White's haunted blues quickly found a home on Oakland's Double Negative Records with them only hearing her four-track demo. Fooling around with music since pre-school, White started on piano around the same time she learned to read, eventually picking up the guitar during her college days.
After graduation White moved to Bordeaux, France, where she performed with a bevy of independent French artists further honing her songwriting skills. Upon returning stateside, she moved to SF and began recording four-track demos formulating the songs that would ultimately become her debut album, Dark Undercoat.
Her second album entitled Victorian America was released in 2009 in France (and in 2010 in the U.S.). it was written largely in San Francisco and Oakland.
Her third album entitled Ode to Sentience was released in 2011.
www.emilyjanewhite.com
Blue
Emily Jane White Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And true, so true, the black hand,
Oh it takes you back.
And you turn to a figure,
In the light, no wait but you turn back,
Oh, oh, oh, oh…
Oh, oh, oh, oh…
And we danced in diamond dust,
Oh and we danced in diamond dust,
Oh Black, oh black, and blue, I was when I left you
A figment, of the past, a battered highway,
Cow skulls marking death,
Baby's breath and dried misery,
You left on my door,
Oh, oh, oh, oh…
Oh, oh, oh, oh……
And we danced so hard, that the cold, cold black rain fell.
And the blood on the ground, on the ground, washed away,
And your body was gone, and it left no trace,
But a trail of ash has led me to this dark place.
Did you see in the way that she did run run?
Faster than anyone,
Away from that snake eyed mule of a man,
Yes you can, yes you can, yes you can
Yes you can, yes you can, yes you can…
Blue, so blue, was your love, that I held and pursued.
And true, so true, the black hand, oh it takes you back.
The lyrics of Emily Jane White's "Blue" paint a vivid picture of a relationship that was engulfed in pain and despair. The central theme of the song is the color blue which symbolizes the singer's love for someone who has caused her nothing but sadness. The opening lines of the song set the mood with the repeated line "Blue, so blue, was your love that I held and pursued," which conveys the depth of the singer's love for this person despite the pain it caused her. The lyrics go on to describe the physical and emotional toll that this relationship took on her, with lines like "Oh Black, oh black, and blue, I was when I left you" and "A figment of the past, a battered highway."
The second half of the lyrics depict a sense of loss and desperation, as the singer recounts the memory of dancing with this person in the "diamond dust." The imagery of "cow skulls marking death" and "baby's breath and dried misery" add to the sense of despair that seems to engulf the song. Finally, the last few lines of the song introduce a new character, "that snake-eyed mule of a man," who is possibly the reason for the singer's breakup with her blue-love. The song ends on a note of ambiguity, with the singer asking if the person she is addressing saw the woman running away from this man.
Overall, Emily Jane White's "Blue" is a beautifully written song that evokes strong emotions of despair, sadness, and longing. The lyrics are rich in imagery, and the use of color symbolism adds a layer of complexity to the song's meaning.
Line by Line Meaning
Blue, so blue, was your love, that I held and pursued,
Your love was so intense and deep, that I chased after it constantly.
And true, so true, the black hand,
There is a dark force that is always present in our lives, guiding our fate.
Oh it takes you back.
This force can take you back to a place you thought you had left behind, reminding you of old memories and emotions.
And you turn to a figure,
Sometimes the past can haunt you, making you feel like you are someone else entirely.
In the light, no wait but you turn back,
Even in the present, the past can come back to you unexpectedly, pulling you away from reality.
And we danced in diamond dust,
There are moments of beauty and pure joy that can be found, even in the midst of chaos and darkness.
Oh Black, oh black, and blue, I was when I left you
When I left you, I was feeling beaten down and broken, consumed by darkness and pain.
A figment, of the past, a battered highway,
Leaving you behind felt like leaving a part of myself in the past, and moving forward was a difficult, painful journey.
Cow skulls marking death,
Symbolism of death and loss reminded me of past traumas and difficult experiences.
Baby's breath and dried misery,
Memories of love and joy mixed with pain and sadness, creating a complex and layered emotional experience.
You left on my door,
You left a part of yourself with me, even though you were physically gone.
And we danced so hard, that the cold, cold black rain fell.
Even when things are tough and the world feels cold and dark, we can find moments of happiness and release through dancing and other forms of artistic expression.
And the blood on the ground, on the ground, washed away,
Through movement and expression, we can let go of the past and release ourselves from its grip.
And your body was gone, and it left no trace,
The memories of you are all I have left, and sometimes I wonder if they were just figments of my imagination.
But a trail of ash has led me to this dark place.
The memories and emotions that remain are a reminder of the darkness and pain that we have both experienced.
Did you see in the way that she did run run?
Observing the way others move and live their lives can be a source of inspiration and insight into our own experiences.
Faster than anyone,
Some people have a drive and sense of purpose that propels them forward, no matter what obstacles they face.
Away from that snake eyed mule of a man,
There are people who will try to manipulate and use us for their own gains, but we have the power to break free from their influence.
Yes you can, yes you can, yes you can
We have the power within ourselves to overcome the darkness and pain of the past, and move forward towards a better future.
Blue, so blue, was your love, that I held and pursued.
Your love was so intense and deep, that I chased after it constantly.
And true, so true, the black hand, oh it takes you back.
There is a dark force that is always present in our lives, guiding our fate and taking us back to old memories and emotions.
Contributed by Camden P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jenndo3410
Album offert par une collègue en 2010, découverte d'une fabuleuse chanteuse qui accompagne ma vie depuis le 1er jour d'écoute... :-)
@germanicusagustas373
love this song.