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.
Enemy
Jesca Hoop Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Alone with my enemy
And share a bitter cup
Of poisoning
My countenance
To see his face in mine
And follow every line
Back to my enemy
You are mine
Pennyroyal wine fly
Like an innocent child
That followed every line
Back to my enemy
Beautiful
Falling fast from a state of grace
And trusting there is a light
In darkest place
My dirty knees
Hold the ground till it's done with me
I've come to see that beauty is a thing
That is without grace
You are mine
Pennyroyal wine fly
Like an innocent child
That followed every line
Back to my enemy
Beautiful
At home with my history
And run the scarlet ink
With the tears of mercy
My battle wounds
Lay to rest a treasure box
And thinkin of the scars
As the jewels of my story
You are mine
Pennyroyal wine fly
Like an innocent child
That followed every line
Back to my enemy
The song "Enemy" by Jesca Hoop is a contemplative exploration of the human experience of grappling with the darker parts of oneself. The song's opening lines depict the singer as being "alone with my enemy," sharing a "bitter cup of poisoning." It is a feeling of being at odds with oneself, possibly struggling with inner demons or past traumas. The singer talks about studying their own reflection, seeing their enemy's face in theirs and tracing every line back to that enemy. This could be interpreted as a metaphor for the idea that our flaws, insecurities, and fears are rooted in some past hurt or negative experience, and we must confront these issues head-on if we hope to overcome them.
The song's refrain, "You are mine, pennyroyal wine fly / Like an innocent child that followed every line / Back to my enemy," suggests the cyclical nature of the struggle. The pennyroyal plant, a type of mint with abortifacient properties, carries connotations of both healing and poison, perhaps symbolizing the duality of our own inner conflicts. The "innocent child" who follows "every line back to my enemy" implies a kind of predetermined fate or self-destructive cycle, a notion that is further explored in the second verse.
The second verse describes a sense of fallen grace and the realization that true beauty lies in our imperfections. The singer describes their "dirty knees" grounded in humility, their scars as the jewels of their story. The final verse finds the singer at home with their history, running the "scarlet ink with the tears of mercy" and finding value in their battle wounds. Ultimately, the song seems to suggest that confronting and embracing our inner turmoil is the only way to grow and heal.
Line by Line Meaning
Beautiful
The situation is one of beauty
Alone with my enemy
Despite the beauty, the singer is alone with an enemy
And share a bitter cup
Of poisoning
The singer is forced to share a poisonous drink with the enemy
My countenance
To see his face in mine
And follow every line
Back to my enemy
The singer sees the enemy's face in their own and recognizes their similarities
You are mine
Pennyroyal wine fly
Like an innocent child
That followed every line
Back to my enemy
The enemy has control over the singer, like a child following blindly
Beautiful
Falling fast from a state of grace
And trusting there is a light
In darkest place
The situation has turned from beauty to darkness, but the singer still has hope
My dirty knees
Hold the ground till it's done with me
I've come to see that beauty is a thing
That is without grace
The singer has been through hardships, but still finds beauty in the world
At home with my history
And run the scarlet ink
With the tears of mercy
My battle wounds
Lay to rest a treasure box
And thinkin of the scars
As the jewels of my story
The singer has come to terms with their past and has found a way to turn their wounds into something valuable
Contributed by Nora J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Angelina Ieraci
One of the most hauntingly beautiful songs I've heard in a long time. LOVE it. Had to download the album, can't wait to sink my ears into it. Until then I keep listening to this song over and over again.
yama penny
đđ
Tessa Rae
I canât believe this song isnât more popular â¤ď¸ Been listening to this for almost 10 years now... đ Thank you!
joe beaumier
wrangler star 's favorite song đ
MedSou
Simlpy beautiful â¤â¤â¤
Chemistry, Films, and More
@wranglerstar Brought me here.
Johnny Mitch
Me too, but it took two frikin hours to find it. Wish he'd give song credits. I think this song could be even nicer with a bit of an arrangement change. Give the guitar a few more versus before singing over it.
Mirzunlimited
Me tooo
Franco
Me too!!! I think the singer should give some money to wranglestar.
Curt McGurt
same here