After being dropped by the label in 1999, she released several more records under the Dead Daisy banner: Science Fair in 1999, Dead Relatives in 2000, Girl Versions in 2001, and Asianblue in 2002. She toured extensively in David Bowie's backup band during 2000 and 2001. She also toured with Swedish band The Cardigans in 2004 on the Chicks With Attitude tour.
Gryner has since released a DVD called Videochrome in 2003, featuring all four of her independent music videos and three previously unreleased songs. She released an album of Irish cover songs, Songs of Love and Death, featuring a guest contribution from Gryner's neighbour Kate McGarrigle, in January 2005.
On September 27, 2005, she released a limited edition homemade album called The Great Lakes which she wrote, recorded, mixed, printed, hand-stamped, stapled, embossed, cut, burned, packaged, and signed specially for her fans.
Gryner married visual artist Sean Odell in 2004. The couple currently lives in rural Ontario.
In 2005, she started a new band, Hot One, where she performs bass and vocals. Other Hot One members include Nathan Larson (guitar and vocals), film-score composer and guitarist with of Shudder to Think and Guided by Voices. Larson is married to the Cardigans' front-woman Nina Pearson. Kevin March is Hot One's drummer and Jordan Kern plays guitar. Hot One will be released in late August 2006.
Emm's latest studio album, The Summer of High Hopes was released in Ireland on May 12, 2006 and in North America on September 26, 2006. In the November 2006 issue of Q Magazine, celebrating the magazine's 20th anniversary, U2 frontman Bono recognized the track "Almighty Love" from Emm's new album as one of six songs that he wished he had written from the last 20 years of music.
Gryner also contributed vocals to the song "It's Always Raining in Dublin" on vitaminsforyou's 2006 album The Legend of Bird's Hill. She contributed on the 2006 Oxfam album by The Cake Sale.
89 Days Of Alcatraz
Emm Gryner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Over the phone today it felt like you were fading
Losing interest and ready to leave
Here I am thinking you were sent to save me
I've had eighty-nine days of Alcatraz
Silly me thinking it was over
Eighty-nine days of losing my mind
So I keep walking I keep walking singing sometimes
Feeling like a shit 'cause I know what's happening
Investing like a rich girl
Gambling like a Vegas idiot
Putting out 'cause I haven't much before
I've had eighty-nine days of Alcatraz
Silly me thinking it was over
Eighty-nine days of losing my mind
Silly silly me, silly silly me
You don't know who you got yourself into
You don't know, you don't know at all
You don't know who you got yourself into
You don't know, you don't know
You don't know, you don't know
The lyrics in Emm Gryner's song, "89 Days of Alcatraz," are about the struggles of a relationship that is slowly falling apart. The singer is feeling like she is losing the person she loves as the connection weakens, and she is losing hope that things will get better. She is filled with regret and wishes she could undo the letters she wrote to this person. She expresses that she feels trapped in a situation she cannot escape from, Alcatraz serving as a metaphorical prison. She feels like she is going crazy with the pain of a dying relationship and is aware of the mistakes she has made. Additionally, the singer reveals that she's investing in this relationship without getting much in return, and she knows it's not working out, but she's struggling to let it go.
Moreover, the lyrics in the song reveal that the person who the singer is trying to hold on to is not reciprocating her feelings. Her partner is seemingly fading away, and she's struggling to come to terms with it. She expresses that her lover has no idea about what they've gotten themselves into, perhaps alluding to the fact that the singer is changing, and her lover isn't keeping up. She repeats the line, "You don't know, you don't know at all," emphasizing that this person is unaware of her struggles and seemingly taking her for granted. The whole song portrays the complexity of relationships, love, pain, and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
I want to burn the letters that I wrote you
I regret writing those letters to you and want to destroy them
Over the phone today it felt like you were fading
During our conversation, I sensed that your feelings for me were diminishing
Losing interest and ready to leave
You are becoming disinterested in our relationship and thinking of ending it
Here I am thinking you were sent to save me
I had hoped that being with you would make everything better and that you were my savior
I've had 89 days of Alcatraz
I feel trapped and imprisoned in this relationship for the past 89 days
Silly me thinking it was over
I was foolish to believe that our problems were resolved
89 days of losing my mind
Being in this relationship has caused me to lose my sanity
Silly silly me silly silly me
I feel stupid for getting myself into this situation and not seeing the red flags
So I keep walking I keep walking singing sometimes
I try to distract myself by walking and singing, but it doesn't always help
Feeling like a shit 'cause I know what's happening
I feel guilty for realizing that the relationship is falling apart and not being able to fix it
Investing like a rich girl, gambling like a Vegas idiot
I have been putting a lot of effort and resources into this relationship blindly, like a naive rich person or a reckless gambler
Putting out where I haven't much before
I am trying harder than I ever have in a relationship, even in areas where I do not have experience
You don't know who you got yourself into
You do not fully understand who I am and what I bring to this relationship
You don't know you don't know at all
There are many things about me that you are unaware of, and it is affecting our relationship
You don't know who you got yourself into
I am not the person you thought I was when we started this relationship
You don't know you don't know
You don't have all the facts and it is causing confusion and misunderstandings
You don't know you don't know
I am not being fully transparent with you, causing you to lack important information
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Mary Gryner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind