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.
The Easter Parade 2
Emmy the Great Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
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
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's no Arcadia,
No Albi, and 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 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 don't believe in that
So you can keep on singing
Gloria in Excelsis
Deo, deo
Gloria in Excelsis
But there's no,
There's no hope
There's no such thing
There's no such thing
There's no such thing
There's no such thing
There's no such thing
There's no such thing
There's no such thing
There's no such thing as ghosts
The lyrics of Emmy the Great's song "Easter Parade" explore themes of mortality, disillusionment, and the search for meaning. The song opens with a sense of emptiness and triviality, as the singer reflects on their material possessions and the banal act of waiting for a taxi. The line "is all that we've become just nothing but hats and bags" suggests a feeling of emptiness or lack of substance in their lives.
The second verse introduces religious imagery, with references to an Easter parade and the resurrection of Jesus. However, this is juxtaposed with the singer's own sense of hopelessness and lack of faith. The line "they're heralding angels for you but not for me" suggests a feeling of isolation and exclusion from the religious community.
The final verse returns to themes of impermanence and the transitory nature of life, with references to decay and disappearance. The line "there's no Arcadia, no Albi, and there's no Jerusalem here" suggests a yearning for something more meaningful or transcendent, but an acknowledgement that such things may not exist.
Overall, "Easter Parade" is a contemplative and melancholy exploration of existential themes, reflecting the struggles many of us face as we grapple with the uncertainties and complexities of life.
Line by Line Meaning
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
Life has become a mundane routine of waiting for transportation and smoking, devoid of any real substance or meaning.
In the air, a sea of words,
That didn't come soon enough
In my mind a railway station
And a ticket stub
There is a sense of delayed anticipation and longing for something that has yet to arrive, with memories of train journeys and ticket stubs playing in the mind.
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
It is Easter time and the town is celebrating with music, but the singer is skeptical of the religious beliefs being celebrated, particularly the story of Jesus' resurrection.
And now the Sunday school is gathered
Together in pink and in blue
They're heralding angels for you
But not for me
Children are dressed in color-coded outfits and singing about angels, but the artist feels left out of the religious festivities and beliefs.
They're singing
Gloria in Excelsis
Deo, deo
Gloria in Excelsis
But there's no,
There's no hope
The children are singing a hymn in Latin, but the artist feels that there is no real hope or belief behind the song's religious message.
And I am grateful for the things
That you've tried to show to me dear
But there's no Arcadia,
No Albi, and there's no Jerusalem here
The singer appreciates what someone has tried to teach or show them, but ultimately feels disillusioned with any ideas of paradise or holy sites, as they do not seem to exist in real life.
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
Beneath the surface of idyllic green pastures, there is death and decay, where all things eventually disappear and fade away.
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
Life is fleeting and impermanent, with light giving way to darkness and all people eventually passing away.
And on the green they tell their tales
About 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
But there's no,
There's no hope
Despite tales of resurrection, the artist does not believe in an afterlife or the idea of people returning from the dead, and feels that there is no real hope or meaning to be found in religious beliefs and celebrations.
There's no such thing
There's no such thing
There's no such thing
There's no such thing
There's no such thing
There's no such thing
There's no such thing
There's no such thing as ghosts
The repeated phrase 'there's no such thing' emphasizes the artist's disbelief in religious beliefs and the afterlife, culminating in the statement that there are no such things as ghosts.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: EMMA MOSS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind