Jarboe (full name: Jarboe La Salle Devereaux – also known as The Living Ja… Read Full Bio ↴Jarboe (full name: Jarboe La Salle Devereaux – also known as The Living Jarboe) is an American singer, songwriter, and keyboardist from New Orleans active since 1984. She came to prominence in the mid-1980s as a member of New York City based group Swans. With founder Michael Gira, the duo was the core of the group until its disbandment in 1998.

She continues to release numerous solo albums and collaborations and has composed the soundtrack for a horror game entitled The Path.

Coming to rock and experimental music from a complex, fascinating background (both her parents were FBI agents; her upbringing in the South included such elements of extreme American religious faith as snake-handling ceremonies; and before her direct involvement in music she participated in "unorthodox sex work," to use her own words, in various U.S. cities), Jarboe, who has always preferred to be known by her sole name, has long been known as one of the fiercest spirits in modern music. She is an intelligent and aggressive artist possessed of striking musical skill who has rejected the music industry's all-too-easy stereotyping and exploitation to create shockingly powerful visions. Helping strongly in this is her one-of-a-kind vocal talent, ranging from emotive blues/gospel tones to wild shrieking, matching excellently with her wide-ranging preference in musical styles. Joining the band Swans two years after it came into being, Jarboe soon became the co-leader of the band with founder Michael Gira; together the pair released some of the most striking, musically extreme recordings of recent years, both as Swans and as the side project band Skin. Jarboe's solo career began in earnest in 1992 with the release of Thirteen Masks, followed a couple of years later by a collaborative effort released under the name Beautiful People with Larry Seven, who also worked on Thirteen Masks and various Swans tracks before that time. The next official release was 1995's Sacrificial Cake, described as a "Swans Related Product," and released in concert with Gira's own solo debut, Drainland. After this, Swans took precedence as she and Gira finished the group's farewell albums and tours; her first post-Swans release, Anhedoniac, appeared in 1998. Shortly thereafter she made a trip to Israel for artistic inspiration for a planned follow-up, Disburdeen Disciple. However, she contracted an illness while visiting there, leading to hospitalization on return to America. A sampler for Disciple has appeared as a teaser, but the main album itself was not completed or ready for release. A collaboration with Telecognac, titled Over, appeared in 2000.

http://www.thelivingjarboe.com

Lavender Girl
Jarboe Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

There's patchouli, spanish blossom, frankincense, and rose
I'm lavender, lavender
There's cedarwood, champa, musk, and myrrh
I'm lavender, lavender
I was smolderlng then you breathed deep
May your soul be free now my smoke is sweet
There's sandalwood, lilac, magnolia
I'm lavender, lavender

Ylang ylang, jasmine, amber
I'm lavender, lavender
I was smoldering then you breathed deep

Now our soul is free and our smoke is sweet
Lavender, lavender

Overall Meaning

Jarboe's song "Lavender Girl" is a haunting and sensual exploration of scent and its effect on the senses. The opening lines list off a variety of fragrances, including patchouli, Spanish blossom, frankincense, and rose. However, the repeated refrain of "I'm lavender, lavender" establishes the importance of this particular scent. The subsequent lines continue to integrate new fragrances, such as cedarwood, champa, musk, myrrh, sandalwood, lilac, magnolia, ylang-ylang, jasmine, and amber.

The lyrics then transition to the idea of smoldering and breathing deeply, a metaphor for consuming or experiencing the fragrances. The lavender scent is the centerpiece, and its smoke carries the singer's soul to greater freedom. Throughout the song, there is a sense of transcendence that arises from the interplay between the various scents and the listener's interpretation of them. "Lavender Girl" is a celebration of the power of scent to evoke deep emotion and to connect individuals spiritually.

Line by Line Meaning

There's patchouli, spanish blossom, frankincense, and rose
There are various fragrances present, such as patchouli, spanish blossom, frankincense, and rose

I'm lavender, lavender
I am the scent of lavender

There's cedarwood, champa, musk, and myrrh
Other scents also exist, including cedarwood, champa, musk, and myrrh

I was smolderlng then you breathed deep
My fragrance was strong and you took a deep breath of it

May your soul be free now my smoke is sweet
The now-pleasant scent of my smoke will help to relax you and calm your soul

There's sandalwood, lilac, magnolia
Other scents present include sandalwood, lilac, and magnolia

Ylang ylang, jasmine, amber
There is also ylang ylang, jasmine, and amber present

Now our soul is free and our smoke is sweet
Both our souls are now relaxed and free, and the scent of the smoke is sweet

Lavender, lavender
My scent is still that of lavender

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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