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.
Drinking Song
Jenny Owen Youngs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everyone I try to love won't hear of it
Now my hands are overfull of things I'd like to give
Does anybody want it?
Does anybody want it?
Does anybody want me?
I've been mapping it out
But I wish that it was something else
I've been mapping it out
Maybe you should find a girl who cares about herself
There's solace at the bottom of a bottle
Ba da da da da da
There's solace at the bottom of a bottle
Ba da da da da da
Everywhere I look I see your face
No button I can push, delete, erase
Got nothing straight but for the emptiness
No one left for me to miss
I've been mapping it out
I don't know what's wrong with me
But I wish that it was something else
I've been mapping it out
Maybe you should find a girl who cares about herself
There's solace at the bottom of a bottle
Ba da da da da da
There's solace at the bottom of a bottle
Ba da da da da da
Down here we've got so much time to forget
I wonder if this is how I pay for the things I've broken carelessly
Nobody wants to step on it
I guess I just keep drinking
There's solace at the bottom of a bottle
Ba da da da da da
There's solace at the bottom of a bottle
Ba da da da da da
The problem with falling is
Sooner or later you have to hit something
The lyrics of Jenny Owen Youngs's song 'Drinking Song' reveal a sense of despair, loneliness and hopelessness. The singer seems to be struggling with feelings of inadequacy, failure and emotional unfulfillment. The opening lines "Everything I touch turns to shit, Everyone I try to love won't hear of it" captures the gist of the song- the singer's belief that everything she does, every relationship she gets into, ends up in disappointment and unhappiness. The lines "Now my hands are overfull of things I'd like to give, Does anybody want it? Does anybody want it? Does anybody want me?" show the singer's yearning for love, acceptance and validation- questioning whether her existence is even wanted, worthy or appreciated.
The next verse seems to communicate self-blame and a search for self-worth. The singer says "Maybe you should find a girl who cares about herself", which indicates a belief in her own unworthiness- she doesn't see herself as someone worthy of love or affection. The chorus "There's solace at the bottom of a bottle" is an indication of the singer's attempt to find some kind of respite, escape or relief from the pain and loneliness she feels. The final lines of the song, "The problem with falling is, Sooner or later you have to hit something" seem to suggest the inevitability of pain or hurt when one becomes vulnerable or opens up to love.
Line by Line Meaning
Everything I touch turns to shit
I feel like everything I come in contact with goes wrong.
Everyone I try to love won't hear of it
I haven't been successful in getting the love that I seek from those I desire.
Now my hands are overfull of things I'd like to give
I have a lot of good things to offer, but it seems like nobody wants them.
Does anybody want it?
Is there anybody out there who would appreciate what I have to offer?
Does anybody want me?
Is there anyone who would love and care about me?
I've been mapping it out
I've been trying to figure out what's wrong with me and how to fix it.
I don't know what's wrong with me
I'm not sure why I feel so lost and disconnected.
But I wish that it was something else
I wish I had a different problem, something that I could solve more easily.
Maybe you should find a girl who cares about herself
Maybe you would be better off finding someone who is more confident and self-assured.
There's solace at the bottom of a bottle
Drinking helps me forget about my problems for a little while.
Ba da da da da da
An interlude with no particular meaning.
Everywhere I look I see your face
I can't escape the memories of a past relationship.
No button I can push, delete, erase
I can't just make the memories go away.
Got nothing straight but for the emptiness
My life feels directionless and empty.
No one left for me to miss
I'm lonely, but there's nobody left in my life to miss.
Down here we've got so much time to forget
When you're drinking, time seems to slow down and you can forget your problems for a while.
I wonder if this is how I pay for the things I've broken carelessly
I'm starting to wonder if my current problems are a result of my past mistakes.
Nobody wants to step on it
I feel like nobody wants to deal with my problems or help me through them.
I guess I just keep drinking
If drinking is the only way to forget my problems, then that's what I'll do.
The problem with falling is
A metaphor for how life's struggles and disappointments can feel like a fall.
Sooner or later you have to hit something
Eventually, we have to face the consequences of our actions and deal with our problems head-on.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JENNIFER OWEN YOUNGS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind