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.
If I Didn't Know
Jenny Owen Youngs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If I didn't know I couldn't want you
If I didn't know I couldn't want you more
Monday morning, back to work just like you said
If I keep moving then I won't be kind of dead, dead
Grease the hinges but they still refuse to budge
Ceiling changes if I wait for long enough
Something's lost when I translate you
I think I have it then it slips through
Decoding you has proved the hardest thing
I know you love me if it starts to sting
If I didn't know I couldn't want you
If I didn't know I couldn't want you
If I didn't know I couldn't want you more
Friday evening and the drinks we pass around
You said, Jenny you look better on the ground, ground
My name spells emergency, quick darling make me hurt
I'm begging you on scabby knees and swallowing your dirt, dirt
Something's lost when I translate you
I think I have it then it slips through
Decoding you has proved the hardest thing
I know you love me if it starts to sting
If I didn't know I couldn't want you
If I didn't know I couldn't want you
If I didn't know I couldn't want you more
If I didn't know I couldn't want you
If I didn't know I couldn't want you
If I didn't know I couldn't want you more
If I didn't know I couldn't want you more
The lyrics of "If I Didn't Know" by Jenny Owen Youngs tell a story of a confusing and complicated relationship. The singer seems to be struggling to understand the behavior and motives of her romantic partner. The chorus repeats the line, "If I didn't know I couldn't want you," which suggests that if she were unaware of the nuances of the relationship, she might be able to desire or love her partner without reservation. However, the rest of the verses paint a more complex picture, revealing moments of tension and mistrust.
In the first verse, the singer is going through the motions of daily life but feels a sense of numbness or detachment. The lines "If I keep moving then I won't be kind of dead" and "Ceiling changes if I wait for long enough" suggest a feeling of stagnation or repetitive routine. The metaphor of greasing the hinges implies that she's trying to make things smoother or more comfortable, but her efforts are ineffective. The next verse, set on a Friday night, shows the singer drinking and engaging in what seems like rough sex with her partner. The line "My name spells emergency, quick darling make me hurt" suggests that she might be seeking pain as a way to feel something, anything, within the relationship. The final lines of the song repeat the chorus once more, as though the singer is left still grappling with the same questions and conflicting emotions.
Overall, "If I Didn't Know" is a song about the complex and often frustrating nature of love and relationships. It touches on themes of mistrust, miscommunication, and the difficulty of understanding another person's inner world.
Line by Line Meaning
If I didn't know I couldn't want you
I am only able to desire you because of what I know about you
If I didn't know I couldn't want you more
My knowledge of you intensifies my desire for you
Monday morning, back to work just like you said
I am following your instructions and returning to my job on Monday morning
If I keep moving then I won't be kind of dead, dead
Staying active will prevent me from feeling lifeless and unmotivated
Grease the hinges but they still refuse to budge
Despite my efforts to improve things, they remain stuck in place
Ceiling changes if I wait for long enough
Over time, everything changes, even the ceiling above me
Something's lost when I translate you
I lose something in the process of trying to understand and interpret your words and actions
I think I have it then it slips through
Just when I think I have understood you, my understanding proves to be fleeting
Decoding you has proved the hardest thing
Figuring you out has been extremely difficult
I know you love me if it starts to sting
Your affection for me is evident when you challenge me or make me uncomfortable
Friday evening and the drinks we pass around
On Friday evenings, we share drinks with each other
You said, Jenny you look better on the ground, ground
You made a comment about how I look more appealing when I am on the ground
My name spells emergency, quick darling make me hurt
My name represents a call to action and you want to take advantage of that by causing me pain
I'm begging you on scabby knees and swallowing your dirt, dirt
I am desperate for your attention and acceptance, even if it means being subservient and humiliated
If I didn't know I couldn't want you more
My knowledge of you further intensifies my already strong desire for you
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JENNIFER OWEN YOUNGS, DAN ROMER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Robin Tomey
Deserves way more fans she's amazing
Ramblings of a teenager
she is gooood is
amazinggg
Trilby
The violin line is crazy-beautiful. It makes me cry for no reason.
Danny KatosX
Es una muy buena cantante segui asi Jenny! She is a good singer keep like this Jenny! Greetings from Argentina :D
TenaciousG182
What a gorgeous woman... Er... I mean... What a beautiful voice! Damnit, focus, man! Focus!
frogamigo
What a fantastic song! Been humming it for three days straight. :)
raiaan123
sounds like a Grey's Anatomy soundtrack. beautiful music. it is a great song. thank you XD
Melanie Hughes
Jenny has such an AMAZING VOICE!!!!!!!!
Ailbhe Reddy
this is amazing, the violins make it even better
Laurence Crisp
Jenny your so perfect