He came from Toronto; she, from Seattle.
He came from Toronto; she, from Seattle.
His parents started a radio station; hers were music teachers.
Both had music in their blood, instruments in their hands, and a mind to create.
The mountains led him to the west; a star led her to the north.
In Vancouver they met and schooled—studying music and life.
They found promise.
They found love.
In less than a year they put school on hold, got married, and lived.
With music and purpose guiding them, school called again and to Nashville they went.
He became an audio engineer; she became a songwriter; music stayed central and they continued to create.
Entering the Nashville music scene in 2009, Handsome and Gretyl released their debut EP, Hold On Tight Love, February 2011.
Handsome and Gretyl have created an earthy folk feel crossed with an imaginative jaunt of pop, a sweet and tangy piece of wild berry pie. This duo draws from real life, delivering optimistic though realistic lyrics, seasoned with the chill of snow, the sea breeze, and the hope of tomorrow’s sunrise.
Siren
Handsome and Gretyl Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just beyond my steady sail
And the waves are back and forthing
Make you lost they make you fail
Can you hear the siren calling
Does she know just what to say
When the waves come rock come rolling
Is she sweeping you away
I belong to another’s shore
Siren leave me be
Can’t you see that I'm on my knees, please leave
And the storm rolls in like fire
How we want for it to pass
And we thought that we were higher
But then we watch the siren dance
Siren call no more
He belongs to another shore
Siren leave him be
Can’t you see that I'm on my knees, please leave
There I see you Jezebel, one foot in the heavens, one in hell
If you die before you wake, how we gonna know your soul did take
Oh now now now Jezebel, marrying the words of heav'n and hell
Take your lies away from me
There’s something in the way you speak
And I'm prone to wander
Lord I feel it
Prone to leave the one I love
Here’s my heart oh take and seal it
Seal it for thy courts above
The song Siren by Handsome and Gretyl speaks of a complicated, love triangle where the singer is torn between two lovers. The siren, who represents the lover that is not the singer's current partner, calls out to him beyond his "steady sail". The waves that come "back and forthing" make the singer uncertain and cause him to feel lost, making him fail. He questions if the siren can hear his thoughts and if she knows what to say to groom him towards her side. The singer feels helpless under the siren's spell, and he pleads that she leaves him be.
The song's chorus reiterates this plea to the siren, where the singer mentions that he belongs to another shore, and she should let him be. But it appears that the siren is not just a metaphor for a lover. There is also a reference to Jezebel, whose one foot is in heaven and one in hell. The singer further doubts her intentions, and her words seem like lies, making him question his inclination towards her. The singer realizes that he is prone to wander, prone to leave the one he loves, and pleads for the Lord's guidance to take his heart and seal it.
Line by Line Meaning
And the siren calls you from me
The lure of temptation is pulling you away from our relationship.
Just beyond my steady sail
The temptation is not far from us and I am trying to stay on course.
And the waves are back and forthing
The turbulent waves of life make it easy to lose direction.
Make you lost they make you fail
These waves of temptation can make you feel lost and ultimately lead you to failure.
Can you hear the siren calling
Are you able to recognize the call of temptation?
Does she know just what to say
Is the temptation skilled in knowing just what to say to lure you in?
When the waves come rock come rolling
Temptation can come crashing in unexpectedly like rough waves.
Is she sweeping you away
Is temptation taking control of your thoughts and actions?
Siren call no more
I refuse to give in to temptation anymore.
I belong to another's shore
My loyalties lie with someone else.
Siren leave me be
Temptation, I am telling you to go away and leave me alone.
Can't you see that I'm on my knees, please leave
I am begging temptation to let me be and leave me alone.
And the storm rolls in like fire
Difficulties and chaos are coming our way.
How we want for it to pass
We wish that this difficult time will end soon.
And we thought that we were higher
We believed we were above the challenges that would come our way.
But then we watch the siren dance
We were lured into temptation and lost sight of what was important.
He belongs to another shore
He is loyal to someone else, not to me.
Can't you see that I'm on my knees, please leave
I am begging temptation to leave him alone and let him be loyal to his commitments.
There I see you Jezebel, one foot in the heavens, one in hell
Jezebel represents someone who is tempted by both good and evil.
If you die before you wake, how we gonna know your soul did take
If you give in to temptation, we won't be sure where your soul will end up.
Oh now now now Jezebel, marrying the words of heav'n and hell
Jezebel is deceived by the lies of both good and evil.
Take your lies away from me
I don't want to be deceived by temptation and lies.
There's something in the way you speak
The words of temptation have a certain allure that makes them hard to resist.
And I'm prone to wander
My human nature makes me vulnerable to temptation.
Lord I feel it
I am aware of this vulnerability and need help from a higher power.
Prone to leave the one I love
Temptation can make me forget about the ones I truly love and care about.
Here's my heart oh take and seal it
I am giving my heart to a higher power to be protected from temptation and stay loyal to the ones I love.
Seal it for thy courts above
I am entrusting my heart to a higher power to ensure my loyalty and faithfulness.
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Gretyl Baird
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind