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.
Gabriel
Emmy the Great Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Chapter of our correspondence
I hope that after time goes past
You can remember me with fondness
I think as i am thinking now
Of all the pages that have seen us
Laid out unending in between us
I know my fate i do not mean to fight
But you tread softly on the ground tonight
Tread softly on the words you used to write
Oh gabriel i see you there
That day i met you in the orchard
And i was younger then i wore my hair
In bows across my forehead
Soon they will twist it at the shoulder
And fix the clasp against my neck
And i do not think you would know her
If you could see what they reflect
I've seen my future in an evening dress
All wrapped in tapestry and fur i guess
Remember me the way you knew me best
Oh gabriel i have kept
Everything you sent me
Everything you put to paper but
It's better to forget
Than fill your head with memories
Think that you will thank me later
Oh gabriel i wish that i
Could pick you up and fold you like a ribbon
I'd keep you always and in secret
In the pockets of my clothes
But this is how i live my life
With all the parts that i was given
This is the heart that i was given
And what you're given can be sold
I see my future in an evening dress
And i've been walking to her step to step
Remember the way you knew me best
I know my fate i do not mean to fight
But you tread softly on the ground tonight
Tread softly on the words you used to write
I know my fate i do not mean to fight
But you tread softly on the ground tonight
Tread softly on the words you used to write
The song “Gabriel” is a reflective and melancholic ballad that marks the end of a correspondence between the singer and the titular character, Gabriel. The singer expresses the hope that Gabriel will remember her fondly in the future, despite the end of their communication. She reminisces about the endless pages that have connected them and how they can still walk together metaphorically, despite their physical separation.
As the singer is headed towards a change in her life - getting married, and leaving her previous self behind, she reflects on her past with Gabriel. She recalls their meeting when she was much younger, wearing bows in her hair, and how they both have changed over the years. She acknowledges that she has kept everything that Gabriel has sent her, but it is better to forget and move on with life, and she hopes he will understand this later.
The singer realizes that she cannot hold onto Gabriel forever, as she cannot hold onto her past self. She wishes she could “pick [Gabriel] up and fold [him] like a ribbon”, but acknowledges that her life is shaped by the parts she was given, including her heart. She reiterates that her future is predetermined, but she does not want to fight it, and hopes that Gabriel will tread softly on the ground, and on the words he used to write, as they both move on.
Line by Line Meaning
Gabriel this is the last
Chapter of our correspondence
I hope that after time goes past
You can remember me with fondness
This communication is the end for us, and I hope that even as time goes by, you will still hold good memories of me.
I think as i am thinking now
Of all the pages that have seen us
Laid out unending in between us
And we can walk them like the ground
As I reflect on our communication, spanning across many pages of writing, I realize that we can walk through them like familiar ground.
I know my fate i do not mean to fight
But you tread softly on the ground tonight
Tread softly on the words you used to write
I accept my fate and do not wish to resist it, yet I request you to be considerate of the words you write and tread softly tonight.
Oh gabriel i see you there
That day i met you in the orchard
And i was younger then i wore my hair
In bows across my forehead
Gabriel, I recall the day we met in the orchard, I was much younger then and had my hair adorned with bows.
Soon they will twist it at the shoulder
And fix the clasp against my neck
And i do not think you would know her
If you could see what they reflect
They will style my hair and embellish my dress for the upcoming event, and I doubt you would recognize me by the reflection you see.
I've seen my future in an evening dress
All wrapped in tapestry and fur i guess
Remember me the way you knew me best
I can foresee my future, dressed in an elegant evening gown adorned with tapestry and fur, yet I hope you remember me as the person you knew best.
Oh gabriel i have kept
Everything you sent me
Everything you put to paper but
It's better to forget
Than fill your head with memories
Think that you will thank me later
Gabriel, I have kept every message you sent me and every word you wrote, though sometimes it's better to forget and not clutter your mind with memories - a decision you may appreciate in the future.
Oh gabriel i wish that i
Could pick you up and fold you like a ribbon
I'd keep you always and in secret
In the pockets of my clothes
I wish to have you near me always, held like a folded ribbon, and kept hidden in the pockets of my clothes.
But this is how i live my life
With all the parts that i was given
This is the heart that i was given
And what you're given can be sold
This is how I must live my life, with the parts and heart I have been given, and it's easy to sell what is given to you.
I see my future in an evening dress
And i've been walking to her step to step
Remember the way you knew me best
I can envision my future self in an evening dress, and I try to emulate her every step. Still, I hope you remember me for who I truly am.
I know my fate i do not mean to fight
But you tread softly on the ground tonight
Tread softly on the words you used to write
Once again, I accept my fate and don't intend to fight it, but I do ask that you be gentle with the words you say and write tonight.
Contributed by Mila T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Malwina Giełdon
This was my favourite song when I was in high school, over 10 years ago. I think was one of Emmy's first songs and there was an illustrated music video, right? I wish it was on Spotify but I am glad it's still on Youtube so I can revisit the old memories.
Alejandro Maria
Thank you for upload this song. I been chasing this song for years. I remember the video with the yellow lyrics. Thank u thank u so much.
hat mandoo
Man, tell me about it! I remember the video of Emmy in a room.
Sigrid Thomsen
I miss that video so much!! Where did it go? It was so sweet
Débora Damasceno
@Sigrid Thomsen , I totally agree with you !
namber
Right?!?! I used to talk to her sometimes way back in the day and I had even written a song for her (I used to be a touring musician as well) and so we got to chat a bit, but it was not until later when we no longer talked much that I tried to ask her whatever happened to that incredible music video!! One day it was just gone . . . I miss it all the time. I feel like trying to contact her now and asking for it again. Maybe she does not even have it anymore. Sigh.
A
nostalgia!
Raquel Marques
I dedicated this song to my son Gabriel. In 2005/2006? I can't remember. Such a sweet music and lyrics.
Jadabendra Singh
I've been thinking about this song quite a lot recently. I'm wondering whether the apathy on the part of the protagonist suggests undertaking a dutiful act, but the lyric about 'what you're given can't be sold' makes me wonder who is propositioning who, if anyone. I kind of get dutiful marriage vibes, perhaps pre-arranged, but the lyric about the heart kind of suggests that the protagonist's heart is not with Gabriel, and that they're trying to spare him pain with a clean break. It's hard to believe they're in love with their vision of the future, 'wrapped in tapestry and fur, I guess' - it seems so apathetic, so why is the singer breaking off a meaningful relationship to pursue it?
namber
question is, wherrrreeee O wherreeee is the original music video for thissss???? i long to see it again!! it was PERFECT! it has been gone and missing for YEARS now.... :( :( :(