
Singing animals to sleep...
I wish for the power to lull all creation to tranquility.
By the way, it's over without you.
I realize that our time together has ended.
I'm in the way, I'm in the way.
I am an obstacle, preventing progress.
Lights out to midnight.
I have shut out the light and it is dark.
Sleep all day (yeah, yeah, yeah) (Sha la la la)
I escape from reality and other people by sleeping.
Dark and quiet, only the owls are watching,
Silent and serene, with only the birds as company.
Only the sky is up and I'm leaving for a place (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
I have a destination in mind and I am on my way.
From another time, just to be near you, just to be near you, just to be near you (sha la la la la la la la la..)
I yearn to be with you despite temporal or spatial distance.
Don't become the one you hated.
I advise against descending into the self-loathing of the past.
Death is absolutely safe, billion bibles mark the last page.
I find solace in viewing death as a guaranteed, inevitable end as documented through religious texts.
I've gotta move through the days without you here
I must accept the absence of your presence amidst the passage of time.
I get a shock, shock hurts to heal
The emotional distress of your absence causes visceral pain that I must endure to recover.
I've gotta move through the weeks without you here
As days turn to weeks, I continue to grapple with your absence.
I've gotta move through the months without you here
The challenge of navigating my life without you persists even as weeks become months.
Shock, shock hurts to heal, hurts to heal, hurts to heal
The pain of shock endures like a wound that gradually remodels into a scar.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: EMILY HAINES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@pinkpiratemomma
This song kept me alive.
@Eraynad
At 2m23, I think I die a little each time, I reach this part, it'is filled with so many feelings, her pain, mourning, depression, and let's face it suicidal! But, as says the song : hurts to heal
@neika4592
I'm so emo
@mayorparsnip5571
shalalala ;]
@yosagustiar2429
Hover through the foggy vapours
Until I see you in a dream
Singing animals to sleep...
By the way, it's over without you
I'm in the way, I'm in the way
I'm in the way, I'm in the way
Lights out 'till midnight
Sleep all day
(Yeah, yeah, yeah)
(Sha la la la)
Dark and quiet, only the owls are watching
Only the sky is up and I'm leaving for a place
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
From another time, just to be near you, just to be near you, just to be near you
(Sha la la la la la la la la..)
I'm in the way, I'm in the way
I'm in the way, I'm in the way, I'm in the way
I'm in the way, I'm in the way...
Don't become the one you hated
Death is absolutely safe
A billion bibles mark the last page
You might also like
Winning
Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton
Nothing & Nowhere
Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton
Reading in Bed
Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton
I've gotta' roll through the days without you here
I get a shock, shock hurts to heal
I've gotta' roll through the weeks without you here
I get a shock, shock hurts to heal
I've gotta' roll through the months without you here
I get a shock, shock hurts to heal
I've gotta' roll through the weeks without you here
I get a shock, shock hurts to heal
I've gotta' roll through the weeks without you here...
Shock hurts to heal
Hurts to heal
Hurts to heal
Hurts to heal
Hurts to heal
Hurts to heal
Hurts to heal
@stevenhayes548
Better than being the world's greatest Lady Gaga fan. Good luck at your show sweety!