Hoop has lived all over the map, and her rich life experience is reflected in her distinctive voice and natural gift for inventive song craft. She learned to sing at an early age, harmonising with her musical Mormon family in northern California. She began writing highly idiosyncratic songs at the age of 14 to keep her company on her long walks to school. At 16, Hoop broke away from her strict upbringing and began what she calls her 'life as a racoon', off the grid & close to nature. Rambling through the high mountain deserts of the Southwest and along the coastlines of the Northwest, she worked as a wilderness survival guide and chalked up skills in farming, surveying, and carpentry. Her songwriting continued throughout, shared on porches, in deep river canyons and around campfires.
In 2004 the desire to share these songs on a broader scale set in. She settled in Los Angeles, where she honed her songwriting craft and developed a reputation as a unique and beguiling live performer of real substance. Though she now resides in Manchester, England, Hoop returned to Los Angeles to record her third album, The House That Jack Built.
Jesca has quite the collection of fans in high places: Tom Waits described her music as being "like a four sided coin. She is an old soul, like a black pearl, a good witch or red moon. Her music is like going swimming in a lake at night". Peter Gabriel took her to South America to sing with him, and in recent years she has been hand picked to play as support on tour for Eels, Andrew Bird, Punch Brothers, Shearwater and Elbow: Elbow's Guy Garvey has even had her do stints as guest presenter on his BBC radio show, to great reception.
The follow up to 2009's critically acclaimed Hunting My Dress, "The House That Jack Built" displays a striking duality: light and dark, head and heart, it juxtaposes the macabre and visceral with a disarmingly candid intimacy. The resulting combination is powerfully evocative, with overarching themes of biology, nature and humanity - Hoop's stone-turning observations are mired in the equal beauty and violence of a nature that, for her, is clearly red in tooth and claw.
City Bird
Jesca Hoop Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
City bird
Fly away
From my window
From my window
Cos you don’t sing
Like the birds from home sing
Your song is dying
I set the table
For the ghosts in my home
My home
And pour the wine
And raise a glass to the guests in my home
They enter in
in their skin and in their bones
still in their bones
the vision scares
but none compares
to the dread of drinking alone
After the tower was turned to a tomb
the underworld
refugees all refused by the banker
they can never go in
so I let them in
ahhhhh
city bird....
I light the candle
For the ghosts
In my home
My home
And say a prayer
To please send care for the guests in my home
But in their sleep
They claw and scream the Devil home
The devils come home
But this nightmare
Does not compare
To the demons of sleeping alone
After the tower...
City bird....
The song "City Bird" by Jesca Hoop is a melancholic reflection on loneliness and the search for a sense of belonging. The city bird that she refers to is a metaphor for her own desire to escape, to leave behind the loneliness and isolation that plague her. She longs for the birds from home, birds whose songs are full of life and meaning, birds that she can relate to. However, the city bird's song is dying, a sad reflection of the loss of connection and meaning in the artificial, urban environment that she finds herself in.
Despite her isolation, she sets a table for the ghosts in her home, pours wine, and raises a glass to her guests. These ghosts are the representation of the past, of the life she left behind, and the hopes and dreams she once had. She tries to hold on to these memories, to keep them alive, but they are just ghosts, memories that haunt her rather than comfort her. Even in her sleep, she cannot escape, as the devils of loneliness and fear come home to keep her company.
Overall, "City Bird" is a poignant and introspective song that speaks to the human need for connection and belonging, and the sadness that comes with their absence.
Line by Line Meaning
City bird
The singer addresses a bird that she wants to see flying away from her city.
City bird
The singer addresses the bird again, emphasizing that she wants it to leave the city.
Fly away
A repeated request from the singer, who wants the bird to leave the city.
From my window
The artist, who is observing the bird, is watching from the window of her residence.
From my window
Further emphasis is added to the fact that the artist is watching the bird from her window.
Cos you don’t sing
The singer is expressing that the bird's song is different from those of the birds from her hometown.
Like the birds from home sing
The singer is comparing the bird's song to those of the birds from her hometown.
Your song is dying
The artist believes that the bird's song is not as lively, and it is dying.
I set the table
The artist is setting up the table for the ghosts in her home.
For the ghosts in my home
The artist is preparing the table for the spirits that reside in her home.
My home
The singer's residence is referred to as 'my home' multiple times.
And pour the wine
The artist is pouring wine for the ghosts/spirits in her home.
And raise a glass to the guests in my home
The singer is lifting her glass as a toast to her ghostly guests.
They enter in
The ghosts enter the room.
in their skin and in their bones
The ghosts' presence is felt deeply by the singer.
still in their bones
The ghosts are still alive, to a degree, in the artist's perception.
the vision scares
The artist is frightened by the sight of the ghosts.
but none compares
Even with the fear she feels from seeing the ghosts, the singer believes it is better than drinking alone.
to the dread of drinking alone
The singer believes that being alone is a more fearful and unpleasant experience than being with the ghosts.
After the tower was turned to a tomb
The artist is referencing a tragedy that occurred where she lives, where a tower was turned into a tomb.
the underworld
The aftermath of the tragedy left the place feeling like an 'underworld'.
refugees all refused by the banker
There were refugees (displaced persons) as a result of the tragedy, and they were refused help by bankers- possibly due to lack of finances.
they can never go in
The refugees are not allowed to enter the place of safety the bankers set up.
so I let them in
The artist is compassionate and allows the refugees to enter her home/sanctuary.
I light the candle
The singer lights a candle for the ghosts/spirits in her home.
And say a prayer
The singer is saying a prayer for the ghosts and spirits in her home.
To please send care
The singer is requesting that the spirits receive care and happiness.
for the guests in my home
The ghosts/spirits are the 'guests' in the artist's home.
But in their sleep
The ghosts take residence in the artist's social life even when she sleeps.
They claw and scream
The singer experiences unpleasant feelings from the ghosts in her life.
the Devil home
The idea of evil is evident in the unpleasant feelings that the singer experiences from the ghosts.
The devils come home
The artist is haunted by the ghosts seemingly all the time, particularly when sleeping.
But this nightmare
The emotional pain of the artist's ghostly companions is likened to a nightmare.
Does not compare
Still, this is better than the fear of loneliness that drinking alone would bring.
To the demons of sleeping alone
The idea of being alone when sleeping is depicted as a hellish demon.
Contributed by Audrey O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.