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
Sunken Bells
Emily Portman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Once you've heard more than singing
For soon will sound a drunken knell
A sunken bell is ringing
There is a fatal lullaby
Drifts by as lungs are filling
Leave off your thrashing for the light
From sea cathedrals made of sand
Homecoming bells are tolling
How you were freed from captive land
Full circle you've come rolling
But if you're bound in downing nets
Then perhaps she'll spare you
In caves of coral lit with gold
Mead rivers will ensnare you
You shall remember nothing of
Your distant sky-bound brothers
For an empty shell knows not of love
But is a house for lovers
Come lift you up your empty cup
Toward Morveren's treasure
She'll wash you clean and fill you up
With visions of forever
These lyrics from Emily Portman's "Sunken Bells" poetically conjure up dark, dreamy visions of the sea, its mysteries, and its dangers. The singer warns that those who have heard the ocean's secrets can never be satisfied with mere singing, for they will soon succumb to the call of the sea and its sunken bells. The reference to sunken bells brings to mind not only the literal bells that lie at the bottom of the sea, but also the bell-shaped jellyfish that can be found in deep waters. The image of the sunken bell ringing suggests the haunting sound of these creatures, as if they are tolling for those who have been lost at sea.
The lyrical narrative then turns to the idea of drowning, both literally and metaphorically. The fatal lullaby that the singer describes is the last song that someone might hear before succumbing to the depths of the sea. The plea to leave off thrashing for the light suggests that it is better to embrace the drowning rather than fight against it. This could also be seen as a metaphor for accepting death, or even a spiritual realization. The idea of sea cathedrals made of sand is a beautiful one, but it is tempered by the knowledge that these structures are home to the sunken bells and the drowned. The mead rivers in the coral caves offer a tantalizing vision of an afterlife, but it is unclear whether this is a peaceful place or simply another trap.
Line by Line Meaning
You're nothing but an empty shell
You are hollow, with no sense of purpose or identity.
Once you've heard more than singing
When you experience hardship, pain and turmoil, it's impossible to go back to earlier times when life was easy.
For soon will sound a drunken knell
Death is coming, and it may be swift or slow, but it will claim you eventually.
A sunken bell is ringing
Death is imminent, and the bell rings like a warning or portent.
There is a fatal lullaby
Death can be peaceful but also deadly and poisonous like a lullaby. It can lull you to a peaceful sleep from which you never awaken.
Drifts by as lungs are filling
As you breath in the poisonous sleep, you become unconscious and your life ebbs away creating a sense of emptiness and peace.
Leave off your thrashing for the light
Stop fighting death and embrace it as part of the journey we must all undertake.
It's better to come willing
Submit to the inevitable and embrace the journey with open arms.
From sea cathedrals made of sand
These are underwater structures that may be grand but are ultimately impermanent and subject to erosion and decay.
Homecoming bells are tolling
The bells may be signaling the end of the journey, the completion of a cycle, or the return to a place of safety and familiarity.
How you were freed from captive land
We have been released from a state of captivity or bondage through some form of transformation or metamorphosis.
Full circle you've come rolling
The journey has come to a close, and we have completed a circle or cycle, ending where we started.
But if you're bound in downing nets
If you are trapped and ensnared, you are at the mercy of fate and circumstance and may be unable to break free.
Then perhaps she'll spare you
Death may show mercy to those who are trapped or ensnared, offering them release from their bonds.
In caves of coral lit with gold
These are beautiful and sparkling places, but they also represent danger and darkness, where one can easily become lost and disoriented.
Mead rivers will ensnare you
Just as the water may be sweet and refreshing, it can also pull you under and trap you forever.
You shall remember nothing of
At the end of life, memories become fleeting and fade away into nothingness.
Your distant sky-bound brothers
The people we once knew, loved, and interacted with may be long gone or separated from us by time or distance.
For an empty shell knows not of love
If we are not present and fully engaged, we cannot experience the purest and most profound human emotion, which is love.
But is a house for lovers
The empty shell, although hollow, can still be occupied by others who are capable of experiencing love and all the emotions that come with it.
Come lift you up your empty cup
Embrace whatever is left of your life, no matter how empty or hollow you may feel.
Toward Morveren's treasure
Morveren represents the ocean, and by embracing the ocean, the individual is embracing death and moving toward the end of the journey.
She'll wash you clean and fill you up
The ocean, like death, is a cleansing force that purifies the soul and washes away all sins and imperfections.
With visions of forever
In death, one can see and understand the infinite possibilities and all the universes and realities out there waiting to be explored.
Contributed by Jasmine K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.