In the pairing of instrument and voice, Emily is influenced by the raw vocals of artists like Joni Mitchell, the playful pop of Ingrid Michaelson, and the soulful sounds found in church music. At age 17, with the help of her audio-tech father and the motivation of her older brother, she recorded her first album of original songs entitled The Red Sea in her parent's basement. After amassing another dozen songs, Emily dove into her first experience recording in studio and produced the album Came Alive. Today Emily's sound has developed beyond the simplicity of her early years. In April 2013 she will release her most ambitious project to date: Zeal & Passion. Be sure to experience Emily's live performances where you will be energized and buoyed by the joy infused in her music.
Skin
Emily Roig Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You are a family
You are a stranger
You are an enemy
You are a daughter
You are a friend
You are valued
And I want to see
Through your eyes
Want to borrow your mouth and speak
I want to hear
What sounds reach your ear
Want to feel the touches you hold dear
In the skin you're in
You are a mother
You are a laborer
You are a lover
You are a hater
You are a liar
You are not infinite
You are a truth seeker
You're a hypocrite
Oh I am, too
Oh I am, too
And I want to see
Through your eyes
Want to borrow your mouth and speak
I want to hear
What sounds reach your ear
Want to feel the touches you hold dear
In the skin you're in
We're all wearing this skin
So thick and yet so thin
Peel back the layers and
Reveal the ties that bind us within
Hoping for some kinda healing
We are looking through lenses that are broken
That are broken
Oh precious souls we are
Oh meat and bones we are
But I cannot see through your eyes
Can I borrow your mouth and speak?
Can I hear what sounds reach your ear?
Can I feel the touches you hold dear?
In the skin you're in
In the skin I'm in
In the skin you're in
Oh we're more than skin
The lyrics of Emily Roig's "Skin" speaks to the complexities of human nature and the paradoxes that exist within all of us. The first verse presents a list of contrasting identities that a person can hold - brother, family, stranger, enemy, daughter, friend, valued, violent. This set of lines suggests that humans are complicated beings and can act in various ways depending on the context and circumstances. The second verse adds to this complexity by including more contradictory identities such as mother, lover, hater, truth seeker, hypocrite. By doing so, the song acknowledges that we are all imperfect and capable of embodying positive and negative qualities.
The chorus of the song expresses a desire to understand and empathize with one another. The lines “I want to see through your eyes, Want to borrow your mouth and speak, I want to hear what sounds reach your ear, Want to feel the touches you hold dear” suggest that the singer wants to experience the world through someone else's perspective. This desire for empathy is underscored by the repeated phrase “In the skin you're in,” suggesting that even though we are all different, we share a common humanity.
The bridge of the song continues this message of connection and solidarity. The lines “We're all wearing this skin, So thick and yet so thin, Peel back the layers and, Reveal the ties that bind us within” suggest that even though our external appearances and identities may differ, there are underlying connections that unite us. The song concludes by acknowledging our limitations in truly understanding one another but still expressing a desire to try - “But I cannot see through your eyes, Can I borrow your mouth and speak?... We're more than skin.”
Line by Line Meaning
You are a brother
You are a sibling
You are a family
You belong to a family
You are a stranger
You are unknown to me
You are an enemy
You are in conflict with me
You are a daughter
You are a child
You are a friend
You are a companion
You are valued
You have worth
You are violent
You have an inclination towards aggression
And I want to see
I am curious
Through your eyes
From your perspective
Want to borrow your mouth and speak
I want to use your words
I want to hear
I am interested in
What sounds reach your ear
What auditory stimuli you experience
Want to feel the touches you hold dear
I want to understand your meaningful physical contacts
In the skin you're in
As the person you are
You are a mother
You have children
You are a laborer
You work
You are a lover
You have romantic relationships
You are a hater
You have feelings of animosity
You are a liar
You have a tendency to deceive
You are not infinite
You are not eternal
You are a truth seeker
You search for truth
You're a hypocrite
You act differently than you believe
Oh I am, too
I am similar
And I want to see
I am curious
We're all wearing this skin
We all have bodies
So thick and yet so thin
Our bodies are strong and weak at the same time
Peel back the layers and
Look beyond surface appearances
Reveal the ties that bind us within
Show the connections that unite us
Hoping for some kinda healing
Seeking remedy
We are looking through lenses that are broken
Our perspectives are flawed
That are broken
That are deficient
Oh precious souls we are
We are valuable individuals
Oh meat and bones we are
We are physical bodies
But I cannot see through your eyes
I cannot fully comprehend your perspective
Can I borrow your mouth and speak?
Can I use your words as my own?
Can I hear what sounds reach your ear?
Can I understand the auditory stimuli you experience?
Can I feel the touches you hold dear?
Can I understand your meaningful physical contacts?
In the skin you're in
As the person you are
In the skin I'm in
As the person I am
In the skin you're in
As the person you are
Oh we're more than skin
We are more than our physical bodies
Contributed by Aaron A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
JessaJay
You are growing so much as an artist!! You have such a beautiful voice!!!
realbabu
This is beautiful!!
Kayla Hawkins
I listened to this song on repeat for weeks. The lyrics interest me very much and the sound very much reminds me of the south. ¡ Bárbaro Música Señorita !
Emily Roig
+Kayla Hawkins Muchas gracias, Kayla! Gracias por escuchar y por las buenas palabras! :)
Kayla Hawkins
De nada
Mark Brown
freakin' great song.