She took up piano at the age of five, attending Manhattan's Third Street Music School for two years, going on to the Jewish Community Center of Staten Island's Dorothy Delson Kuhn Music Institute. There she met vocal coach Elizabeth McCullough, who worked with her through high school. She is a graduate of Staten Island Technical High School and Binghamton University, where she received a degree in theatre.
Her influences range from Fiona Apple to Coldplay. She regularly appears at Manhattan venues such as The Knitting Factory, CBGB's Gallery, Bar 169, The Sidewalk Cafe, Kenny's Castaways, and Pianos.
She began recording music in 2002, releasing Slow the Rain independently in January of 2005. In 2006, Ingrid released her second album Girls and Boys. Her music has recently enjoyed a bit more commercial success with songs like "Breakable" and "Keep Breathing" being featured on ABC show Grey's Anatomy, as well as a 2007 Old Navy commercial being set to her song "The Way I Am".
http://www.ingridmichaelson.com/
Far Away
Ingrid Michaelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He will take care of me, he will smell like the sea
And close to my heart he'll always stay
I will bear three girls all with strawberry curls, little Ella and Nelly and Faye
While I'm combing their hair, I will catch his warm stare
On our island in the blue bay
To a new life on a new shore line
Where the water is blue and the people are new
To another island, in another life
There's a boy next to me and he never will be anything but a boy at the bar
And I think he's the tops, he's where everything stops
How I love to love him from afar
When he walks right pass me then I finally see on this barstool I can't stay
So I'm taking my frown to a far distant town
On an island in the blue bay
Far away far away, I want to go far away
To a new life on a new shore line
Where the water is blue and the people are new
To another island, in another life
I want to go far away
Away, away, I want to go far away, away, away
I want to go far away, far away
Away, away, away
Where the water is blue and the people are new
To another life, to another life
To another shore line
In another life
The song "Far Away" by Ingrid Michaelson talks about the singer's desire to leave her current life and everything behind to start anew on a different island. She sings about living as a lobsterman's wife on an island where the sea is near and her husband will take care of her. The singer mentions bearing three girls with strawberry curls, Ella, Nelly, and Faye, and while she combs their hair, she catches her husband's warm stare. She talks about wanting to escape her current life because she is in love with a boy who will never be anything more than just a boy at the bar. This boy occupies her thoughts and her love for him is unrequited, so she decides to leave everything behind and start a new life on a new shore where the water is blue and the people are new.
The lyrics of "Far Away" express a common theme of wanting to start over or escape from one's current life. The idea of wanting to start a fresh life by moving to a new location is something many people can relate to. The singer wants to escape from her current life because she is not satisfied with it, and starting over somewhere else feels like the best solution for her. The song also touches on unrequited love, a feeling that many people have experienced at least once in their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
I will live my life as a lobsterman's wife on an island in the blue bay
I will happily marry and spend my life with a fisherman, living on a beautiful island surrounded by the ocean.
He will take care of me, he will smell like the sea
My husband will provide for me and work hard on the ocean, and his scent will remind me of our life on the island.
And close to my heart he'll always stay
I will hold my love for my husband close to my heart, cherishing our life together on the island.
I will bear three girls all with strawberry curls, little Ella and Nelly and Faye
I will give birth to three beautiful daughters with red hair, who I will love and care for on our island home.
While I'm combing their hair, I will catch his warm stare
As I tend to my daughters' needs and beauty, I will also notice my husband looking at me with love and warmth.
On our island in the blue bay
These precious family moments occur while we live our lives on our tranquil and scenic island home.
Far away, far away, I want to go far away
Despite my love for my family and life on the island, I yearn for something new and different in my life.
To a new life on a new shore line
I dream of starting anew in a place with different scenery, culture, and people.
Where the water is blue and the people are new
I desire a place with crystal clear blue water and inhabitants that I have not met before.
There's a boy next to me and he never will be anything but a boy at the bar
I find myself attracted to a young man I see at a nearby bar who is immature and not suited for my life as a married woman with children.
And I think he's the tops, he's where everything stops
Despite this, I am still drawn to him and feel that he is significant to me and my desires for a new life.
How I love to love him from afar
I cannot resist admiring this young man from a distance and dreaming of a life with him.
When he walks right pass me then I finally see on this barstool I can't stay
Once he notices me and walks away, I realize that I cannot remain in my current life because of the feelings he has stirred in me.
So I'm taking my frown to a far distant town
I decide to leave my current life, and travel to a different city far from my home to start anew.
On an island in the blue bay
Ironically, the new life I seek is still on an island surrounded by water, though this time it will not be my home.
Where the water is blue and the people are new
Even though I am leaving one island for another, I still want to find a place with blue water and new faces.
To another island, in another life
I am ready to leave behind my old life and start anew on another island with new experiences and possibilities.
I want to go far away
Once again, I reinforce my desire for adventure and something new and different.
Away, away, I want to go far away, away, away
I repeat my insatiable urge to travel and leave my current life behind.
Away, away, away
I am fully committed to my decision to leave and explore a new chapter in my life.
Where the water is blue and the people are new
This refrain echoes the same desire for a new life with beautiful water and unfamiliar faces.
To another life, to another life
I am excited for the opportunity to reinvent myself and create a new life full of new experiences and adventures.
To another shore line
I look forward to exploring a new place with a different shoreline and landscape.
In another life
I am ready to leave my old self behind and embrace a new identity, with new people and places in my life.
Lyrics © Spirit Music Group
Written by: Ingrid Michaelson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jeans
This song makes me want to get married to a rugged fisherman and wear all his oversized fisherman sweaters and hang freshly washed laundry outside to dry in the wind as we live in a little cottage by the sea
J Dee
@Matt Kavanaugh I saw one of those during Halloween
Matt Kavanaugh
it could just be like a lobsterman like a man sized lobster person
Robin Nico
This is a catchy song, good job Ingrid
Claireeey
LOL yess
Noman Cyclewala
she needs more recognition .. she deserves it
Jaden Davis
Noman Cyclewala PREACH
Kelley Daniels
this is probably my favorite song by her. I love her voice.
Anthony Zav
she's a pop song prodigy. the songs seem to have always existed
Leslie Boeckmann
Sounds silly but this album is what got me through a hard break up and this song is helping me through another