Moss was born in Hong Kong to an English father and a Chinese mother and was into music from a young age. She emigrated with her family to London at the age of 12.
Moss started performing in 2005 and her first release was the Secret Circus EP the following year.
In 2007 Moss performed with Lightspeed Champion, alongside Florence Welch (of Florence and the Machine) . She has also played with Noah and the Whale. She has not been a permanent member of either line up.
After a series of further singles and EPs, Moss' début full album First Love (Close Harbour) was released in February 2009. The album was ranked by The New York Times at #7 in their list of "Best Albums of the Year 2009."
Moss' band has included Euan Hinshelwood (of Younghusband) and Tom Rogerson (of Three Trapped Tigers).
Moss' second album, Virtue, was released on 13 June 2011. It started out as a third person project, however, the religious conversion of her fiancé and their subsequent break-up inspired her to take a personal approach towards her song-writing.
Dylan
Emmy the Great Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To find god and make him cry,
Because I'm dying in a fire beneath my covers.
And somewhere out across the way,
You ask for salt across a plate,
And you can't find a word to say
To your own brother.
And we could fix this with our mouths,
But you don't buy the farm,
If you can't afford the cow.
And you say Dylan is a sentiment
That you don't want to share,
And you say you looked back in anger
And it rose to meet your stare,
And you say I am not the one
Who puts the bullet to your gun
And makes it flare.
And you say Dylan is a sentiment to you,
And you don't want to share.
You say you're looking for the truth,
Like you got rifles in your books,
But up above your parents' roof
I saw no star tonight,
Only the black from whence you came,
And where they'll send you back again,
And no blue plaque will keep your name
From falling out of sight.
And you can wage this war of one,
And I am still the only one
Who will remember you when you are gone.
And you say Dylan is a sentiment
That you don't want to share,
And you say you looked back in anger
And it rose to meet your stare,
And you say I am not the one
Who puts the bullet to your gun
And makes it flare.
And you say Dylan is a sentiment to you,
And you don't want to share.
Oh and all the things you talk about
But never say to me,
And all the things to talk about
That I could say to you,
Like reading an Italian book
From the 13th century,
Is not that hard to do.
And I am not the kind
Who puts their toe against the line
And makes it tear,
But this could be the thing
That puts the blood into your skin
And keeps it there.
And you say Dylan is a sentiment
That no one else will ever understand.
And you say Dylan is a sentiment to you,
But you are only just a man.
The song "Dylan" by Emmy the Great is a poignant reflection on the human tendency to seek meaning and purpose beyond oneself, even in the face of personal struggles and turmoil. The opening lines of the song reveal the singer's desperation for something greater than themselves: "I pray for rain because I'm trying / To find god and make him cry." The singer feels as though they are "dying in a fire beneath [their] covers," and the rain represents a release from this pain.
As the song progresses, the singer turns their attention to another person, possibly a family member or close friend. This person is struggling with their own demons, and the singer feels as though they could help if only the other person would reach out: "And you could call me over now, / And we could fix this with our mouths." However, the other person seems to resist this connection, insisting that they must face their struggles alone because "you don't buy the farm / If you can't afford the cow."
The song takes its title from the repeated refrain: "And you say Dylan is a sentiment / That you don't want to share." It's not clear who "Dylan" refers to; it could be Bob Dylan, the famous folk singer and songwriter, or it could be a person the singer and the other character both know. Either way, "Dylan" represents a kind of shared experience or connection that the other person is unwilling to acknowledge.
Throughout the song, the singer strives for connection with the other person, but ultimately realizes that everyone must face their own struggles in their own way. The final lines of the song suggest that although the other person may view "Dylan" as something unique and personal, they are "only just a man" -- one of many struggling to find meaning in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
I pray for rain because I'm trying
To find god and make him cry,
Because I'm dying in a fire beneath my covers.
I hope for heavy downpours, because I'm looking to find God and provoke him into weeping, as I'm slowly succumbing in my bed's inferno.
And somewhere out across the way,
You ask for salt across a plate,
And you can't find a word to say
To your own brother.
While far away from each other, you're requesting the salt, yet finding it impossible to talk to your own sibling.
And you could call me over now,
And we could fix this with our mouths,
But you don't buy the farm,
If you can't afford the cow.
You may summon me to join you, and together, we could resolve our conflict through communication. But alas, it's not wise to commit before you're financially stable.
And you say Dylan is a sentiment
That you don't want to share,
And you say you looked back in anger
And it rose to meet your stare,
And you say I am not the one
Who puts the bullet to your gun
And makes it flare.
And you say Dylan is a sentiment to you,
And you don't want to share.
According to you, Dylan is an emotion you'd rather keep to yourself. You share that you've revisited the past and confronted it with wrath that directed back at you. You mention that you're not the culprit behind the shots from your firearm but insist that Dylan is only yours to feel, which you cannot reveal to anyone else.
You say you're looking for the truth,
Like you got rifles in your books,
But up above your parents' roof
I saw no star tonight,
Only the black from whence you came,
And where they'll send you back again,
And no blue plaque will keep your name
From falling out of sight.
You claim to be in pursuit of the truth, similar to searching for needles in a stack of books that you don't have. Whereas, under the view from your parental home, there are no visible celestial bodies, with only darkness from where you originated and eventually where you'll return, with no commemorative marks to sustain your memories after you're gone.
And you can wage this war of one,
And I am still the only one
Who will remember you when you are gone.
You may continue fighting your battles unaccompanied, and when you're gone, I'll be the sole bearer of your legacy.
Oh and all the things you talk about
But never say to me,
And all the things to talk about
That I could say to you,
Like reading an Italian book
From the 13th century,
Is not that hard to do.
You chatter about a multitude of subjects outside my circle but never engage me in them. Vice versa, there's a bunch of topics that I could discuss with you. For example, perusing an Italian literature piece from six hundred years ago is not a herculean feat.
And I am not the kind
Who puts their toe against the line
And makes it tear,
But this could be the thing
That puts the blood into your skin
And keeps it there.
Normally, I'm not one to break rules, but this situation could push you to the limit, where you feel a rush of adrenaline coursing through your veins, rendering a long-lasting impact.
And you say Dylan is a sentiment
That no one else will ever understand.
And you say Dylan is a sentiment to you,
But you are only just a man.
You hold on to the perception that Dylan's emotive depth is beyond everyone else's comprehension. Nevertheless, you are just a regular human being beneath it all.
Contributed by Aiden L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Aaron
sounds so good to listen to on a sunny sunday afternoon in the sun
Aaron
still listening 10 years later on a sunny sunday afternoon <3 ETG peace
andrew turvill
Same!
andrew turvill
the name does exactly what it says on the tin!
Ingridfire
pray for rain because I'm trying
To find god and make him cry,
Because I'm dying in a fire beneath my covers.
And somewhere out across the way,
You ask for salt across a plate,
And you can't find a word to say
To your own brother.
And you could call me over now,
And we could fix this with our mouths,
But you don't buy the farm,
If you can't afford the cow.
And you say Dylan is a sentiment
That you don't want to share,
And you say you looked back in anger
And it rose to meet your stare,
And you say I am not the one
Who puts the bullet to your gun
And makes it flare.
And you say Dylan is a sentiment to you,
And you don't want to share.
You say you're looking for the truth,
Like you got rifles in your books,
But up above your parents' roof
I saw no star tonight,
Only the black from whence you came,
And where they'll send you back again,
And no blue plaque will keep your name
From falling out of sight.
And you can wage this war of one,
And I am still the only one
Who will remember you when you are gone.
And you say Dylan is a sentiment
That you don't want to share,
And you say you looked back in anger
And it rose to meet your stare,
And you say I am not the one
Who puts the bullet to your gun
And makes it flare.
And you say Dylan is a sentiment to you,
And you don't want to share.
Oh and all the things you talk about
But never say to me,
And all the things to talk about
That I could say to you,
Like reading an Italian book
From the 13th century,
Is not that hard to do.
And I am not the kind
Who puts their toe against the line
And makes it tear,
But this could be the thing
That puts the blood into your skin
And keeps it there.
And you say Dylan is a sentiment
That no one else will ever understand.
And you say Dylan is a sentiment to you,
But you are only just a man.
Ji Ji
I pray for rain because I'm trying
To find god and make him cry,
Because I'm dying in a fire beneath my covers.
And somewhere out across the way,
You ask for salt across a plate,
And you can't find a word to say
To your own brother.
And you could call me over now,
And we could fix this with our mouths,
But you don't buy the farm,
If you can't afford the cow.
And you say Dylan is a sentiment
That you don't want to share,
And you say you looked back in anger
And it rose to meet your stare,
And you say I am not the one
Who puts the bullet to your gun
And makes it flare.
And you say Dylan is a sentiment to you,
And you don't want to share.
You say you're looking for the truth,
Like you got rifles in your books,
But up above your parents' roof
I saw no star tonight,…
medi jones-williams
hahahahaa,below,that's nice. mmmm emmy the great(L)!