Jesca Hoop (born Jessica Ada Hoop on 21 April 1975) is an American singer-s… Read Full Bio ↴Jesca Hoop (born Jessica Ada Hoop on 21 April 1975) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist who writes and performs in diverse musical styles.

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.

Summertime
Jesca Hoop Lyrics

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Corn is gettin high
And the well is getting low
Fields are getting dry
I'm gonna catch a lizard's eye
So i got to lay low
Playing in the rye
La, la, la
Summer, summertime summer

Rattle, rattle, rattle grass
I hope that you don't bite
You can save your venom
Let me pass
I'm headed to the hive
La, la, la
Summer, summertime summer

Summer summer baby
Find me in the field
Follow my trail
Till the grain is
Higher than your ears
Bring a soft blanket baby
Lay it down for me
And roll me daddy daddy
Roll me in the wheat

Moon is on the rise
And the sun is sinking low
Swim in a lake at night
I'm gonna sing
With my cricket cicada choir
Owl on a wire

La, la, la
Summer, summertime summer

Overall Meaning

The lyrics in Jesca Hoop's "Summertime" capture the essence of summertime-- a season of hot weather, fields of corn, playing in the rye, and nature. It begins with Jesca describing how the corn is getting high, and the fields are getting dry, and how she must lay low and play in the rye. This is a representation of a playful and relaxed time where one can just let go and enjoy life's simple pleasures. The chorus repeats the phrase "Summer, summertime summer," highlighting the season's joy and warmth.

In the second verse, Jesca speaks about the rattle of the grass, hoping it doesn't bite but instead lets her pass. This line represents a longing to be free and able to roam wherever she pleases without any obstacles in her path. The verse closes with a repetition of the chorus and Jesca's depiction of the summer season. She beckons to her lover, telling them to come find her in the field and follow her until the grain is higher than their ears. This is a romantic portrayal of love during summer, and how its warmth and beauty can increase one's passion.

The last verse describes the setting sun and the moon's rise while she decides to swim in a lake at night. Her cicada choir joins her as she sings to the nightly sky; this is a peaceful representation of the summertime, and how it naturally brings everyone closer to nature. The verse ends with once again repeating the chorus and the natural elements of summer.

Line by Line Meaning

Corn is gettin high
The corn plants are growing tall

And the well is getting low
The water in the well is decreasing

Fields are getting dry
The fields are losing moisture

I'm gonna catch a lizard's eye
I'm going to observe a lizard closely

So i got to lay low
I need to stay hidden

Playing in the rye
Enjoying the rye field

La, la, la
Nonspecific vocalization

Summer, summertime summer
A description of the current season

Rattle, rattle, rattle grass
The sound the grass makes

I hope that you don't bite
I hope this type of grass isn't harmful

You can save your venom
The grass doesn't need to use its poisonous chemicals