King was born on the 24th August 1979 in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A., the first of two daughters. While King was a small child, her father noticed her natural musical ability, and encouraged her interest in music. She was introduced to the guitar at the age of four, and played for several years, but after taking up the drums a few years later, they became her primary instrument as an adolescent.
Convinced that her break in music would come from being a drummer, King played in bands in high school with classmate Morgan Jahnig, who would later become the bassist of Old Crow Medicine Show. Upon graduating from The Westminster Schools in Atlanta in 1998, the two friends made their way to New York University. During her time there, King picked up the guitar again, and revisited the finger-style techniques that intrigued her as a child. From there, King played a few occasional gigs and busked in the New York subways.
In February 2006, Rolling Stone released a list of "The New Guitar Gods", with King as the sole woman and youngest artist honoured. In addition to a ten-year career that includes six LP and two EP albums, King has also spent significant time scoring music for television and film. She worked alongside Eddie Vedder and Michael Brook, contributing the music for the soundtrack to Sean Penn's Into the Wild, for which King, Vedder, and Brook were nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score.
King's style combines fret-tapping with slap bass techniques, using the guitar for percussive beats, as well as sound layering and looping. Her playing style has been compared to Michael Hedges and Preston Reed; she explicitly cites the latter as an influence.
Sunnyside
Kaki King Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Splits my chest right open and I put my heart back inside
You used to keep it in a jar, but this metaphor has gone to far
And now it's just a work of art
On my wall and in my mind
When you get the courage, you'll swim beyond the waves
And the stillness of the ocean, will make all fear go away
But good luck finding someone, who can love you better than I
I wanted to be tangled up in someone long and blond
So honest in my belief that nothing would go wrong
But now all we can say we have, are some photographs and a wiener dog
That chews up everything I love and all the things you left behind
You're the girl, I lost in Sunnyside
You're the girl, I lost in Sunnyside
You're the girl, I lost in Sunnyside
You're the girl, I lost to Sunnyside
In the first verse of Kaki King's Sunnyside, the singer describes their morning routine of physically opening their chest and placing their heart back inside after it had been removed and kept in a jar. The metaphor of a heart being kept in a jar suggests that the singer had once been closed off emotionally, but they have since opened up and are now vulnerable. The line "this metaphor has gone too far" acknowledges that the metaphor may be extreme or even absurd, but it represents the singer's newfound emotional openness.
In the second part of the verse, the singer acknowledges the pain they caused someone else ("yeah, I fucked up good and well") but expresses confidence that no one else could love the person better than they once did ("good luck finding someone who can love you better than I"). This line suggests that the singer is still emotionally invested in this person even though they are no longer together.
The chorus repeats "You're the girl I lost in Sunnyside" four times. Sunnyside could refer to the neighborhood in Queens, New York or it could be a metaphorical sunnyside, a place where things are good and happy. Regardless, the repetition highlights the feeling of loss that the singer experiences.
In the second verse, the singer describes their initial desire for a blond romantic partner, but ultimately ends up with photos and a dog that destroys everything they love. This final line reveals a bitterness toward the situation and possibly suggests that the singer is willing to blame the dog for their misfortune.
Overall, Kaki King's Sunnyside is a song about emotional vulnerability, lost love, and the pain that comes with regret.
Line by Line Meaning
I wake up every morning, stretch my arms out wide
Every day begins with a fresh start, a chance to embrace the day ahead with new hope and positivity.
Splits my chest right open and I put my heart back inside
As the day starts, she puts her heart back in her chest and prepares for whatever challenges come her way.
You used to keep it in a jar, but this metaphor has gone too far
Reference to the idea of someone keeping their heart in a jar, an outdated way of expressing a closed-off, guarded personality.
And now it's just a work of art, on my wall and in my mind
Her heart is no longer kept in a jar, but instead she sees it as a piece of art in her mind and on her wall.
When you get the courage, you'll swim beyond the waves
Encouragement to take risks, face fears, and break through whatever obstacles keep you from moving forward.
And the stillness of the ocean, will make all fear go away
The calmness and vastness of the ocean can represent peace and relief from anxiety and fear.
Yeah, I fucked up good and well and you put me through fucking hell
Acknowledgment of past mistakes and their consequences, and how they caused pain and difficulty for another person.
But good luck finding someone, who can love you better than I
Despite past mistakes, she still believes that she once loved someone in a way that will be hard to match.
I wanted to be tangled up in someone long and blond
A desire for physical and emotional intimacy with a specific type of person.
So honest in my belief that nothing would go wrong
A sense of naivety and innocence about the potential difficulties and challenges of a romantic relationship.
But now all we can say we have, are some photographs and a wiener dog
Recognition that a once-close relationship has now dissolved, leaving behind only memories and a pet dog.
That chews up everything I love and all the things you left behind
Even the things that were left behind after the relationship ended are being destroyed by the dog, symbolizing the destructive nature of the end of the relationship.
You're the girl, I lost in Sunnyside
Directly addressing the person who was lost, representing a significant loss and a source of pain.
You're the girl, I lost to Sunnyside
Sunyside represents a place of loss and potentially a place where the other person has moved on or found happiness without them.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nicholas Cooper
I've never heard the words 'weiner dog' ever delivered so helplessly. And yet with such venom. An absolute gem.
caitlyn conrad
i love this song soo much!! :)
Skate Boards
as a man who owns a wiener dog and has several failed relationships over decades, that line is what brings me back to this song for years and years and years....
WolfBoyProductions
i'm seriously in love with this song.
scotty
amazing!
KYLIE COSTON
ive been trying to find her ever since i graduated. its been a year. i had youtubed hopped from Bonobo and i LOVED her muSIC
anniewasbornfirst
Guitar sounds similar to the chords for Back In Your Head by TNS.
FrogFraction
i need the tuning for this AARARRGH
FrogFraction
@yalolol WOOOOHH awesome! it's even tabbed.
BoxxyDough
@JikuJikuJin @JikuJikuJin Standard, half step down. The song is formatted around the D chord. Look up Sunnyside on Ultimate-guitar