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.
Dig This Record
Jesca Hoop Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dig this record now
Dig it like you never dug one before cuz its so far out
Find your lover
Lay your lover down
Make a moment to remember and relive through this sound
Dig it out of the basement now
Dig it out from the discard and onto the record player
Now that I’m gone and far away
I am in a flood
Im about to sink
I am tits up in the water without a drop to drink
I look for my saviour
He’s nowhere to be found
So i hang on to my guitar like a lifeboat till we both drown
Dig this record
Dig this record now
Dig it like you never dug one before cuz its so far out
I am on the drift
I am out to sea
You know this poor world couldn’t put a price on the likes of me
Turn to your lover
Kiss your lovers mouth
There’s no others id rather be with as my song plays out
The song Dig This Record by Jesca Hoop is a call to action for listeners to truly appreciate music and the memories it evokes. The opening lines "Dig this record, dig this record now" urge the audience to fully embrace the unique and revolutionary sound of the record. Hoop encourages the listener to unearth the record from the basement, dust it off, and put it on the record player. She asks the audience to create a moment worth remembering and to relive it through this sound.
As the song progresses, Hoop includes a personal narrative that tells a story of being lost at sea, searching for a savior who is nowhere to be found. She compares her guitar to a lifeboat, ultimately hanging on to it until they both go under. The repetition of "dig this record" throughout the song serves as a metaphor for a salvation of sorts, the record acting as a lifeboat to carry us through difficult times.
The chorus repeats the phrase "dig it like you never dug one before," emphasizing the importance of fully immersing oneself in the music and the memories it holds. The final lines ask the listener to turn to their lover and kiss their mouth, suggesting that the ultimate solace and comfort may lie within human connection.
Overall, Dig This Record is a song that celebrates music and its power to transport us to another time and place. It encourages the listener to fully embrace the music and the moments it evokes.
Line by Line Meaning
Dig this record
Take the time to appreciate and enjoy this particular album
Dig this record now
Start listening to this album immediately
Dig it like you never dug one before cuz its so far out
Listen to this album with enthusiasm and interest because it's really unique and special
Find your lover
Seek out your partner or someone you love
Lay your lover down
Spend time relaxing and enjoying each other's company
Make a moment to remember and relive through this sound
Create a special memory that can be revisited through listening to this album
Dig it out of the basement now
Retrieve this album that has been hidden away or forgotten
Out from under the Van Gogh owl
Remove it from a place where it's overshadowed or unappreciated
Dig it out from the discard and onto the record player
Rescue it from being discarded and play it on a record player
Now that I’m gone and far away
The artist is far away or no longer present
I am in a flood
The singer is overwhelmed and struggling
Im about to sink
The artist is close to failure or giving up
I am tits up in the water without a drop to drink
The singer is in a desperate situation with no way out
I look for my saviour
The singer searches for someone or something to save them
He’s nowhere to be found
The singer's savior is absent or unavailable
So i hang on to my guitar like a lifeboat till we both drown
The artist clings to their guitar as a form of comfort even in despair
I am on the drift
The artist feels lost and aimless
I am out to sea
The singer feels disconnected from reality and adrift
You know this poor world couldn’t put a price on the likes of me
The singer is valuable and unique beyond measure
Turn to your lover
Direct your attention and affection to your partner
Kiss your lovers mouth
Express your love physically and emotionally
There’s no others id rather be with as my song plays out
There's no other person the artist would want to share this moment with
Contributed by Austin E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.