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.
Sarah
Eskimo Joe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Won't you tell me your name
I've been waiting here for hours
In the garden by the flowers
You're so shy
So just open your eyes
The boys all form a line to be written out in time
A long, long, long, long time ago
Emergency
I think I am falling apart
Emergency
I think I am losing the fight
And I don't know if I can do it
I don't know if I can try
I don't know if anyone asked me the reason I lied
She sighed
Sarah
Is she your new best friend
One day it will end, you know it will
You're so shy
So just let it fall apart
Let it stumble in the dark
With the razors in your heart
A long, long, long, long time ago
Emergency
I think I am falling apart
Emergency
I think I am losing the fight
And I don't know if I can do it
I don't know if I can try
I don't know if anyone asked me the reason I lied
She sighed
She sighed
Emergency
I think I am falling apart
Emergency
I think I am losing the fight
And I don't know if I can do it
I don't know if I can try
I don't know if anyone asked me the reason I lied
She sighed
She sighed
The song, "Sarah" by Eskimo Joe, tells the story of a person waiting in a garden by the flowers for Sarah to show up. The singer is attracted to Sarah but she is shy and won't even tell him her name. The boys all form a line to try and win Sarah's heart, but the singer doesn't know if he can try. The song depicts a feeling of emergency as the singer is falling apart and losing the fight.
The song's lyrics seem to focus on unrequited love and the heartache that follows it. The singer is waiting for Sarah and is uncertain about the chance of winning her heart. He feels insecure and has a feeling of being lost. The reference to the Razors in the heart could portray a feeling of pain and heartbreak.
The lyrics describe a feeling of desperation and emotional pain which could be reflective of the writer's own experiences. The song can be interpreted in several ways and can evoke a range of emotions such as uncertainty, heartache, and desperation.
Line by Line Meaning
Sarah
The singer wants to know the name of a person named Sarah. He has been waiting for her for a long time in a garden full of flowers where she is standing still and quiet.
Won't you tell me your name
The singer wants Sarah to say her name aloud.
I've been waiting here for hours
The singer has been in the garden since long before, and has become exhausted by waiting for Sarah.
In the garden by the flowers
The specific place where the artist is waiting is a garden that has several flowers.
You're so shy
The artist thinks Sarah is very timid.
So just open your eyes
The singer is asking Sarah to look at him using her eyes.
The boys all form a line to be written out in time
The singer describes how many boys are lining up to tell their stories, or perhaps be written out in history.
A long, long, long, long time ago
The artist is referring to something that happened or feels like it happened a long time ago.
Emergency
The artist is describing how he feels as if he is falling apart or losing a fight.
I think I am falling apart
The artist believes that he is breaking down mentally or emotionally.
I think I am losing the fight
The singer is losing a battle against his own self, or someone else.
And I don't know if I can do it
The artist is feeling unsure if they can face what is coming.
I don't know if I can try
The singer is too scared to even think about trying to face their troubles.
I don't know if anyone asked me the reason I lied
The singer feels as if he has lied to someone about something important, and has not said why he did so even if someone asked him.
She sighed
Somebody has let out a breath deeply and loudly.
Is she your new best friend
The artist questions someone if the woman he met lately is his best friend.
One day it will end, you know it will
The artist is confident that their friendship will come to an end one day.
So just let it fall apart
The singer is asking someone to let their friendship end naturally.
Let it stumble in the dark
The singer is asking them to leave the friendship in the dark corners where it will likely fail.
With the razors in your heart
The artist is describing how somebody feels in a painful way.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PHILIP PARRIS LYNOTT, GARY MOORE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@thegreatslothlord7796
Man, I didn't expect the nostalgia I got from just randomly clicking on this song. I miss the days when they would play lots of awesome local Aussie talent like Eskimo Joe, John Butler Trio and other top notch Aussie bands.
@Cuzjudd
All WA by the way
@sandgroperwookiee65
@@Cuzjudd hence "local". ✌️
@aprilsky8474
I love his voice. He's an amazing vocalist.
@-Scotty
15 years later.. still one of the best uploads on Youtube.
@The_Hasty_Ent
Lads are really tight. Top tune
@west8436
Fremantle Joe's
Thank you Boys
💪😁👍
@user-ip4td2ok4l
What a beautiful voice!
@gav240z
I love these acoustic versions. It's like hearing these great songs all over again for the first time. I'm an Eskimo Joe virgin again w00t.
@tc4822
I miss Eskimo Joe these guys have such talent and beautiful songs !!! but im so glad that Kav the lead singer is still doing just as beautiful songs