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.
Love and Love Again
Jesca Hoop Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Heaven's rays
And the stormers are gone
And the white flag is raised
Golden days
And the city is in love again
And we dream
In a daze
And we throw cares away
Lovers gaze
And the city is in love
My heart was so dark dear
With you not here
And the cold wind
Is all that would meet me at my door
I waved goodbye and wished you well
Life's a carousel
When it brings you round
It never, never tells
When you'll find yourself in love again
Love and love again
The merry-go-round never ends
I waved goodbye and wished you well
Life's a carousel
When it brings you round
It never, never tells
When you'll find yourself in love again
Bitter rose sour plum
And the birds sing to soothe
Where the roses are stung
Love's begun
And the city is in love again
There's a spell on the air
And the sailors all drift
And get lost in her hair
Hearts are bare
And the soldiers come home again
My eyes they grew dark dear
With you not here
And the cold wind
Is all that would dance me
Round my floor
I waved goodbye and wished you well
Life's a carousel
When it brings you round
It never, never tells
When you'll find yourself in love again
Love and love again
The merry-go-round never ends
The song Love and Love Again by Jesca Hoop is a poetic representation of the cycles of love and heartbreak that one experiences in life. The first verse talks about the coming of a new day after a stormy night, where the sun rays bring hope and clarity. The city is said to be in love again, which indicates a renewal of energy and spirit. The second verse is a personal reflection of the singer's struggles with the absence of a loved one. The imagery of cold and darkness suggests a sense of loneliness and despair. However, life is presented as a carousel, which implies that things are always moving and changing, and one can never know when they'll find love again.
The chorus repeats the idea of life being a carousel and never knowing when one will find love again. The metaphor of the carousel is interesting because it suggests that life is cyclical and repetitive, but it also carries a sense of hope and joyfulness. The third verse talks about the power of love to heal and soothe, as symbolized by the birds singing and the roses blooming. The soldiers returning home and hearts being bare are images of vulnerability and openness, which are necessary for love to flourish.
Overall, the lyrics of Love and Love Again are a beautiful and insightful commentary on the human experience of love and heartbreak. The song acknowledges the pain and struggles of love but also balances it with a sense of hope and resilience.
Line by Line Meaning
Comes the sun
The dawn has arrived
Heaven's rays
The divine light
And the stormers are gone
The troubles have passed
And the white flag is raised
Surrendering and accepting peace
Golden days
Happy times to cherish
And the city is in love again
The atmosphere of love has returned
And we dream
Imagination runs wild
In a daze
In a state of confusion
And we drink and we dance
Enjoying the moment
And we throw cares away
Letting go of worries
Lovers gaze
Couples look deeply into each other's eyes
And the city is in love
Love is in the air
My heart was so dark dear
I felt miserable without you
With you not here
When you were not by my side
And the cold wind
The harsh reality of loneliness
Is all that would meet me at my door
The only thing that greeted me
I waved goodbye and wished you well
I said farewell and hoped for your happiness
Life's a carousel
Life is full of ups and downs
When it brings you round
As it takes you on a journey
It never, never tells
It never reveals
When you'll find yourself in love again
When you will fall in love again
Love and love again
Experiencing love repeatedly
The merry-go-round never ends
The cycle of love continues
Bitter rose sour plum
The contrast of sweet and sour emotions
And the birds sing to soothe
The birds sing for comfort
Where the roses are stung
Where even beauty can cause pain
Love's begun
The beginning of a new love
And the city is in love again
The feeling of love is restored
There's a spell on the air
An enchanting mood in the atmosphere
And the sailors all drift
Sailors are captivated by that mood
And get lost in her hair
Totally charmed by her
Hearts are bare
People are open and vulnerable
And the soldiers come home again
A sense of peace and calm
My eyes they grew dark dear
I was saddened without you
And the cold wind
The chill returned
Is all that would dance me
The only thing that moved me
Round my floor
Around my home
Contributed by Julia Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.