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.
Four Dreams
Jesca Hoop Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come and bring your stereo
And lay down on my pillow
Down into a dream we go
Down into a dream we go
You never know where we go
Under the shading of a willow tree
The bed that we lay upon was chamomile
And it smells like bubble gum for real
Skunk and owl and doe
Gather 'round my radio
Then with a resonance that split the earth
The skunk cried a call like one I've never heard
And from the crevasse a cuckoo clock emerged
And from it a little wooden bird
He spread apart its beak
And time began to speak
I'll gift you one two three
Songs as old as me
Come and bring your stereo
Come and bring your stereo
And lay down on a pillow
Down into a dream we go
Down into a dream we go
Never know where we go
Climbing a statue that stands fifty feet
The cast of a woman that looks just like me
To find that my character was caught completely
Cemented from head down to my feet
A bee flew from my nose
He said come and bring your stereo
Down to my throat to what seemed like my teeth
The bee tuned the stereo to bump a beat
And he began a-buzzing in the key of B
All to instigate the crumbling of concrete
The mask fell from my skin
Left me younger than I’ve ever been
I'll gift you one two three
youth eternally
Eta, my sweet little Loretta
I love when you put the warm milk and honey in my bowl
Get up, now don't you go and get up
I’m gonna show you how I love my jelly roll
Oh how I love my Johnny boy
And if you ever leave me baby I’ll be destroyed
Let's make a baby, Johnny boy
Right here in this living room
And we'll call it June
Come and bring your stereo
Come and bring your stereo
And lay down on a pillow
Down into a dream we go
Down into a dream we go
You never know where we go
One summer evening at a block party
The juice from the ghetto blaster was failing
So we hijacked electrical piracy
Because nobody had a battery
And the gods of rock 'n' roll
Hypnotised my stereo
I'll gift you one two three
Ad Rock, MCA, Mike D
Come and bring your stereo
Come and bring your stereo
And lay down on a pillow
Down into a dream we go
Down into a dream we go
And never know where we go
Tell me bring your stereo
Tell me bring your stereo
And lay down on my pillow
Down into a dream we go
Down into a dream we go
You never know where we go
The lyrics of "Four Dreams" by Jesca Hoop are surrealistic, cryptic, and inviting at the same time. The song portrays four different dreams that the singer invites her listeners to experience with her. The opening verse sets the tone for the whole song, inviting the listener to bring their stereo and lay down on the singer's pillow to experience the dreams together. The repetition of the line "Down into a dream we go" reinforces the dreamlike quality of the lyrics, and the line "You never know where we go" infuses a sense of adventure and unpredictability.
In the first dream, the singer and Sam wake up under a willow tree on a bed made of chamomile that smells like bubble gum. The presence of a skunk, owl, and doe listening to the radio enhances the surrealistic quality of the dream. The skunk's cry and the appearance of a cuckoo clock that unleashes a little wooden bird create an otherworldly atmosphere. The bird's song gifts the listener with three old songs, creating a sense of timelessness and nostalgia.
The second dream features the singer climbing a statue that looks like her and discovering she is encased in cement, and her character is entirely caught up in it. Transforming into a bee, the bees tuning her stereo to a B key leads to the crumbling of the cement, freeing her from the statue. The bee’s promise of gift also offers a sense of eternal youth, reinforcing the idea of dreams being an escape from reality's limitations.
Line by Line Meaning
Come and bring your stereo
Invite someone to bring their stereo to set the mood for the dream.
And lay down on my pillow
Get comfortable and relax for the dream.
Down into a dream we go
Descend into a dream-like state.
You never know where we go
The destination of the dream is unknown and unpredictable.
Under the shading of a willow tree
The beginning of a dream sequence set in nature.
Sam and I awoke where we were once sleeping
The dream characters awaken in the dream.
The bed that we lay upon was chamomile
The bed is soft and soothing, like chamomile tea.
And it smells like bubble gum for real
The bed emits a sweet and nostalgic scent, similar to bubble gum.
Skunk and owl and doe
Animals that inhabit the dream setting.
Gather 'round my radio
The dream characters come together to listen to music.
Then with a resonance that split the earth
A loud and powerful sound resonates through the dream.
The skunk cried a call like one I've never heard
The skunk makes a unique and unfamiliar sound.
And from the crevasse a cuckoo clock emerged
A cuckoo clock appears from a crevasse in the dream setting.
And from it a little wooden bird
A small wooden bird emerges from the cuckoo clock.
He spread apart its beak
The wooden bird opens its beak.
And time began to speak
Time is personified as a speaker.
I'll gift you one two three
The wooden bird offers three songs as a gift.
Songs as old as me
The songs have been around as long as the wooden bird has existed.
Climbing a statue that stands fifty feet
The dream sequence shifts to a new setting where the characters climb a statue.
The cast of a woman that looks just like me
The statue looks like the dream character.
To find that my character was caught completely
The dream character is trapped in the statue.
Cemented from head down to my feet
The character is completely cemented in place.
A bee flew from my nose
A bee appears in the dream sequence.
He said come and bring your stereo
The bee invites the characters to bring their stereo to the dream.
Down to my throat to what seemed like my teeth
The bee crawls down the character's throat to the teeth.
The bee tuned the stereo to bump a beat
The bee adjusts the music to create a new beat.
And he began a-buzzing in the key of B
The bee buzzes along with the music.
All to instigate the crumbling of concrete
The bee's buzzing causes the concrete to break apart.
The mask fell from my skin
The cement casing around the character falls away.
Left me younger than I’ve ever been
The dream sequence changes the character's age and appearance.
Eta, my sweet little Loretta
A new character is introduced in the dream sequence.
I love when you put the warm milk and honey in my bowl
Eta expresses a fondness for a specific food combination.
Get up, now don't you go and get up
Eta instructs the listener not to leave just yet.
I’m gonna show you how I love my jelly roll
Eta plans to demonstrate a preference for another food item.
Oh how I love my Johnny boy
Eta expresses affection for a character named Johnny.
And if you ever leave me baby I’ll be destroyed
Eta worries about the possibility of Johnny leaving.
Let's make a baby, Johnny boy
Eta suggests creating a child with Johnny.
Right here in this living room
Eta suggests creating a child in the current setting of the dream.
And we'll call it June
Eta has a name in mind for their hypothetical child.
One summer evening at a block party
The dream setting shifts to a new location.
The juice from the ghetto blaster was failing
The sound system was experiencing technical difficulties.
So we hijacked electrical piracy
The characters decide to steal power to keep the music going.
Because nobody had a battery
No one had a battery to keep the music playing.
And the gods of rock 'n' roll
Personified deities associated with the music genre.
Hypnotised my stereo
The music has a powerful effect on the characters.
Ad Rock, MCA, Mike D
References to the Beastie Boys, a hip hop group.
Tell me bring your stereo
A repetition of the opening line of the song.
Contributed by Oliver O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
rtpell1
The first time I heard this song was on AMC Movie Tunes - I thought it had a great sound so I looked it up on youtube. Seeing Jessica Hoop perform this song really gave me a perspective of what a difficult song and sound this was to put together and accomplish. SHE is a true artist. Keep making beautiful music!!
gram smith
Beautiful and original like an orchid in the desert.
MrRastaManDan
Perfect Melodies! Beautiful Harmonies!
mariotta
amazing artist.
TghIII
She totally blew the roof of @WOMAD 2013, thanks Jesca!
Jack Underwood
love it,love it, love it
Danny Andrews
She sounds like a little girl. She's adorable.
Jessica Hayes
Jesca is A-Mazing.
KingofRoath
She seems obsessed with birds, from the three songs I've heard so far.
JBoy5000
sounds like music out of a tim burton film.