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.
Gloria
Emmy the Great Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now I'll sing about women who have sex with men
But just for the sake of the clearness of it
I have made you this song
But it's just as a friend so...
Hold on,
Can you give me a reason
Make a thing about you?
If you really love music, then go start a band
Don't just talk about something you don't understand
If you really crave action, then come start a fight
Don't just go on about it the whole of the night
'Cause cocaine makes you so fucking lame
Just as I didn't ask, but I'm sure you'll explain
How the motion of paper to skin
Killed the skin that you're in
Now it's all paper-thin
Vapours glistening...
Smoke...
Well, apparently where there is smoke you'll find fire
But in your eyes I can't see no passion at all
Just a girl with a cigarette whose one desire
Is to go through this life being fashionably small
Yeah, well - Gloria, basically, listen to this
All your posturing makes me forget you exist
So pick up all the names that you dropped
Stop for a minute, just stop
Hold on...
But darling, the night-time was made for the young
It's the only thing we can possess
So honey your accent, and ready your tongue
We'll make unholy mess out of your party dress
'Cause the city is beckoning,
Pulses and sirens
The drone of the glow and the hum of the violence
Is singing "Tomorrow is dead"
Gather in all the shades of the red siren-song
And the dusk is calling you to arms
Oh, the night's welcoming
So let's flirt with some sin
Then I'll go home, come clean and I'll do the right thing by him
Conquer the heat of my wandering eye
'Cause we're humans, we're weak
And we cheat and we lie
Oh but...
Gloria, show me the weakness in you
For tonight if I breathe in, will you breathe in too?
'Cause tomorrow will probably be spent in bed
How much more time like this do we have 'til we're...
...smoke?
The lyrics to Emmy the Great's song Gloria deal with themes of musical authenticity, posturing, and vulnerability. The singer begins by stating that she has changed her appearance to resemble punk icon Patti Smith and is now singing about women who have casual sex with men, but it is not directed at anyone in particular. She questions why people talk so much about things they don't understand and encourages them to take action instead of just posturing. She also references the negative effects of cocaine and how it makes people "lame."
The second verse seems to be directed at someone specific (possibly named Gloria) who is smoking a cigarette and trying to seem fashionable, but lacks passion. The singer urges her to stop posturing and pick up all the names she has dropped. The chorus references the freedom and recklessness of youth, and the desire to make a "mess" out of life. The bridge captures the energy of the city at night and the desire to flirt with danger and sin, but also acknowledges the weakness and vulnerability of human nature.
Overall, the song seems to be a critique of people who try to appear cool or edgy without any genuine substance or passion. The singer encourages vulnerability and authenticity, even if it means admitting weakness or imperfection.
Line by Line Meaning
So I cut my hair to look like Patti Smith
I changed something about myself to look like someone famous in the hopes of better expressing myself through music.
Now I'll sing about women who have sex with men
I'll use my music to explore the idea of heterosexual sex from a female perspective.
But just for the sake of the clearness of it
I'm putting this song out there to express myself and clarify what I'm trying to say.
I have made you this song
I'm sharing this song I made with you.
But it's just as a friend so...
I don't have any romantic feelings for you, I just hope you enjoy my music.
Hold on,
Wait a minute.
Can you give me a reason
To sing about you?
Make a thing about you?
Can you give me a reason to make music about you, specifically? Or to center my music around you?
If you really love music, then go start a band
If you truly love music, you should take action to create more of it, like starting a band.
Don't just talk about something you don't understand
Don't just talk about music unless you truly understand and appreciate it.
If you really crave action, then come start a fight
If you want to experience something exciting, take real action to start a physical fight or altercation.
Don't just go on about it the whole of the night
Don't just talk about being aggressive or starting fights all night long without ever actually doing anything.
'Cause cocaine makes you so fucking lame
Cocaine makes you uncool and unimpressive.
Just as I didn't ask, but I'm sure you'll explain
I didn't ask you to explain cocaine's effects, but I know you'll probably try to anyway.
How the motion of paper to skin
Killed the skin that you're in
Now it's all paper-thin
Vapours glistening...
Talking about how you snort cocaine has thinned out and killed your skin, making it glisten like paper in the light.
Smoke...
The imagery shifts to just focusing on smoke.
Well, apparently where there is smoke you'll find fire
But in your eyes I can't see no passion at all
Just a girl with a cigarette whose one desire
Is to go through this life being fashionably small
Smoke is often a sign of danger, but in your case, it just reflects your small, passionless existence, focused entirely on fitting in and looking fashionable.
Yeah, well - Gloria, basically, listen to this
All your posturing makes me forget you exist
So pick up all the names that you dropped
Stop for a minute, just stop
Hold on...
Gloria, listen closely: your attempts at being cool and self-promotion make me not care about you. Stop dropping names and trying so hard to impress people.
But darling, the night-time was made for the young
It's the only thing we can possess
So honey your accent, and ready your tongue
We'll make unholy mess out of your party dress
The night is the best time for young people like us to do whatever we want, so get ready to party and have a crazy time.
'Cause the city is beckoning,
Pulses and sirens
The drone of the glow and the hum of the violence
Is singing "Tomorrow is dead"
Gather in all the shades of the red siren-song
And the dusk is calling you to arms
The city is calling for us to join its dangerous scene, with sirens singing of violence and the impending death of tomorrow. We should embrace the danger and excitement.
Oh, the night's welcoming
So let's flirt with some sin
Then I'll go home, come clean and I'll do the right thing by him
Conquer the heat of my wandering eye
'Cause we're humans, we're weak
And we cheat and we lie
The night is the perfect time for us to engage in some sinful behavior, before I go home to my boyfriend and be faithful. We're all imperfect and prone to temptation.
Oh but...
Gloria, show me the weakness in you
For tonight if I breathe in, will you breathe in too?
'Cause tomorrow will probably be spent in bed
How much more time like this do we have 'til we're...
But Gloria, I want to see your vulnerable side. If I inhale smoke, will you do the same? We only have so much time for this kind of reckless behavior.
...smoke?
The song ends on the recurring imagery of smoke, suggesting that the whole song is just a momentary, fleeting experience much like smoke.
Contributed by Isaiah G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Falconlibrary
Is all that we've become just nothing but hats and bags?
We're waiting for taxi cabs
So you light cigarettes and I'm taking drags
In the air, a sea of words that didn't come soon enough
In my mind, a railway station and a ticket stub
And it is Easter in the town
I can hear as they strike up the band
We're listening to some old man
Say he came back to life with a hole in his hand
And now the Sunday school is gathered together in pink and in blue
They're heralding angels for you
But not for me
They're singing, Gloria in excelsis
Deo, Deo
Gloria in excelsis
There's no, there's no hope
And I am grateful for the things
That you've tried to show to me, dear
But there's no Arcadia, no Albion
There's no Jerusalem here
And underneath your pastures green
There's earth and there's ash and there's bone
And there are things that disappear into it
And then they are gone
And there is a light that hits the sky
And then it is midnight again
And there is my mother, my father, and you
And we are all impermanent
And on the green, they tell the tales
Of how even the dead can come back
I just don't believe in that
So you can keep on singing:
Gloria in excelsis
Deo, Deo
Gloria in excelsis!
There's no, there's no hope
There's no such thing
There's no such thing as ghosts
@girllim0070
Is all that we've become,
Just nothing but hats and bags
We're waiting for taxi cabs
So you light cigarettes
And i'm taking drags
In the air, a sea of words,
That didn't come soon enough
In my mind a railway station
And a ticket stub
And it is easter in the town
I can hear as they strike off the bell
We're listening to some old man
Say he came back to life with a hole in his head
And now the sunday school is gathered Together in pink and in blue
They're heralding angels for you
But not for me
They're singing
Gloria in excelsis
Deo deo
Gloria in excelsis
But there's no,
There's no hope
And i am grateful for the things
That you've tried to show to me dear
But there no arcadia
No alby and theres no jerusalem here
And underneath your pastures green
There's earth and there ash
And theres bone
And there are things that dissapear
Into it and then they are gone
And there is light that hits the sky
And then it is midnight again
And there is my mother, my father,
And you and we are all impermanent
And on the green they tell their tales About how even the dead can come back
I just dont believe in that
So you can keep on singing
Gloria in exclelsis
Deo deo
Gloria in excelsis
But there's no,
There's no hope
There's no such thing (x7)
There's no such thing as ghosts
@JohnnyFajans
The music is on permanent. And though it's hurting it stays to tell the story. Got the privilage t o listen to it. Thank to her.
@wutflix
I was fourteen when I first heard her music. Timeless in it's own way.
@harrylime3000
I saw her in Vigo three weeks ago 1 hour before the show walking alone.I told to my friend "nice girl"and later she was in the theater singing this lovely music.thanks
@noddyguevara
Saw her and met her a while ago. Shes great. Lyrics that are great. Inyense live and I love her stuff.
@Eirinn967
I listen to both of them and I love them both.
@noddyguevara
brilliant on so many levels. So much a funeral song, but in a good way. theres no hope.
@frothywalrus
Always love this song.
@Falconlibrary
Is all that we've become just nothing but hats and bags?
We're waiting for taxi cabs
So you light cigarettes and I'm taking drags
In the air, a sea of words that didn't come soon enough
In my mind, a railway station and a ticket stub
And it is Easter in the town
I can hear as they strike up the band
We're listening to some old man
Say he came back to life with a hole in his hand
And now the Sunday school is gathered together in pink and in blue
They're heralding angels for you
But not for me
They're singing, Gloria in excelsis
Deo, Deo
Gloria in excelsis
There's no, there's no hope
And I am grateful for the things
That you've tried to show to me, dear
But there's no Arcadia, no Albion
There's no Jerusalem here
And underneath your pastures green
There's earth and there's ash and there's bone
And there are things that disappear into it
And then they are gone
And there is a light that hits the sky
And then it is midnight again
And there is my mother, my father, and you
And we are all impermanent
And on the green, they tell the tales
Of how even the dead can come back
I just don't believe in that
So you can keep on singing:
Gloria in excelsis
Deo, Deo
Gloria in excelsis!
There's no, there's no hope
There's no such thing
There's no such thing as ghosts
@elmfargo
Great!!!
@dzaeman
emmy is great and so is george/lucas