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.
Lonely Boy
Emm Gryner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From my childhood days
A smiling girl
Not a friend
Milky red funny face
Smiling smiles
Mother and son
Stood by a dad
You sure eat a lot of snacks
Now & then I start to cry
Not the tears
Like when I was
When I was like a colored sky
Coloring
Wish the sun would stand still
All forgotten yesterdays
School days remind me of
When I was a boy
All my life I've been this lonely boy
The song "Lonely Boy" by Emm Gryner seems to be a reflection on the singer's childhood memories and the feelings of loneliness that have persisted throughout her life. The opening lines describe a reminiscence of a smiling girl from the singer's childhood days who wasn't actually a friend. This sets the tone for the rest of the song - one of wistfulness and a sense of longing for genuine human connection.
The next lines mention a "milky red funny face," which could be interpreted as a reference to a child's face covered in food or perhaps a physical condition. The overall image seems to be one of domesticity, with a mother and son standing by the father who is eating snacks. However, the singer's thoughts then turn back to her own childhood and she expresses a desire to stop time in order to hold onto the memories of her school days when she was a boy - a time that was simpler and perhaps less lonely.
The chorus "all my life I've been this lonely boy" underscores the theme of isolation and highlights the sense that the singer has always felt alone, even when surrounded by others. The song seems to mourn the loss of innocence and the inevitability of growing up and losing connections with those who were once important in our lives. Ultimately, "Lonely Boy" is a poignant reflection on the universal experience of loneliness and the nostalgia that arises when we look back on our childhoods.
Line by Line Meaning
Saw a face
I caught glimpse of someone's face
From my childhood days
I recognize this person from my past
A smiling girl
She has a happy expression
Not a friend
We don't have a friendship
Milky red funny face
Her complexion is the color of milk mixed with red; it's oddly amusing
Smiling smiles
She is continuously grinning
Mother and son
She's accompanied by a mother and child
Stood by a dad
They're standing next to a father
Daddy
The father is addressed by name
You sure eat a lot of snacks
A casual observation is made about the father's snacking behavior
Now & then I start to cry
Occasionally, I become emotional
Not the tears
It's not the type of crying that involves tears
Like when I was
Similar to what I experienced in the past
When I was like a colored sky
During a time when my emotions were as vibrant as the sky
Coloring
Adding color to a picture
Wish the sun would stand still
I desire for time to stop
All forgotten yesterdays
All the past memories have been forgotten
School days remind me of
When I think about school, it makes me recall
When I was a boy
Going back to a childhood era
All my life I've been this lonely boy
I have been feeling alone all of my life
Contributed by Michael H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.