After exploring the flute (elementary school) and the tuba (junior high), Jenny finally stepped up to the guitar at the age of fourteen.
She graduated from State University of New York at Purchase with a degree in studio composition.
Her album Batten the Hatches was self-released in 2005. In 2006, a song from that album, Fuck Was I, appeared in the second season premiere of Showtime's Weeds, resulting in Batten the Hatches being re-released on April 10, 2007 with new artwork and an extra track, Drinking Song on the Canadian indie label Nettwerk. "Fuck Was I" was also released on the soundtrack album Weeds: Music from the Original Series, Vol. 2.
In addition to her solo career, she is in the band The Robot Explosion, a side project with fellow musicians and friends Bess Rogers, Andrew Futral, and Saul Simon-MacWilliams. She also takes part in an online podcast through MySpace with Bess Rogers and Andrew Futral, titled 'Once More With Feeling' (named after the musical episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer).
Youngs released her second album, Transmitter Failure, on May 26, 2009. Youngs' third album An Unwavering Band of Light, was released on February 7, 2012.
She recently toured with Regina Spektor (whose phone message also appears on Voice on Tape) and has opened a few shows for Amanda Palmer.
Youngs covered Have You Forgotten by Mark Kozelek for American Laundromat Records' upcoming charity CD Sing Me To Sleep - Indie Lullabies due out in Spring 2010. Tanya Donelly, Dean & Britta, Say Hi, Julie Peel, Stars, The Real Tuesday Weld, and others are contributing to the project which helps children with cancer and rare blood disorders.
Coyote
Jenny Owen Youngs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Get too cold, I'd die
Diggin' through my trashcans
With that white rope tied around your neck
You mistake me for some southern goddess
Some delta girl done wrong
But I'm fixin' the knot through whatever I have to
To stay silent, get gone
one two three, I hate me
There's no one else who I know how to be
Four five six, oh your body makes me sick
Don't take it away from me just yet
There's no one I can think of
That I can stand less than you
Don't you want to touch my hands before you go?
I think I'm confused
I can feel my food digestin'
And I'm beggin' it to cease
My stomach's crushed against my lungs and you're, you're pushin' at my seams
And I seen the way you eye me up,
Like a chunk of meat, like a chunk of meat gone bad
Like you were wishing I was something still worth having
You can go ahead, go ahead and have
one two three, I still hate me
There's no one else who I know how to be
Four five six, oh your body makes me sick
Don't take it away from me just yet
There's no one I can think of
That I can stand less than you
Don't you want to touch my hands before you go?
I think I'm confused
Jenny Owen Youngs's song "Coyote" is a haunting and intense track that explores the complex emotions of a woman who feels trapped in a situation by a man who she struggles to understand. The lyrics begin with the woman, presumably at her home, describing how the man is going through her trashcans with a white rope tied around his neck. She feels offended and upset that he would mistake her for a "southern goddess" and vows to do whatever she can to make him leave her alone.
The chorus of the song goes, "One, two, three, I hate me, there's no one else who I know how to be. Four, five, six, oh your body makes me sick. Don't take it away from me just yet." This suggests that the woman has a complicated relationship with herself and perhaps has low self-esteem or self-worth issues. She acknowledges that the man makes her sick but also doesn't want him to leave because of some addiction or dependence she has on him.
In the second verse, the woman describes how she can feel her body reacting to the man's presence, with her stomach "crushed against her lungs." She also notes how he looks at her like a "chunk of meat gone bad" and wonders if he still wishes she was something worth having. The song ends with the same chorus, suggesting that the woman's feelings haven't resolved and that she remains stuck in this toxic situation.
Overall, "Coyote" presents a powerful and emotional portrayal of a woman caught in a difficult situation with a man she both despises and craves. The lyrics are evocative and poignant, capturing the intensity of the woman's emotions and the complicated nature of her relationship with herself and with the man.
Line by Line Meaning
Well you're traipsin' up and down my backyard
You are wandering aimlessly in my private space without permission.
Get too cold, I'd die
I am so vulnerable that a simple change in temperature could kill me.
Diggin' through my trashcans
You are relentlessly scouring through my garbage for any scraps or secrets.
With that white rope tied around your neck
You have intentionally restrained yourself to maintain control over me.
You mistake me for some southern goddess
You have a misguided and false impression of who I am.
Some delta girl done wrong
You assume I am a flawed and undesirable person because of my background or location.
But I'm fixin' the knot through whatever I have to
I am determined to break free from your grasp at any cost.
To stay silent, get gone
I will not speak or engage with you any longer, so please leave me alone.
one two three, I hate me
I am struggling with self-hatred and insecurity.
There's no one else who I know how to be
I feel trapped in my current identity and unable to change.
Four five six, oh your body makes me sick
Your physical presence disgusts me and causes great discomfort.
Don't take it away from me just yet
Despite my disgust, I am still drawn to you and don't want you to leave.
There's no one I can think of
I have no other options or alternatives to this toxic relationship.
That I can stand less than you
You are the person I dislike and tolerate the least in my life.
Don't you want to touch my hands before you go?
I am seeking a physical connection with you, despite my better judgment.
I think I'm confused
I am unsure of my own feelings and motivations towards you.
I can feel my food digestin'
I am physically and emotionally distressed by our relationship.
And I'm beggin' it to cease
I am pleading for this torment to end.
My stomach's crushed against my lungs and you're, you're pushin' at my seams
Your presence is literally suffocating me and causing me internal distress.
And I seen the way you eye me up,
I have noticed the way you look at me, with predatory and possessive intentions.
Like a chunk of meat, like a chunk of meat gone bad
You view me as nothing more than an object or product to consume.
Like you were wishing I was something still worth having
You regret your decision to pursue me and wish I was still desirable.
You can go ahead, go ahead and have
You are free to take whatever you want from me, but I will not willingly give it to you.
one two three, I still hate me
My self-loathing persists, despite my attempts to change.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JENNIFER OWEN YOUNGS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind