2) US ; country singer
1) Singer, writer and concertina player based in the North East of England. With a BBC Folk Award nomination for her work with harmony trio The Devil’s Interval, Emily is already an established musician on the UK folk scene, commended by Shirley Collins and annually touring with Waterson:Carthy. Emily has recently appeared at The Southbank Centre as part of their ‘Folk Roots, New Routes’ series and debuted her new songs at The Sage Gateshead. She is also fast making waves beyond the folk scene, being featured as a soloist on the BBC's adaptation of 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles' as well as appearing on alt-folk songwriter Alasdair Roberts’ forthcoming album.
Emily originally hails from Glastonbury, where, raised on a diet of fairytales and deep Somerset folklore she began songwriting at the age of six, starting out with a keyboard, a tape recorder and a thirst for blood-curdling stories. After years immersed in traditional songs, Emily's return to songwriting has already grabbed the attention of the BBC, with Radio 3’s 'Late Junction' recently previewing her new music and ‘Words and Music’ broadcasting live performances of songs from the album at their 'Free Thinking' Festival. Inspired by folktales and Ballads, Emily weaves harmony-rich narratives relaying female experience, accompanied by Viola player Lucy Farrell (fresh from touring with The Unthanks) and Harpist Rachel Newton of BBC folk Award Nominees The Shee. These visceral visions of a darker Albion conjure landscapes where mythical sirens collide in urban backstreets. Emily's debut solo album ‘The Glamoury’ was released in March 2010.
2) US ; country singer : http://www.last.fm/music/Emily+Portman/Country+Girl+Like+Me
Sirens
Emily Portman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Broken glass turns to glittering diamonds
And the sirens down the street
Grow two clawed feet
Blue eyes flash, dashing through the night
They′re taking flight
I hear them wailing
I am flung against their rocks
And they sing
Come closer love
I′ll take you to a place
Where at night the cities glow with orange light
Where we have wheels instead of wings
We have no mouths but still we sing
We sing
A street light flickers
Broken glass turns to glittering diamonds
And the sirens down the street
Grow two clawed feet
Blue eyes flash, dashing through the night
They're taking flight
I hear them wailing
And I'm sailing from the docks
I am flung against their rocks
And they sing:
Come closer love
I′ll take you to a place
Where at night the cities glow with orange light
Where we have wheels instead of wings
We have no mouths but still we sing
We sing
A street light flickers
(We sing) (we sing)
Broken glass turns to glittering diamonds
(We sing) (we sing) (we sing)
The song "Sirens" by Emily Portman portrays the mythical creatures known as sirens in a different light. The song begins by describing the flickering of a street light and the transformation of broken glass into glittering diamonds. The sirens down the street are given humanoid qualities - growing two clawed feet and their blue eyes flash as they dash through the night. They are heard wailing and taking flight, invoking feelings of danger and allure. The singer in the song is lured by their song and sails towards their rocks, eventually succumbing to their enchanting voices.
The sirens, in this song, are portrayed as beings that tempt humans with a beautiful, mysterious world - one that replaces wings with wheels and mouths with singing. The song is intricately crafted, drawing parallels between the sirens and the singer. The use of glittering diamonds and orange light is a symbol of beauty and allure, representing the sirens' temptation; while the mention of being flung against the rocks could be seen as a metaphor for a downward spiral.
Line by Line Meaning
A street light flickers
The dimming of the street light signifies the arrival of the sirens
Broken glass turns to glittering diamonds
The shattered glass on the street shines like diamonds
And the sirens down the street
The police vehicles are approaching from the far end of the street
Grow two clawed feet
The fast-approaching sirens are indicated using claws
Blue eyes flash, dashing through the night
The blue flash of lights from the cops' vehicles speeding across the night
They're taking flight
The cops are chasing someone with great speed
I hear them wailing
The distant sound of police sirens gets loud as they approach
And I'm sailing from the docks
The artist is trying to leave a place and move away
I am flung against their rocks
The cops halt the artist's movement with their actions
And they sing
The sirens sound like singing voices to the artist
Come closer love
The sirens beckon the singer to come closer and enjoy their way of life
I'll take you to a place
The sirens promise to take the artist to a more exciting world filled with adventure
Where at night the cities glow with orange light
The sirens describe a place where there is always something happening even after dark
Where we have wheels instead of wings
The sirens travel with the help of their vehicles, which are as good as wings to them
We have no mouths but still we sing
The sirens have no voices, but their siren still keeps going like music
We sing
The sirens remind the artist again that they're always singing and enjoying life
A street light flickers
The cycle begins again
(We sing) (we sing)
The sirens continue to sing in the background
Broken glass turns to glittering diamonds
The shining glass of broken bottles indicates the sirens' presence
(We sing) (we sing) (we sing)
The sirens continue to sing in the background, inviting others to join them
Writer(s): Emily Gwyneth Portman
Contributed by Elliot L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.