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.
Snow
Emmy the Great Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To describe how bored I am
It's been zega and dogging
For mena, wish, shan
As the pleasure grows I understand
I won't see the ground again
I thought that respite was at hand
I ate the neighbour's cat last night
But I had to, darling
If I leave this room, my bones will shatter
Do you want to see me starving?
I made a macaroni necklace
I played with my toolbox
I found a firework in the basement
I set it off.
If you had a heart, you'd call me
And let me know the time
As I would try and sleep if only
I knew that night was nigh.
Will you come and read to me soon?
I can't see a thing
Sometimes a breeze will shift the blinds
Wretched light creeps in
But mostly I am alone with the shadows
And I think my great dead aunt as well
I've been talking to a pencil
I think I love him, please don't tell him.
I created a language today
But it's not for you to know
I used it to write you
This letter, which I buried in the snow
And when you find it all
The daffodils will be free
Say hello to them for me
As I won't see the ground again
The lyrics of Emmy the Great's "Snow" display a sense of isolation and boredom, as the singer describes creating her own language to combat the monotony of her existence. The first verse sets the tone for the song, with the singer describing the language she created so vividly that the listener can almost imagine it for themselves. The next verse introduces a sense of pleasure and detachment, as if the singer has grown accustomed to her loneliness and is starting to enjoy it. However, the third verse shifts back to the theme of isolation and takes a darker, more desperate turn as the singer describes eating her neighbor's cat and threatening to starve herself without company.
The fourth verse introduces a new element - a macaroni necklace and a toolbox, both activities seemingly meant to pass the time. The singer also sets off a firework, perhaps a moment of excitement or catharsis in an otherwise mundane existence. The fifth verse brings the theme of time to the forefront, with the singer pleading for someone to call her or read to her so she can pass the hours more easily. The sixth verse brings back the motif of light and darkness, with the singer hiding from the "wretched light" but finding companionship with shadows and a pencil.
The final verses of the song take a turn toward melancholy and nostalgia, with the singer burying a letter in the snow for an unknown recipient and bidding farewell to the daffodils. The entire song is a poignant exploration of loneliness and the human need for connection, set against a wintery backdrop that emphasizes the isolation of the singer's existence.
Line by Line Meaning
I created a language today
I am so bored that I created a language to describe my boredom.
To describe how bored I am
The language I created is specifically for describing my boredom.
It's been zega and dogging
The words I created in my language are 'zega' and 'dogging'.
For mena, wish, shan
These are additional words I created in my language and their meanings are unknown.
As the pleasure grows I understand
The more I indulge in my boredom, the more I realize how hopeless and trapped I am.
I won't see the ground again
I feel like I am sinking further into my boredom and may never be able to escape it.
I thought that respite was at hand
I had hoped that something would come along to break me out of my boredom, but it hasn't.
Winter chokes the daffodils
The cold winter weather makes me feel gloomy and hopeless, just like how the daffodils are also suffering.
I ate the neighbour's cat last night
I am so desperate for anything to break me out of my boredom that I resorted to doing something really bizarre and disturbing.
But I had to, darling
I feel like I have no other choice but to engage in these erratic behaviors in order to keep myself entertained.
If I leave this room, my bones will shatter
I have become so immobilized by my boredom that I cannot physically or mentally handle leaving this space.
Do you want to see me starving?
If I don't keep myself occupied in any way possible, I will feel like I am dying of boredom.
I made a macaroni necklace
I have resorted to doing childish things in order to entertain myself, like making a macaroni necklace.
I played with my toolbox
I am trying to find anything and everything to experiment with and pass the time.
I found a firework in the basement
I have resorted to even more dangerous and risky activities to break the monotony of my days.
I set it off.
I am willing to take risks and chances, even if it might put me and others in grave danger.
If you had a heart, you'd call me
I am feeling really lonely and abandoned, and I wish someone would reach out to me.
And let me know the time
I have lost all sense of time and need someone to give me a sense of routine or structure.
As I would try and sleep if only
If I knew what time of day it was, I might be able to fall asleep without feeling like I am wasting away.
I knew that night was nigh.
I feel more comfortable and at ease when it is nighttime because daytime means more boredom and monotony.
Will you come and read to me soon?
I am so desperate for human interaction and entertainment that I am willing to ask someone to come and read to me.
I can't see a thing
The monotonous and immobile nature of my lifestyle has made me feel like I am blind and invisible.
Sometimes a breeze will shift the blinds
The only interaction with the outside world I have is when a breeze shifts the blinds of my window.
Wretched light creeps in
I am so used to being in the dark that any sort of light has become bothersome and irritating.
But mostly I am alone with the shadows
I have become so isolated and trapped in my boredom that the only company I have are the shadows in my room.
And I think my great dead aunt as well
I have resorted to talking to myself and even to deceased family members just to pass the time.
I've been talking to a pencil
I have become so desperate for interaction that I am willing to personify inanimate objects like pencils and talk to them as if they were alive.
I think I love him, please don't tell him.
I have become so delusional in my boredom that I am willing to believe that I have a romantic attachment to a pencil.
But it's not for you to know
The language I created and all of the bizarre things I have done to entertain myself are personal and private to me.
I used it to write you
Despite everything else, I still feel a need to connect with the outside world and write letters to people.
This letter, which I buried in the snow
Because I am unable to leave my room, I have resorted to hiding letters in the snow outside in hopes that someone might find them and read them.
And when you find it all
If someone does eventually find my letter, I want them to know all of the bizarre things I have resorted to in order to stave off boredom.
The daffodils will be free
If someone finds my letter, it means that they will be venturing outside and experiencing the world in a way that I am unable to do.
Say hello to them for me
I want whoever finds my letter to greet the daffodils on my behalf because I am unable to do so myself.
As I won't see the ground again
I am so deeply entrenched in my boredom and monotony that I fear I will never escape and see the outside world again.
Contributed by Jacob K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.