Isakov has been described by Boulder Weekly, "Strong, subtle, a lyrical genius" and has been compared to his influences; Bruce Springsteen, Kelly Joe Phelps, Iron & Wine and Gillian Welch. Isakov's humble presence and his overwhelming voice and guitar style has been treasured by an ever-growing and captivated fan base.
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Isakov immigrated to the States with his family and grew up in the Philadelphia area. He started touring at the age of 16 with his first band. In 1999 he sought out his solo acoustic roots and moved to Colorado where he now resides.
Isakov has been taking on the folk music scene with his 2003 release "Rust Colored Stones" LP and his 2005 release "Songs For October". Isakov's song-craft lends to the deepest lyrical masterpieces, and his live performance has been known to quiet and shake the biggest rooms.
Isakov has shared the stage with numerous touring artists such as Rodrigo y Gabriela, Alexi Murdoch, and Fiona Apple. He has performed throughout the United States, playing numerous music festivals such as Falcon Ridge Folk Fest, Rocky Mountain Folks Fest and Southpark Music Festival. Isakov has toured solo and with his band "The Freight".
In 2007, Gregory was named "Best Male Singer-Songwriter" by Westword Magazine.
Subsequent albums have included That Sea, The Gambler (2007), This Empty Northern Hemisphere (2009), The Weatherman (2013), Evening Machines (2018).
Chemicals
Gregory Alan Isakov Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Chemicals and caffeine
You saw her bathing in the creek
Are you jealous of the water?
Are you jealous of the water?
If it's alright, I call you that
I've been running solo, but it ain't all that
All that emptiness knows just where I live
Yeah that emptiness knows me
Was it just, chemicals in my head
Just, chemicals in my head
Tell me why all these pages flying round in the yard
How my hands can't seem to find your hands in the dark
Tell me, tell me how the hell did we get all the way up here
How gravity's gone
Gravity's gone
How gravity's gone
In Gregory Alan Isakov's song Chemicals, the lyrics describe the physical and emotional reactions caused by ingesting coffee and chemicals. The opening lyrics indicate the unpleasant feeling of drinking coffee as it burns the stomach and makes it churn. The addition of chemicals, such as caffeine, further intensifies these feelings. The mention of a woman bathing in a creek sparks feelings of jealousy, but not towards the woman herself, rather towards the water that caresses her.
The subsequent lyrics shift towards an internal monologue where the singer addresses someone they are familiar with as "you". They express their need for companionship and connection by calling out for someone to talk to. The line "They say it's the take and give" reflects on the concept of gaining trust from someone else, but also having to show trust in return. The loneliness that comes with not having someone to confide in is highlighted with the line "All that emptiness knows just where I live".
The chorus poses the question of whether the emotions the singer feels are simply caused by chemicals in their head. The final verse delves further into the lyrics, describing an inability to find someone's hands in the dark and questioning how they ended up where they are currently. The final line "How gravity's gone" could be interpreted in multiple ways, as a reference to the lack of physical gravity, the loss of emotional grounding, or the feeling of weightlessness when in love.
Line by Line Meaning
Coffee burns, the stomach churns
The sensation of hot coffee burns one's throat and makes their stomach feel uneasy
Chemicals and caffeine
Coffee is composed of chemicals and caffeine, which affect the body in various ways
You saw her bathing in the creek
You witnessed someone you care about being vulnerable and exposed in a natural setting
Are you jealous of the water?
Do you envy the freedom and purity of the water that your loved one was immersed in?
If it's alright, I call you that
May I address you by a certain name or title that has a special meaning between us?
I've been running solo, but it ain't all that
I've been living independently, but it hasn't been as fulfilling as I thought it would be
They say it's the take and give
The give-and-take nature of relationships is commonly discussed
All that emptiness knows just where I live
Loneliness and emptiness are familiar feelings to me
Yeah that emptiness knows me
I identify with my feelings of emptiness more than anything else
Was it just, chemicals in my head
Did our connection and attraction stem solely from chemical reactions in our brains?
Just, chemicals in my head
Perhaps our relationship was not as meaningful as it seemed, and was merely fueled by physical reactions in our bodies
Tell me why all these pages flying round in the yard
The chaos and confusion of life is overwhelming and difficult to comprehend
How my hands can't seem to find your hands in the dark
I cannot locate and connect with the person I care about the most, even in darkness
Tell me, tell me how the hell did we get all the way up here
How did we end up in this situation? What choices did we make to arrive at this point?
How gravity's gone
Gravity, the force that keeps us grounded and rooted, seems to have disappeared
Gravity's gone
Life feels weightless and ungrounded, making it difficult to maintain balance and stability
Writer(s): Gregory Alan Isakov
Contributed by Brayden Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Chiappi
Lyrics:
coffee burns, the stomach churns chemicals and caffeine
you saw her bathing in the creek now you’re jealous of the water
now babe, if it’s alright i call you that
i’ve been running solo, but it ain’t all that they say it’s the take and give
but emptiness knows just where i live and emptiness knows me
was it just chemicals in my head
tell me why all these pages are flying round in the yard how my hands can’t seem to find your hands in the dark tell me, tell me how the hell did we get all the way up here how gravity’s gone
@patnafs
Coffee burns, the stomach churns
Chemicals and caffeine
You saw her bathing in the creek
Now you're jealous of the water
Now you're jealous of the water
Now babe, if it's alright I call you that
I've been running solo, but it ain't all that
They say it's the take and give
But emptiness knows just where I live
And emptiness knows me
Was it just chemicals in my head
Was it just chemicals in my head
Tell me why all these pages are flying round in the yard
How my hands can't seem to find your hands in the dark
Tell me, tell me how the hell did we get all the way up here
How gravity's gone
Gravity's gone
How gravity's gone
@NCflyfisher1
I get such an incredible sense of peace with his music. A little melancholy sometimes, but always peaceful.
@silence268
It makes me think of someone's life reflections after they have died. The free associations and the eerie resonance seem to come from two worlds.
@NCflyfisher1
@@silence268 that's a great way to describe it.
@silence268
@@NCflyfisher1 Thank you.
@Fartypantslive
Dig deeper into philosophy, I disagree very sincerely. He describes the best feeling in the world. Weightlessness.
@Fartypantslive
He’s talking about how did he get this weightlessness with a girl he’s never even touched. Imo
@lajacobs2921
It's so crazy, how big of a part Gregory Alan's music has played in my life. Memory upon memory
@Chiappi
Lyrics:
coffee burns, the stomach churns chemicals and caffeine
you saw her bathing in the creek now you’re jealous of the water
now babe, if it’s alright i call you that
i’ve been running solo, but it ain’t all that they say it’s the take and give
but emptiness knows just where i live and emptiness knows me
was it just chemicals in my head
tell me why all these pages are flying round in the yard how my hands can’t seem to find your hands in the dark tell me, tell me how the hell did we get all the way up here how gravity’s gone
@DaveDFFA
I think it's, "but it ain't all bad"
But I could be wrong
@Chiappi
I copied the lyrics from the official site =)