“There’s a need to keep writing even after you finish a record,” says Jenny about the downtime that followed the occasionally tumultuous recording of More Adventurous, “but it’s taken me some years to feel confident writing alone. Now I realize the privacy behooves my songwriting. I was more relaxed and worked on these songs at my leisure.” Still, even with a bevy of “private” songs cluttering up the corners of her brain (“they were slightly more sedate, more word-focused”), Jenny had no plans to release or even record the lot of them. It took a Bright Eye-d friend to convince her otherwise. “I didn’t even consider making a solo record until Conor [Oberst] asked me a couple of years ago,” she laughs. “He said he was starting a label, Team Love, and he’d love for me to make a record for it.”
In keeping with the loose origins of the project, recording was also a catch-as-catch-can affair, done in between press and performance obligations for Rilo Kiley. After laying down a number of songs with old friend and co-conspirator Mike Mogis in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, Jenny flew herself to Portland to work with M.Ward, a collaboration that bore instant fruit. “When I flew to Portland all I had of “Happy” was a verse,” she explains. “As soon as I got there Matt came over to my hotel room and I played it for him and it just sort of happened – the chorus just came out. The whole process was quick and casual.”
Modeled after the great “white soul” classics of the past – particularly Laura Nyro and Labelle’s seminal Gonna Take a Miracle – Rabbit Fur Coat finds Jenny reaching out to her farflung assortment of wildly talented friends (including co-producer M.Ward, Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard, Maroon 5’s James Valentine and Mickey Madden, and label boss Oberst) while simultaneously coming into her own as an individual performer and storyteller. “That album was always in the back of my mind: if I could just make something that captured the feeling of that record.” Enter the Watson Twins, a set of Kentucky-born sisters with an other-wordly gift to harmonize. “I met the girls through Blake in L.A.,” she explains. “I’m just so impressed with their instincts as singers and their relationship to my songs. They were very serious about them.”
On the galloping “Big Guns” and the smoldering “Rise Up With Fists!” the Watson Twins tease out the soulful corners of Jenny’s confessional narratives, steering strong story/songs about religion, forgiveness, and the nature of art into the weedy and dense grounds of a gothic, southern estate. Indeed, this atmosphere of dixie-fried mystery pervades the disc, heightening and haunting Jenny’s nuanced compositions.
Rise Up With Fists!!
Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who do you think you're changing?
You can't change things
We're all stuck in our ways
It's like trying to clean the ocean
What do you think, you can drain it?
Well, it was poison and dry
Long before you came
But you can wake up younger under the knife
You can wake up sounder if you get analyzed
And I'd better wake up
There but for the grace of God go I
It's hard to believe your prophets
When they're asking you to change things
With their suspect lives, we look the other way
Are you really that pure, sir?
Thought I saw you in Vegas
It was not pretty, but she was (not your wife)
But she will wake up wealthy
And you will wake up forty-five
And she will wake up with baby
There but for the grace of God go I
What am I fighting for?
The cops are at my front door
I can't escape that way
The windows are in flames
And what's that on your ankle?
You say they're not coming for you
But house arrest is really just the same (just the same)
Like when you wake up behind the bar
Trying to remember where you are
Having crushed all the pretty things
There but for the grace of God go I
But I still believe
And I will rise up with fists
And I will take what's mine
There but for the grace of God go I
There but for the grace of God go I
There but for the grace of God go I
There but for the grace of God go I
The lyrics of Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins' song "Rise Up With Fists!!" suggest frustration with the state of the world and a call for action. The opening lines ask what the individual is trying to change and who they believe they can change. The singer then asserts that one cannot change things, as people are inherently stuck in their ways. This is likened to attempting to clean the ocean or drain poison from it, indicating the futility of individual efforts.
The second verse seems to deal with the idea of self-improvement, with the suggestion that one can wake up younger or sounder with the help of plastic surgery or therapy. However, the singer concedes that they too need to wake up, and acknowledges their own vulnerability with the phrase "there but for the grace of God go I." The third verse takes a more critical tone, questioning the authenticity of those who tell others to change their ways while they themselves are flawed. The reference to Vegas and infidelity suggests that these commentators are hypocritical in their personal lives, making it difficult for anyone to take their advice seriously.
The final verse turns more personal, referencing police at the door and windows aflame. The phrase "there but for the grace of God go I" is repeated, indicating that the singer recognizes their own luck in not being in the same situation. Despite the difficulties faced by the singer and the world at large, they still hold onto hope and express their intention to rise up with fists and take what's theirs. Overall, the song seems to call for action and change, while acknowledging the challenges and complexities of doing so.
Line by Line Meaning
What are you changing?
What is it that you're attempting to change?
Who do you think you're changing?
Do you think that you can truly change anyone else?
You can't change things
The world around us is set in its ways, and we can't change that.
We're all stuck in our ways
No matter how hard we try, we all have our habits and tendencies that are hard to break free from.
It's like trying to clean the ocean
Attempting to change the world is like trying to clean an entire ocean.
What do you think, you can drain it?
Do you believe that it's really possible to completely 'drain' the ocean, or change the world?
Well, it was poison and dry
The world was not perfect to begin with; it was damaged and in a bad state already.
Long before you came
These problems existed long before any individual person arrived to try and change things.
But you can wake up younger under the knife
Plastic surgery can make you appear younger.
You can wake up sounder if you get analyzed
Therapy and self-analysis can help you become more mentally and emotionally 'sound.'
And I'd better wake up
I need to be aware of these things too.
There but for the grace of God go I
I could find myself in the same position, if not for the mercy of God or fate.
It's hard to believe your prophets
It's difficult to trust people who claim to be 'prophets' or have all the answers.
When they're asking you to change things
Especially when they're telling you that you need to change the world.
With their suspect lives, we look the other way
It's easy to ignore their flaws and pretend they're perfect, despite evidence to the contrary.
Are you really that pure, sir?
Do you honestly believe that you're perfectly moral and without flaw?
Thought I saw you in Vegas
I thought I recognized you in a less-than-ideal situation.
It was not pretty, but she was (not your wife)
The woman you were with was not someone you should have been with, and the situation wasn't good regardless.
But she will wake up wealthy
Despite how things may have looked, she will likely come out of the situation better off financially.
And you will wake up forty-five
But you will likely wake up feeling no better than you did before.
And she will wake up with baby
Even if it wasn't the best decision, she may still end up with a child who will love her and be loved.
What am I fighting for?
What is the purpose of my struggle?
The cops are at my front door
It seems like the authorities are getting involved.
I can't escape that way
But there doesn't seem to be a way to avoid that fate.
The windows are in flames
Things are beginning to look grim.
And what's that on your ankle?
What is that device attached to your ankle?
You say they're not coming for you
You claim that it's not a problem, but that's hard to believe.
But house arrest is really just the same (just the same)
Being confined to your house isn't necessarily better than being in jail.
Like when you wake up behind the bar
It's not a new feeling; waking up in a bad situation is all too familiar.
Trying to remember where you are
It can be hard to keep track of what's real and what's not when you're always struggling to keep up.
Having crushed all the pretty things
In the process of trying to survive, you've likely destroyed things that were once important or meaningful to you.
But I still believe
Despite everything, I still hold onto hope.
And I will rise up with fists
I won't simply give up; I'll fight as hard as I can.
And I will take what's mine
I won't let the difficulties of my life keep me from achieving my goals.
There but for the grace of God go I
Though it may seem like I'm alone in my struggle, I know that I'm not - and I'm grateful for that.
There but for the grace of God go I
My life could be very different if not for the luck and support that I've been given.
There but for the grace of God go I
I don't take my current situation for granted; I know things could always be worse.
There but for the grace of God go I
I'm lucky to be where I am, and grateful every day for the blessings in my life.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Jenny Lewis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@JesUSking17
@gordonanderson3111
My love, tis true we do pass from EVEtuals arRIVAL; TREAT-Y-son
nous que = ما که
Live Life Love now-time
همیشگی دائمی
အောင်မြင်ရန်
ما که
همیشگی دائمی
@jamesdixon2338
No one knew what to do with this video. It played on the country music video channel for months. It's so good and an irony at the same time
@asbury29
This whole album still stands up — Jenny is so underrated as both a writer & a singer!
@nankerphelge3771
I like this song more each time I listen to it. Your comment has me searching for more of this release.
@IHateThisHandleSystem
I'm just discovering Jenny Lewis. What an amazing rabbit hole to fall down.
@jonheider4562
Forgot about this track for like 10 years. One of my favorite Jenny songs.
@littleghostfilms3012
Great Hee-Haw homage. Jenny is a gifted singer, so sweet and rapturous!
@CatCasual
I’ll never get tired of this song/video. ❤️
@junjiefebtrangia7996
The best singer I've found so far during the quarantine... You're amazing
@zzzcocopepe
She's the girl from Postal Service and Troop Beverly Hills
@djagaming2469
Cucumamacacapipi and Rilo Kiley