Jill Sobule (born January 16, 1965 in Denver, Colorado) is an American sing… Read Full Bio ↴Jill Sobule (born January 16, 1965 in Denver, Colorado) is an American singer-songwriter best known for the then-controversial song, I Kissed a Girl (not to be confused with the 2008 Katy Perry hit song of the same name) and for Supermodel from the soundtrack of the hit 1995 film Clueless. In 1990, she released her debut album Things Here Are Different. Over the next sixteen years, she would go on to record five more records, three EPs and a greatest hits compilation. Though her albums are often critically acclaimed, Sobule remains more of an underground artist, playing for fans across the United States in smaller, more personal settings.

In many of her songs, she incorporates humor into a narrative, some tracks ultimately becoming catchy anecdotes. Generally, her songs are unconventionally folk-like, using horn arrangements not found in tracks recorded by mainstream artists. Sobule also uses both satire and experience to sing about sexuality, depression, war, abandonment, and creed.

Tel Aviv
Jill Sobule Lyrics

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I'm climbing the stairway
That leads from the kitchen
In a bar in Tel Aviv
He asks for my age
He thinks I'm a virgin
That's why he asked for me

[Chorus]

Somebody's missing me
Somebody's missing me
Somebody come get me

I dream of my country
I think of my mother
I send her what I can
She thinks I'm a waitress
She's proud I'm a waitress
In the promised land
They promised me work
And they promised me TV
They promised I'd never get bored
I'm back on the stairway
I'm higher than ever
They promised that I could get more

[Chorus: x2]

There's a boat down on the shore
Wish I could steal away

I'm back on the farm
With my friend Sofia
She's running and laughing out loud
We're down by the river
In the middle of summer
I wish he'd get off of me now

[Chorus]

Overall Meaning

Jill Sobule's song "Tel Aviv" is a powerful portrayal of the struggles faced by immigrants who move to new countries with the promises of better lives, only to find themselves missing their homelands and desperate to escape their new reality. The opening lines describe the singer ascending a stairway in a bar in Tel Aviv, where she is asked for her age and mistaken for a virgin. These lyrics suggest a sense of vulnerability and isolation, as though she is a stranger in a strange land, disconnected from those around her.

The chorus, which repeats the phrase "Somebody's missing me," highlights the singer's longing for home and the comfort and familiarity it provides. She dreams of her country and thinks of her mother, sending her whatever she can to let her know she is okay. Yet, she is proud to be in the promised land, even though her mother thinks she is a waitress, not fully understanding the sacrifices her daughter has made to achieve a better life.

The final verse provides a poignant contrast between the singer's memories of her homeland and her current situation. She is transported to a farm where she is with her friend Sofia, running and laughing out loud, and enjoying the freedom and simplicity of their former lives. Meanwhile, she is experiencing unwanted attention and harassment from the man in the bar. The lyrics suggest that even though she is physically present in Tel Aviv, her mind and heart are elsewhere, yearning to escape and return to the life she left behind.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm climbing the stairway
I'm walking up a staircase

That leads from the kitchen
It's a staircase that connects to the kitchen

In a bar in Tel Aviv
I'm at a bar in Tel Aviv

He asks for my age
A man at the bar asks for my age

He thinks I'm a virgin
The man at the bar assumes I'm a virgin

That's why he asked for me
That's the reason the man at the bar asked for me

[Chorus]
Refrain

Somebody's missing me
There's someone out there who misses me

Somebody come get me
I want someone to come and get me

I dream of my country
I have dreams about my homeland

I think of my mother
I'm thinking about my mother