She continues to be involved in the influential Glasgow based label Chemikal Underground. A second solo album, The Law of Large Numbers, was released by the label on March 1, 2010. Her third solo album, In Search of Harperfield, was released on January 29, 2016.
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If Silence Means That Much To You
Emma Pollock Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
At least that's what I thought, She understood
So why then the phone call, The torrent of words
That dismissed the past decades, And deemed them absurd?
And what did you think about, Think about with her?
And what did you talk about, Talk about with her?
If silence means that much to you, Then I promise to keep silent, too
Bear in mind one final thing, The solitude that it will bring
If silence outlives everything, The residue will never thin
Deny me the first time, Deny me then twice
But not once again, If you value this life
The oldest is broken, The youngest clings on
But the middle tries hard, To still belong
And what did you think about, Think about with her?
And what did you talk about, Talk about with her?
There's nothing that I wouldn't do, To remedy this thing for you
If silence means that much to you, Then I promise to keep silent, too
Bear in mind one final thing, The solitude that it will bring
If silence outlives everything, The residue will never thin
Buried alive, And with nobody watching
Severed all ties, With the mother of lies
No circle of friends, No scattering ashes
Just hang up the line, And pray you'll be fine
And what did you think about, Think about with her?
And what did you talk about, Talk about with her?
There's nothing that I wouldn't do, To remedy this thing for you
If silence means that much to you, Then I promise to keep silent, too
Bear in mind one final thing, The solitude that it will bring
If silence outlives everything, The residue will never thin
In Emma Pollock's song "If Silence Means That Much," the singer is grappling with the aftermath of a phone call in which someone they were close to dismissed their long-standing relationship as "absurd." The opening lines, "We live for the greater, We live for the good, At least that's what I thought, She understood," establish the sense of betrayal and confusion that runs throughout the song. The singer wonders what their former partner talked about and thought about with the person they left them for, emphasizing their feeling of being left behind and forgotten.
The chorus brings forward the theme of silence and its consequences. The singer declares their willingness to do anything to remedy the situation, even if it means keeping silent, though they warn of the potential for solitude and residue if silence "outlives everything." The final verse paints a bleak picture of the aftermath of the relationship's dissolution, with the singer feeling "buried alive" and "severed all ties" with "the mother of lies."
Overall, "If Silence Means That Much" is a powerful exploration of loss, abandonment, and the effort to make sense of confusion and betrayal. It presents a deeply personal exploration of emotions that many listeners will be able to relate to, with raw and evocative lyrics that give voice to the pain and uncertainty of a shattered relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
We live for the greater, We live for the good
We live our lives for a cause, for something that is greater than ourselves
At least that's what I thought, She understood
I believed that someone else understood and shared my beliefs
So why then the phone call, The torrent of words
Why did I receive a call that contained many words, in a rush or stream?
That dismissed the past decades, And deemed them absurd?
The words in the phone call disregarded and judged the previous decades as meaningless
And what did you think about, Think about with her?
What thoughts or ideas did you share with her?
And what did you talk about, Talk about with her?
What topics did you discuss with her?
There's nothing that I wouldn't do, To remedy this thing for you
I am willing to do whatever it takes to fix the situation for you
If silence means that much to you, Then I promise to keep silent, too
If the absence of communication is extremely important to you, then I will also remain quiet
Bear in mind one final thing, The solitude that it will bring
Remember that by being silent, it will also bring loneliness
If silence outlives everything, The residue will never thin
If we continue with no communication, the impact of the silence will never fade away
Deny me the first time, Deny me then twice
Reject me once or even twice, if needed
But not once again, If you value this life
But do not reject me again if you value your life
The oldest is broken, The youngest clings on
The oldest member has been disconnected, but the youngest is still holding on
But the middle tries hard, To still belong
The middle member is struggling to remain attached to the group
Buried alive, And with nobody watching
Feeling trapped and ignored with no one to witness
Severed all ties, With the mother of lies
Cutting off all connections with someone who constantly deceives
No circle of friends, No scattering ashes
No support system or ritualistic send-off at the end of life
Just hang up the line, And pray you'll be fine
Just end the phone call and hope for a good outcome
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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