The group initally formed to compete in the National Campus Band Competition in 1997. Temperley and Quartermain were already in a band at the time, Freud's Pillow, but had met with little success and asked Temperley's childhood friend MacLeod to form a new band, which became Eskimo Joe. The band ended up winning the competition prize: a slot at the 1997 Livid Festival and a session in a studio to record their first EP, Sweater. The title track became so successful on national broadcaster Triple J, it gained much airplay and featured in the Hottest 100 of 1998. A second EP Eskimo Joe followed up in 1999.
Later in 1999, Eskimo Joe was signed on to Modular and in 2001, their debut album Girl, which went gold. After splitting with Modular, they signed a new contract with Mushroom in 2002, releasing sophomore album A Song is a City in 2004. The album went double-platinum and earned the group Best Artist the following year.
Settling down for six weeks over Christmas in 2005, the noticeably darker album Black Fingernails Red Wine, was recorded and released the following June, debuting at number one on the ARIA charts and later going platinum. The band (jokingly) described the album as their "stadium rock" record and headed out on extensive touring around the country, including a stint at Live Earth in Sydney.
The band eventually went on to tour the globe, with trips around the US and Europe, before recording their fourth album, Inshalla, in Byron Bay. The album was released in May 2009 and topped the charts at number one in the ARIA album charts. It explores a very different sound for Eskimo Joe, with lead singer Temperley saying the band were a stage where they wanted to do something different musically and also in their personal lives.
Morning Light
Eskimo Joe Lyrics
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Is on our minds again
And I don't know if I've been here before
We would try to go to sleep
But we're running around in circles
For fear of falling down we can't get up
And I wait for the morning light
Flying through the night
And I am home
But I am not a man
They will try to take the things
That you can't hold down with your hands
So hold them down
A war across an ocean
Is like a dream from which you've woken
If you don't like what you see
Then go to sleep
But the smell of smoke is in your hair
And your heavy heart is always there
It's always there
It's always there
It's always there
And I wait for the morning light
To burn away the slings and arrows
Flying through the night
And I am home
But I am not a man
They will try to take your crown
If you can't hold it down
In the darkness of the winter time
I will try to take you home
In the long grass of evening time
And I wait for the morning light
To burn away the slings and arrows
Flying through the night
And we must wait for this to pass us by
And I will try to close my eyes
I will try to close my eyes
And I wait for the morning light
To burn away the slings and arrows
Flying through the night
And I am home
But I am not a man
I will try to take you home
If you can't hold it down
So hold it down
So hold it down
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
The lyrics to Eskimo Joe's song "Morning Light" is a reflection of the American situation and the anxiety that it brings. The song starts by acknowledging the current state of mind that is filled with worry and confusion. The idea of going to sleep is present but the fear of falling down is so strong that it prevents it from happening. The lyrics are invoking an image of a world where people are mentally running around in circles, trying to make sense of what is happening.
The chorus repeats the line "And I wait for the morning light to burn away the slings and arrows flying through the night”. The morning light is a metaphor for hope, a time of the day when things start to get clearer. It is where the anxiety and worry that kept the singer up start to fade. The line “And I am home but I am not a man” highlights the vulnerability and the feeling of being powerless against the situation.
The lyrics also reference the idea of possession with the line “They will try to take the things That you can't hold down with your hands So hold them down”. It is a reminder that there are things that are important in life that cannot be held onto physically. The song echoes the sense of helplessness that people often experience in challenging times and the feeling of not knowing what to do but to wait for the hope that a new day brings.
Line by Line Meaning
The American situation
The current state of affairs in America
Is on our minds again
It's something we can't stop thinking about
And I don't know if I've been here before
I'm not sure if I've experienced this before
We would try to go to sleep
We want to sleep
But we're running around in circles
We're restless and can't relax
For fear of falling down we can't get up
We're afraid of failure and are stuck
And I wait for the morning light
I hope for a new day
To burn away the slings and arrows
To relieve me of my troubles
Flying through the night
Persisting throughout the darkness
And I am home
I'm in a familiar place
But I am not a man
I'm feeling weak or helpless
They will try to take the things
People will attempt to take from me
That you can't hold down with your hands
Things that are intangible and cannot be grasped
So hold them down
But we must strive to keep them
A war across an ocean
Distance lessens the impact of a war
Is like a dream from which you've woken
It's hard to believe it's happening
If you don't like what you see
If it's too tough to witness
Then go to sleep
Try to escape it
But the smell of smoke is in your hair
But the destruction is still present
And your heavy heart is always there
And the sadness persists
It's always there
It's a constant reminder
And we must wait for this to pass us by
We need to be patient and wait for things to get better
In the darkness of the winter time
During the worst times
I will try to take you home
I'll try to bring you comfort
In the long grass of evening time
During quieter moments
I will try to close my eyes
I'll try to ignore the chaos
I will try to close my eyes
I'll try to ignore the chaos
I will try to take you home
I'll try to bring you comfort
If you can't hold it down
If you can't overcome your hardships
So hold it down
Try to keep moving forward and stay resilient
So hold it down
Try to keep moving forward and stay resilient
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
Expression of feeling
Contributed by Arianna Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
KinkyLittleVixen
Wow, nice voice, really good. love it.