At the age of sixteen, Esthero moved from small town Harriston, Ontario on her own to Toronto, where she began singing at open-mic nights, a journey that in 1997 led to a meeting with the president of EMI Publishing Canada, whom she charmed so well during their first meeting that without hearing her sing a single note he was moved to set up and finance recording sessions with Doc, a guitarist and studio engineer. Their debut album, Breath from Another, was released to critical acclaim in 1998 and is widely seen as one of the more accessible albums of the trip-hop genre.
Though she remained active following the moderate success of the debut album, featuring on tracks by such artists as Nelly Furtado and The Black Eyed Peas, it would take over 7 years for a proper follow-up to be released (due to a confluence of factors that included a lengthy creative process, the closure of the WORK record label and marketing delays) in the form of 2005's Wikked Lil Grrrls, an album that crossed genre boundaries with its heavy debt to jazz and hip-hop. The album was preceded in 2004 by a pair of EPs, The O.G. Bitch Remixes (with the title song reaching Number 1 on the Billboard Dance Chart) and We R In Need of a Musical Revolution, which served as a preview of the full length album.
After the release of Wikked Lil Grrrls, Esthero devoted an increasing amount of time to songwriting and production, with her work featuring on albums by Brandy and Kanye West (most prominently on West's single Love Lockdown).
2012 saw the release of Esthero's third full-length album, Everything is Expensive (Universal Music Canada), preceded by the release of Never Gonna Let You Go as the lead single and video. The album was partially funded through a campaign on PledgeMusic in which backers could choose from exclusives such as artwork by the singer. Everything is Expensive debuted on Billboard's Heatseeker chart at #13.
Official Websites
www.esthero.net
Heaven Sent
Esthero Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There was no one home at all
Couldn't wait to get your clothes on
Shouldn't come around to call on you
The taste was sweet and you delivered
I didn't know I would feel so high
Well, I guess we didn't have to kill her
You looked her in the eye
And I watched her cry
And my mouth went dry
Everyone is going to have to die sometime
My mouth is clean, my hands are dirty
Heaven isn't on my side
Well, if it was, then she'd have hurt me
Didn't think this through
But, I didn't have the time
To perfect my crime
I drank my wine
Everything is going to be just fine
I don't know, I don't love, (you're alone, you're alone) I don't know
Anyone like me
I'm not heaven sent
I'm not heaven sent
But I'm broken and bent
My mouth went dry
As I watched her cry
Everyone has to, gets to die
But not on my time not on this girl's time
Fucked if it's my time (fucked if it's my time)
Not on my time(this is all fucked up)
The song "Heaven Sent" by Esthero is a hauntingly beautiful track that explores lust, guilt, and the consequences of our actions. The opening lines describe the singer's arrival at the home of someone they desire, only to find that they have left the light on but there's nobody there. The next line reveals that they couldn't wait to get their clothes on and that they shouldn't have come around to call. This sets the scene for the listener to anticipate something ominous.
The metaphorical meaning of the song is revealed when the singer says, "You looked her in the eye, and I watched her cry, and my mouth went dry. Everyone is going to have to die sometime." These lyrics suggest that the singer has just inflicted some sort of harm on someone and is grappling with the guilt and shame of their actions. The desire they once had for this person, which caused them to break into their home, has now been replaced with self-loathing and despair.
The chorus repeats the phrase "I'm not heaven sent, but I'm broken and bent," which adds to the sense that the singer is struggling with their own sense of morality and the rightness of their actions. The final lines of the song, "Not on my time, this is all fucked up," reveal the singer's regret for what they've done and a resigned acceptance of the consequences.
Line by Line Meaning
I came and saw you left the light on
I noticed you left the light on, indicating that you were expecting someone
There was no one home at all
I discovered that nobody was actually home
Couldn't wait to get your clothes on
You were eager to have sex with me
Shouldn't come around to call on you
I should have stayed away from you
The taste was sweet and you delivered
Sex with you was enjoyable and you satisfied me
I didn't know I would feel so high
I didn't expect to feel so good after having sex with you
Well, I guess we didn't have to kill her
We could have avoided the consequences of our actions
But don't feel so bad though
We shouldn't feel guilty
You looked her in the eye
You confronted her face-to-face
And I watched her cry
I observed her emotional distress
And my mouth went dry
I was affected deeply by this situation
Everyone is going to have to die sometime
Death is inevitable for everyone
My mouth is clean, my hands are dirty
I may seem innocent, but I am actually guilty
Heaven isn't on my side
I don't have divine protection
Well, if it was, then she'd have hurt me
If there was divine protection, the victim would have hurt me
Didn't think this through
I didn't carefully consider the consequences of my actions
But, I didn't have the time
I didn't have enough time to plan out a better course of action
To perfect my crime
I didn't have the opportunity to make my wrongdoing foolproof
I drank my wine
I indulged in alcohol to cope with the situation
Everything is going to be just fine
I'm in denial about the severity of the situation
I don't know, I don't love, (you're alone, you're alone) I don't know
I don't have strong emotional connections with anyone
Anyone like me
I don't have any peers who share my thoughts and feelings
I'm not heaven sent
I'm not a divine being
But I'm broken and bent
I'm damaged and flawed
My mouth went dry
I was deeply affected by the situation
As I watched her cry
I observed her emotional distress
Everyone has to, gets to die
Death is an inevitable part of life
But not on my time not on this girl's time
I don't want to be held responsible for anyone else's death
Fucked if it's my time (fucked if it's my time)
I'm screwed if I am held accountable for my actions
Not on my time(this is all fucked up)
I don't want to be implicated in this terrible situation
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Anthem Entertainment
Written by: Esthero, Martin Daniel Mc Kinney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@billroubanis4750
@@LisaDeeRealtor oh yes.
I have no qualm with your assessment of the lyrics.
They are much more than macabre: The song is clearly about a couple murdering an innocent woman for sexual thrills, and the woman narrating is describing herself as the remorseless psychopath who masterminded the crime.
It is a very creepy song, but that is what I liked about it: it was very edgy and disturbing.
I do not believe the singer is describing herself in the song.
I think she is acting out a part of a play, in a sense.
It is meant to shock people, not to reveal her personality.
The fantasy of the cold hearted killer is just a cool and powerful image at the time, because she is a WOMAN, and it is basically an answer to all the men who were somehow thinking that talking about being gangbangers and killers and mowing people down with UZIs made them look like real tough guys on their major label CDs.
So here is a woman, talking about a crime that should give any guy the creeps. This, following a dramatic opening track about a woman who cannot stop sexually compromising herself for the sake of the most disgusting of men.
I think Howard Stern likes her because she is exactly like him: she is a shock artist who does not have any problem being as bad a girl in her talk as is needed to get people's attention.
She and Stern are basically saying "why are these shock jocks and shock rockers getting so much attention, just for acting out roles? I can talk as crazy as you want me to, if that will make me a star. It means nothing. YOU are the one who is not getting it, if you think it is difficult to do this".
That is why this lyrical content appealed to ME.
It was controversial and reflected rebellious attitude.
And the music-
trip hop, in general, especially with women singing, like Portishead-is simply beautiful to me.If I thought that people like this woman really liked to murder innocent (or not so innocent) girls I would have zero interest in their lyrics and respect nothing of their work.
It is just like other kinds of art: I can love a good mafia movie, but real mobsters are repulsive vermin to me.
@user-mi7nw5kt4w
I've been trying to find this song for 22 years! Heard it late at night on MTV back when I was in middle school and couldn't remember the name. Finally found it!
@whatever5922
Glad you’re here!
@jadenatkinson9890
just a reminder incase u lost this song
@user-mi7nw5kt4w
@@jadenatkinson9890 never again lol
@varmintx0
I scrolled down to the comments to make the exact same post. Thank god this razor in my brain has been pulled out.
@Guy_de_Loimbard
Well worth the hunt my lad.
@AYoung-ir7qr
Esthero is criminally underrated.
@benaires07
YES!!! someone recognizes REAL TALENT> She is CRIMINALLY UNDERrated!!! Great music!!
@44mlokos
the production on the thing though... she is great, the producer is magnificent
@alanromani
She’s so talented