Jens Martin Lekman (born February 6, 1981 in Angered, Sweden) is a Swedish … Read Full Bio ↴Jens Martin Lekman (born February 6, 1981 in Angered, Sweden) is a Swedish musician. He has released four albums and several EPs since 2003. His music can be described as guitar-based pop with heavy use of samples and strings, with lyrics that are often witty, romantic, and lachrymose. His work is often compared to that of Stephin Merritt of the The Magnetic Fields, Jonathan Richman and Morrissey.

Lekman recorded and released much of his material privately from 2000 to 2003 on CD-R. Because one of his songs during this time was entitled "Rocky Dennis' Farewell Song to the Blind Girl", Lekman was mistakenly referred to as Rocky Dennis for a while (the song was actually written from the perspective of the main character of the 1985 film Mask). Lekman says that it was a "mistake": "someone thought that was my real name cause I had a song about him, and then radio picked up on it, and I never had a chance to change it". He put the confusion to rest with his Rocky Dennis in Heaven EP (2004).

His self-released 7" vinyl EP Maple Leaves caused a big stir in 2003, mainly due to sound files circulating on file sharing networks. When the same EP was released on CD by the Swedish independent label Service Records in the autumn, he was already a well-known name. The songs Maple Leaves and Black Cab were heavily played on Swedish national radio. He soon signed a contract with the American label Secretly Canadian for releases outside of Sweden. Heavy touring and his debut album soon followed.

His first album When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog was released in 2004, and consisted of recordings made between 2000 and 2004 (some tracks had been previously released independently by Lekman). The album attracted attention among the alternative music press in both Europe and the US. The song You Are The Light was a successful radio hit, and a video received some rotation in the Nordic MTV and ZTV. In Sweden the album reached #6 in the national chart. Lekman was nominated for three Swedish Grammies, three P3 Guld and three Manifest awards, as well as dubbed album of the year by Nöjesguiden.

A concert film shot from Lekman's sold-out show with José González at Göteborg's concert hall in December 2003 was broadcast by Swedish national television two times in 2005. In June 2005, a compilation CD of Jens' first three EPs, with extra tracks, was released as Oh You're So Silent Jens. Lekman also had a track on Secretly Canadian's SC100 compilation, released in April 2007.
His latest album, Night Falls Over Kortedala, was released in October 2007, and appeared on many lists for the best albums of said year.

Live performances by Lekman differs in style. Sometimes he performs alone with only a guitar and a CD player, or doing a capella versions of his songs. Other times, he is accompanied by a choir and string quartet, and he was recently seen on tour with a full band (including horns etc) consisting of all women musicians, dressed in white 60s dresses.

Official: [http://www.jenslekman.com]
Fan-site/Forum: [http://www.mapleleaves.se]

A Postcard to Nina
Jens Lekman Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Nina I can be your boyfriend
So you can stay with your girlfriend
Your father is a sweet old man
But it is hard for him to understand
That you wanna love a woman
Nina I can be your boyfriend
If it puts an end to all this nonsense
First time I see you in Berlin

And you don't tell me anything
Until outside your dad's apartment

Ooh, ooh (ooh), bah bah bah

Oh God, Jesus Christ
I try to focus on your eyes
We're having dinner with your family now
Keep a steady look at your left eyebrow

If it's raised, it means yes
If it's not it means take a guess
Hey, you, stop kicking my legs
I'm doing my best
Can you pass the figs

Your father puts on my record
He says, "So tell me how you met her"
Uh, I get a little nervous and change the subject
And put my hand on some metal object
He jokes and tells me it's a lie detector

He takes out the booklet and starts reading
So I heard you're moving out next season
I say, "Yeah, New York is nice that time of year"
Almost as green as it is here
He says, "I thought you were moving to Sweden?" Oh

Oh God, what have I done?
I came to Berlin to have some fun
The clock on the wall strikes four, five, six
My eyes caught by a big crucifix
Guess that's why he won't let you go
His Catholic heart is big and slow
You know I'll do anything for love
But Nina what were you thinking of?

But Nina I can be your boyfriend
So you can stay with your girlfriend
Your father's mailing me all the time
He says he just wants to say hi
I send back "Out of office" auto-replies

Nina I just want to check in
'Cause I think about you every second
So I send you this postcard just to say
Don't let anyone stand in your way
Yours truly, Jens Lekman

Don't let anyone stand in your way
Don't let anyone stand in your way
Don't let anyone stand in your way

Don't let anyone stand in your way (ooh)
Don't let anyone stand in your way (ooh)

Overall Meaning

The song "A Postcard to Nina" by Jens Lekman tells the story of a man who has fallen in love with a woman named Nina, who is already in a relationship with another woman. Nina's father is also having a hard time accepting their relationship because of his religious beliefs. The singer offers to be Nina's boyfriend so she can stay with her girlfriend and not have to deal with the backlash from her family. The song is a plea to Nina to not let anyone stand in the way of her happiness and to follow her heart.

Throughout the song, the singer describes his awkward interactions with Nina's father and family as they have dinner together. He struggles to keep his cool and focus on Nina as her father asks him probing questions about their relationship. The song is full of witty and humorous lyrics, such as when the singer describes how Nina's father jokes that a metal object is a lie detector.

Overall, "A Postcard to Nina" is a thoughtful and heartfelt song that touches on themes of love, acceptance, and family. It shows the complexities of relationships and how sometimes we have to make difficult choices to be true to ourselves and our own happiness.

Line by Line Meaning

Nina I can be your boyfriend
Jens offers to be Nina's boyfriend, allowing her to stay with her girlfriend

So you can stay with your girlfriend
Jens suggests that Nina's father may not understand her desire to love a woman

Your father is a sweet old man
Jens describes Nina's father in a positive manner

But it is hard for him to understand
Nina's father might struggle to comprehend his daughter's attraction to another woman

That you wanna love a woman
Nina is romantically attracted to another woman

Nina I can be your boyfriend
Jens reiterates his offer to be Nina's boyfriend to end the confusion

If it puts an end to all this nonsense
Jens wants to end the confusion surrounding Nina's sexuality and their relationship

First time I see you in Berlin
Jens recalls the first time he saw Nina in Berlin

And you don't tell me anything
Nina doesn't tell Jens her true feelings and situation

Until outside your dad's apartment
Nina reveals her sexual orientation and relationship status to Jens outside her father's apartment

Oh God, Jesus Christ
Jens expresses his surprise and shock at Nina's revelation

I try to focus on your eyes
Jens tries to regain composure to focus on Nina's face

We're having dinner with your family now
Jens and Nina are at Nina's family dinner

Keep a steady look at your left eyebrow
Jens pays attention to Nina's raised eyebrow to interpret her feelings

If it's raised, it means yes
A raised eyebrow indicates an affirmative response

If it's not it means take a guess
If her eyebrow isn't raised, Jens has to guess what Nina is trying to say

Hey, you, stop kicking my legs
Jens asks Nina to stop kicking his legs under the table

I'm doing my best
Jens tries his best to understand Nina's emotions and signals

Can you pass the figs
Jens asks Nina to pass the figs

Your father puts on my record
Nina's father plays Jens' record

He says, "So tell me how you met her"
Nina's father asks Jens about how he met her

Uh, I get a little nervous and change the subject
Jens feels nervous and diverts the conversation to something else

And put my hand on some metal object
Jens places his hand on a metal object to calm his nerves

He jokes and tells me it's a lie detector
Nina's father jokes about the metal object being a lie detector

He takes out the booklet and starts reading
Nina's father examines the booklet of Jens' personal information

So I heard you're moving out next season
Nina's father heard Jens plans to move out next season

I say, "Yeah, New York is nice that time of year"
Jens mentions that he likes New York during that season

Almost as green as it is here
Jens compares New York's greenery to Berlin's

He says, "I thought you were moving to Sweden?" Oh
Nina's father thought Jens was moving to Sweden

Oh God, what have I done?
Jens regrets coming to Berlin and getting involved in this situation

I came to Berlin to have some fun
Jens didn't expect to get involved in this situation when he came to Berlin

The clock on the wall strikes four, five, six
The clock chimes four, five, six o'clock

My eyes caught by a big crucifix
Jens notices a big crucifix in the room

Guess that's why he won't let you go
Nina's father's religion might be why he doesn't accept Nina's sexuality

His Catholic heart is big and slow
Nina's father's Catholic faith might be limiting his views on love and sexuality

You know I'll do anything for love
Jens is willing to do anything to support Nina's happiness

But Nina what were you thinking of?
Jens wonders what Nina was thinking when she got involved in a complicated situation

Your father's mailing me all the time
Nina's father sends Jens mail frequently

He says he just wants to say hi
Nina's father claims the mail is just to say hello

I send back "Out of office" auto-replies
Jens replies to Nina's father with automatic out-of-office messages

Nina I just want to check in
Jens wants to know how Nina is doing

'Cause I think about you every second
Jens constantly thinks of Nina

So I send you this postcard just to say
Jens sends Nina a postcard to express his feelings

Don't let anyone stand in your way
Jens encourages Nina to follow her heart, despite societal pressure

Yours truly, Jens Lekman
Jens signs off the postcard with his name

Don't let anyone stand in your way
Jens repeats his encouragement for Nina to live authentically

Don't let anyone stand in your way (ooh)
Jens uses repetition to emphasize his message

Don't let anyone stand in your way (ooh)
Jens reiterates his message

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Jens Martin Lekman

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@Koshirozation

5y↑4

jens lekman lyric a day

jens lekman - postcard to nina

29/1/2019

"My eyes caught by a big crucifix
Guess that's why he won't let you go
His Catholic heart is big and slow
You know I'll do anything for love
But Nina, what were you thinking of?"