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.
Setting Sun
Eskimo Joe Lyrics
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Staring at the sun
Waiting for the night to come,
So I can get things done
I can't wait for this no more,
My eyes have come undone
If my star will ever rise,
And if I see you waiting for the setting sun,
It will never come
And if it ever comes, you're forever young
You're forever young
Ice is just a remedy for pain and rising heat,
Hold it in your hands and watch the puddles form around your feet
And if you drink the water,
It might just stop the pain
From dreaming of the fever drowning holes around your name
And if I see you waiting for the setting sun,
It will never come
And if it ever comes, you're forever young,
You're forever young
If your scared about the future,
I'm scared about the past
And if your feeling ill, it's cause the world is spinning fast
Yeah you're staring at the sun,
Yeah you better all hold on
And watch the sky become the ground
Forever Young
And if I see you waiting for the setting sun,
It will never come
And if it ever comes, you're forever young,
You're forever young
The song "Setting Sun" by Eskimo Joe is a beautifully written and deeply moving track that explores universal themes of waiting, transience, and the disorienting nature of change. The lyrics speak to a pervasive feeling of frustration and restlessness, as though the singer has been waiting for a long time for something to happen but is now resigned to the fact that it never will. The opening lines capture this feeling perfectly, as the singer confesses that they have been "waiting for too long, staring at the sun". It is as though they have been waiting for some kind of epiphany or moment of clarity, but that moment has never come.
The rest of the song continues in this vein, with the singer reflecting on the fleeting nature of life and the struggle to find meaning in a world that can often seem chaotic and unpredictable. The lines "Ice is just a remedy for pain and rising heat, hold it in your hands and watch the puddles form around your feet" are particularly poignant, as they suggest that even the most mundane things can take on a profound significance when viewed through the right lens. At the same time, though, the song is also about the beauty of youth and the desire to hold onto that sense of wonder and possibility even as life becomes more complicated and difficult.
Overall, "Setting Sun" is a powerful and evocative song that speaks to the universal human experience of waiting and longing for something more, even as we struggle to make sense of the world around us.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been waiting for too long,
Staring at the sun
Waiting for the night to come,
So I can get things done
I have been waiting for a long time, gazing at the sun. I am eagerly waiting for the night to fall so that I can complete my work.
I can't wait for this no more,
My eyes have come undone
If my star will ever rise,
Let it be the only one
I can't wait any longer; my eyes are exhausted. If I ever succeed, I wish to be the only star.
And if I see you waiting for the setting sun,
It will never come
And if it ever comes, you're forever young
You're forever young
If I find you waiting for the setting sun, it will never arrive. And if it does arrive, you will forever keep your youth.
Ice is just a remedy for pain and rising heat,
Hold it in your hands and watch the puddles form around your feet
And if you drink the water,
It might just stop the pain
From dreaming of the fever drowning holes around your name
Ice can alleviate discomfort and soothe increasing heat. Hold it in your hands and watch the puddles form around your feet. Drinking the water from it can relieve the pain weakened by nightmares of the fever engulfing you.
If your scared about the future,
I'm scared about the past
And if your feeling ill, it's cause the world is spinning fast
Yeah you're staring at the sun,
Yeah you better all hold on
And watch the sky become the ground
Forever Young
If you are afraid of what the future holds, I worry about my past. The world is moving too fast, causing you to feel ill. Keep your focus on the sun, hold on tight, and observe as the sky turns into the ground. Forever young.
And if I see you waiting for the setting sun,
It will never come
And if it ever comes, you're forever young,
You're forever young
If I find you waiting for the setting sun, it will never arrive. And if it does arrive, you will forever keep your youth.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Edmund John Simons, Thomas Owen Mostyn Rowlands, Noel Thomas Gallagher
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind