The songs on her 2011 album "Behind A Veil" are a direct result of a personally challenging year; losing her father to a five year battle with ALS, splitting with a lover, and the self-empowering decision to move forward with no management or record label.
Klein explains: “You never really know what the big picture is to a situation - sometimes the meaning is veiled. It can seem really bad, but then later you can look back at the same moment and feel so grateful it went that way; I love that about life. Sometimes things are just really hard and really painful, but also beautiful.”
Klein continues to tour the U.S, U.K. and Europe regularly.
Angelina
Jess Klein Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shopkeepers have shown me photos
Old Mrs.Green sat me down
Told me the tale with her eyes closed
There was a girl of such beauty
She never had to be greedy
She never spoke badly to us
She never spoke that much
But I'd smelled this stain before
And this time it turned me for the worst
Chorus: Charity she always seemed such a martyer yeah
Faith how she plays hard to get
Often I have heard them speak of Angelina
Angelina I never once have meet
Angelina I never once have meet
You can imagine the pressure
Being a good girl like me
It's just like being a good boy
With no woman's breast from which you pretend to wean
And old Mrs. Green would not have it
And my friends at the factory
Neither could they break their habits
Seeing my thoughts as an outsiders luxury
And I tried to hold my chest high
But I cringed when he touched my hair
I cried I'm sorry but don't bother to try
Chorus:
They're out at Higgens' barn
Bartering with a bible
And I'm at the washbasin and chopping my hair off
And singing revival
Chorus:
So I stumbled down to the stone house
To grow back immortal
She was smoked in a booth
With a plateful of cigerettes
I laughed, pardon me miss
Are you Angelina?
She said good lord
She said honey good guess
The song "Angelina" by Jess Klein is a story about a young woman who moves to a small town where she hears many stories about a girl named Angelina. The singer is curious about Angelina, but it seems like she's the only one who has never met her. The lyrics suggest that Angelina is an elusive character who holds much fascination for the townspeople. There's a sense that Angelina is the ideal of what a good girl should be, and the singer finds herself feeling pressured to live up to these expectations. However, she struggles to conform and maintains an outsider perspective.
The chorus of the song speaks of Charity and Faith, which are two traits that Angelina embodies. The singer perceives Angelina as something of a martyr, as someone who has suffered for her goodness. The lyrics suggest that Angelina is a difficult figure to emulate, as she is both too perfect and too elusive. The singer tries to follow in Angelina's footsteps by going to church, but she finds that the experience only confirms her fears about the stain that exists within her.
The story takes a turn when the singer decides to rebel against the expectations placed on her. She cuts her hair and goes to the stone house to "grow back immortal." The song ends with her meeting Angelina, who is smoking a plateful of cigarettes. The encounter is brief but somehow impactful, and the singer seems to have found some kind of resolution. The song is a poignant exploration of the tension between conforming to societal expectations and staying true to oneself.
Line by Line Meaning
From the day I came to town
Since the day I arrived in this town
Shopkeepers have shown me photos
The shopkeepers have shown me pictures
Old Mrs.Green sat me down
Old Mrs. Green made me sit down
Told me the tale with her eyes closed
She narrated the story with her eyes shut
There was a girl of such beauty
There existed a remarkably beautiful girl
She never had to be greedy
She never had to be selfish or grab opportunities
She never spoke badly to us
She never spoke anything mean to us
She never spoke that much
She wasn't really a talkative person
And I tried to join them in church
I attempted to be a part of their church
But I'd smelled this stain before
But I had sensed this stench earlier
And this time it turned me for the worst
And this time it made me feel worse than before
Charity she always seemed such a martyr yeah
Charity always seemed to be a martyr-like figure
Faith how she plays hard to get
Faith appears to be evasive or difficult to attain
Often I have heard them speak of Angelina
I have often heard them talk about Angelina
Angelina I never once have meet
But I have never once met Angelina
You can imagine the pressure
You can imagine the kind of pressure
Being a good girl like me
That a good girl like me must face
It's just like being a good boy
It is similar to being a good boy
With no woman's breast from which you pretend to wean
Without any maternal figure to guide you and help you mature
And old Mrs. Green would not have it
But old Mrs. Green would not accept it
And my friends at the factory
And my friends at the factory
Neither could they break their habits
Could not break their habits
Seeing my thoughts as an outsider's luxury
And thinking that my thoughts were an outsider's privilege
And I tried to hold my chest high
And I tried to maintain my composure
But I cringed when he touched my hair
But I flinched when he touched my hair
I cried I'm sorry but don't bother to try
I apologized and asked him not to try it again
They're out at Higgens' barn
They are currently at Higgens' barn
Bartering with a bible
Trading a bible for something else
And I'm at the washbasin and chopping my hair off
And I am at the washbasin, clipping my hair off
And singing revival
And singing songs of the religious revival
So I stumbled down to the stone house
I walked clumsily to the stone house
To grow back immortal
To regrow and be immortal
She was smoked in a booth
She was smoking a cigarette in a booth
With a plateful of cigarettes
With a plate full of cigarettes
I laughed, pardon me miss
I laughed and said, excuse me miss
Are you Angelina?
Are you Angelina?
She said good lord
She replied, oh my god
She said honey good guess
And added affectionately, good guess my dear
Contributed by Matthew E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.