She signed to Source Records/Virgin in 2001 and issued the folksy 4.35am EP and the more band-orientated Work to a Calm EP before releasing her debut album, Night on my Side, in 2002. The album was subsequently nominated for that year's Mercury Music Prize, now called the Barclaycard Mercury Prize.
After touring for Night on my Side Hayes took 2 years out from the music business; "All I do know is that I didn't want to listen to music at all. I stopped listening to the radio. It was like I'd overdosed on music".
In late 2005 Hayes returned with her second album, The Roads Don't Love You, and picked up the Best Irish Female Artist award at the 2006 Meteor Ireland Music Awards shortly before completing a small tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland. She also co-wrote the song "Hazy" with Adam Duritz for the Counting Crows' live album, New Amsterdam in the same year.
Following the departure from Source/Virgin after her second album she released her third effort The Hollow of Morning on her own label in May 2008.
Let It Break is Hayes' fourth studio album, released in May 2011. The album was recorded in Westland Studios in Dublin, Ireland, Black Box Studios in Noyant La Gravoyère, France and in Los Angeles.
Her fifth effort, Bones + Longing, was released in November 2014.
Hayes' music has been featured on a multitude of films and television shows, including Grey's Anatomy, ER, and Mr. And Mrs Smith.
Over And Over
Gemma Hayes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We tried to make it
We played all the right games
We took too much for granted
Please don't stray, so far from me
Please don't stray, so far from me
Again
Over and over
When it came to reality
We forgot how to land
Please don't stray, so far from me
Please don't stray, so far from me
Again
Over and over
We tried to make it
We played all the right games
We took too much for granted
Please don't stray, so far from me
Please don't stray, so far from me yeah
Please don't stray, so far from me
Please don't stray so far from me
Again
So far from me
So far from me
So far from me
So far from me
You're so far from me
You're so far from me
You're so far from me
The lyrics in Gemma Hayes's song Over and Over are about a failed relationship that after trying over and over again, nothing seems to work out. The first verse talks about the effort that the couple put in the relationship trying to keep it afloat. The couple played by the rules and followed what they thought were the right steps, but none of it worked. The second verse is talking about how they planned for the future, but when reality hit, nothing worked out as they expected. They were not able to handle and adjust to the changes in their lives, and the relationship couldn't survive.
The repeated refrain of "Please don't stray, so far from me" shows that the singer is still holding out hope that the relationship can work out. Despite everything that has happened, they still want their partner to stay close. The repeated use of "over and over" emphasizes the cyclical nature of the relationship, trying again and again to make things work, but ultimately failing. The song ends with a repetition of "So far from me" highlighting the distance that has grown between the couple.
Overall, the lyrics in "Over and Over" tell the story of a relationship that was doomed from the start. Despite the couple's best intentions and efforts, they were never able to overcome the obstacles that life threw at them, and they drifted further and further apart.
Line by Line Meaning
Over and over
Repeatedly, we attempted the same thing
We tried to make it
We attempted to succeed in a certain task or relationship
We played all the right games
We followed the expected patterns and strategies to get what we want
We took too much for granted
We didn't appreciate or value something enough and assumed it would always be there
Please don't stray, so far from me
I hope you don't distance yourself too much from me emotionally or physically
Again
We keep repeating the same cycle
We made too many plans
We had too many expectations and arrangements
When it came to reality
When it was time for things to actually happen or come true
We forgot how to land
We didn't know how to handle the aftermath or consequences of our actions
Please don't stray, so far from me yeah
I desperately want you to stay close to me
So far from me
You are emotionally or physically distant from me
You're so far from me
You are very distant from me
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: FRANNE GOLDE, TRINA HARMON, TYLER HAYES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind