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.
Seed of Wonder
Jesca Hoop Lyrics
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Like a stagnant
Well for so long, you could hear
The song of spiders, strumming fibers
Calling her to the web
My river sits in ebb
The little ones lean over
Bounce down the dark
Until it hits the floor
Singin come on baby come on child, call your flo
Like a seed of wonder, faith of mustard
O yeah, wo yeah
All is dark
All of the light is vanished it is gone
Like something large
Hovering high has covered up the sun
And something quiets the silken ringing
Something breaks the strum
A wish has finally come
Ah, oh, ah, no, ah
All i want is to be writing
To be writing
Once that wish did land
Like a star in my hand
It burned and it burned and it burrowed in
Soar through the source searching
Hammer and ping
And tapped my virgin spring
And prime the vein with milk of mother
And wet my river bed
Pearls strung up on silk thread
The starry one, beams a light
He's working under
Diggin through the dark gatherin particles
Findin' everything you ever wished
For in your soul like a seed of wonder
Faith of mustard
Ah, no, ah, no, ahhhno
Finally that tapped spring
Come runnin' like a river
My song it came, ahh, eee, yeah, ohoo, noooay
Right away, i went writin i went writin'
Right away, i was hummin i was hummin
Right away, i was singin i was singin
Right away, i was lovin
And goes something like light
I haven't always been under such a blue
Only you have seen such
Stormin' in my life
The first verse of Jesca Hoop’s song ‘Seed of Wonder’ is about a love that has become stagnant and inactive, much like a well that has not been used for a long time. The singer can hear the song of the spiders who are calling her to their web, a stark contrast to her unmoving situation. Her river is also in ebb, meaning that the water level is decreasing, symbolizing a lack of movement and vitality. However, in the chorus, there is an air of hope and anticipation for something new, with the Little ones’ laughter echoing and bouncing around the darkness. The singer calls to her ‘flo’ (potential) to come out like a seed of wonder, evoking a sense of possibility and growth.
The second verse seems to continue with the theme of darkness, but there is now a sense that something is changing. The light is gone, but the singer feels that something has come to quiet the silken ringing and break the strum of the spiders. There is a wish that has finally come, and though it is unclear what the wish is, there is an almost tangible sense of hope and excitement. In the final verse, the singer describes how the wish has landed like a star in her hand and burned its way into her soul. She feels that things are finally coming together, with her creativity flowing freely like a river. She is writing, humming, singing and loving, and there is a sense of lightness and positivity after a period of darkness.
Line by Line Meaning
Once my love stood still
At one point in time, my love came to a halt
Like a stagnant Well for so long, you could hear The song of spiders, strumming fibers Calling her to the web
My love was stagnant and motionless, like a still water well. It remained that way for so long that even the spiders made webs around it, attracted by the lack of movement.
My river sits in ebb
My emotions are low, and my creativity is not flowing.
The little ones lean over Laughter echoes Bounce down the dark Until it hits the floor
Children are curious and full of life. They explore and laugh, even in the darkness.
Singin come on baby come on child, call your flo Like a seed of wonder, faith of mustard O yeah, wo yeah
Encouraging myself to keep going with a sense of curiosity and faith. Hoping that the wonders of life will show up.
All is dark All of the light is vanished it is gone Like something large Hovering high has covered up the sun
Everything is bleak and desolate. The light is gone, almost as if a large object has obscured the sun.
And something quiets the silken ringing Something breaks the strum A wish has finally come
All of a sudden, something interrupts the quietness with a wish being granted.
Ah, oh, ah, no, ah All i want is to be writing To be writing
Expressing a desire to write and be creative.
Once that wish did land Like a star in my hand It burned and it burned and it burrowed in Soar through the source searching Hammer and ping And tapped my virgin spring And prime the vein with milk of mother And wet my river bed
The wish lands and ignites a creative spark within me. This spark searches for inspiration and channels the creative energy that has been dormant. It primes my creativity and unlocks the floodgates of inspiration.
Pearls strung up on silk thread The starry one, beams a light He's working under Diggin through the dark gatherin particles Findin' everything you ever wished For in your soul like a seed of wonder Faith of mustard Ah, no, ah, no, ahhhno
Visualizing a beautiful image of pearls on silk threads, representing the precious treasures being found. The light from the starry sky illuminates this hidden beauty, and it's finally being uncovered by digging through the darkness. Everything that has been wished for is found somewhere deep in the soul.
Finally that tapped spring Come runnin' like a river My song it came, ahh, eee, yeah, ohoo, noooay Right away, i went writin i went writin' Right away, i was hummin i was hummin Right away, i was singin i was singin Right away, i was lovin And goes something like light I haven't always been under such a blue Only you have seen such Stormin' in my life
Finally, my creativity is flowing again like a running river, and my song comes to me effortlessly. I start writing, humming, singing, and loving the creative process. The song is like a ray of light, bringing joy and peace into a once stormy life.
Contributed by Jordyn F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.