Earl was born to Charles… Read Full Bio ↴Kate Earl is an American singer-songwriter.
Earl was born to Charles and Pomposa Smithson in Anchorage, Alaska. She is of Filipino, Dutch and Welsh descent. She began playing piano at 4, sang in her church choir, and began playing the guitar when she was seventeen. The young singer nursed the dream to lead a musician's life in between shifts at her parent’s small-town gas station. That dream became a reality when Kate moved to Los Angeles in 2004, where her talent was promptly recognized and led to a record deal with The Record Collection. Her debut album, Fate Is the Hunter, was released in May 2005.
Earl left Record Collection in 2007 and signed with Universal Republic the following year. A self-titled album, Kate Earl, was released as a digital download on August 18, 2009 and in physical copy on November 3, 2009.
In 2012, Earl signed with Downtown Records. Her latest album, Stronger, was released on November 20, 2012, and was written and recorded with Brett Dennen, Blake Mills, and other well-respected Los Angeles musicians. The first single from the album, "One Woman Army", was released on September 18, 2012.
The music was not quite doing for Kate what she needed it to - too much outside direction perhaps, or an undue pressure to fulfill a prescribed role. Kate re-emerges on Stronger, Earl's debut for Downtown Records. Stronger shows off the careful development of a singular voice. The album's sound—a rootsy brand of all-American pop-rock—recalls classic works by some of the west coast singers Kate's older brothers listened to during long hours at their family's gas station. Stronger's lived-in Laurel Canyon vibe came together quickly, with Kate and Brett Dennen (her principal collaborator on Stronger) recording 17 songs in a whirlwind six-day session at Los Angeles’ famed Village Recorders.
Studio albums
(2005) - Fate Is the Hunter
(2009) - Kate Earl
(2012) - Stronger
When You're Older
Kate Earl Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My intentions aren't unfair or unkind
How else could I purge my heart of this pillowed dream?
Arctic wind will be washed from my hair
Trading the forest for the city
Things will be different for you
Things will be different for you
When you're older, you'll look back
As you grow you'll understand
Why I left
All I talk about is you since that day
Remember when I cry into my soup
And you would say that it's okay
So many things used to break my heart
I'd fall so easily
But you're younger and smarter and harder than me
Things will be different for you
Things will be different for you
When you're older, you'll look back
As you grow you'll understand
Why I left
I'm not comfortable in my own skin
Haven't found my finest hour
I can't dance, let alone sing
Before a crowd
Or write effortlessly what I can't come out and say
When I do, I'll be just like you
Trading the forest for the city
Finding my way down the mountain
Finding my way to the sea
When you're older, you'll look back
As you grow you'll understand
You'll understand
The song "When You're Older" by Kate Earl is a heartfelt ballad that explores the complexities of love and sacrifice. The singer of the song is torn between her desire to stay with her loved one and her need to pursue her dreams. She explains that every night, with red eyes, she leaves her loved one behind, though her intentions are not unfair or unkind. The singer recognizes that leaving her loved one behind is painful, but it is her only hope of purging her heart of a dream that she cannot shake off. The Arctic wind that she wants to wash from her hair refers to her desire to leave behind the comforts of her old life and embrace a new, more fulfilling one.
Line by Line Meaning
Red-eyes fly away from here every night
I leave every night with teary eyes because I am struggling to let go of my feelings
My intentions aren't unfair or unkind
I am not intending to hurt you, I am simply trying to do what is best for me
How else could I purge my heart of this pillowed dream?
I need to leave in order to get rid of this dream that I know won't come true and is keeping me stuck in a false reality
Arctic wind will be washed from my hair
I will leave this place and start anew, leaving behind all of the cold and painful memories
Trading the forest for the city
I am leaving behind my old life to find something new and exciting in the city
Things will be different for you
Your life will continue on without me, and things will be different for you in the future
When you're older, you'll look back
In the future, you will reflect on this time and understand what happened
As you grow you'll understand
As you mature and gain life experience, you will begin to comprehend the complexities of our situation
Why I left
You will eventually understand my reasons for leaving
All I talk about is you since that day
Ever since I left, I have only been able to talk about you and our relationship
Remember when I cry into my soup
I used to cry a lot about our situation and how difficult it was for me to leave
And you would say that it's okay
You were always there to comfort me and reassure me that everything would be alright
So many things used to break my heart
I used to be very emotional and sensitive, and a lot of things would hurt me deeply
I'd fall so easily
I was vulnerable to emotional pain and would often get hurt very quickly
But you're younger and smarter and harder than me
You are stronger and more resilient than me, despite being younger and less experienced
I'm not comfortable in my own skin
I struggle with self-confidence and often feel out of place in my own body
Haven't found my finest hour
I have not yet found my moment of greatness or personal triumph
I can't dance, let alone sing
I am not very talented or confident in my abilities to perform
Before a crowd
In front of other people
Or write effortlessly what I can't come out and say
I struggle to articulate my thoughts and feelings through writing, even though I can't express them verbally
When I do, I'll be just like you
When I am able to fully express myself and gain confidence, I will be more like you in your strength and resilience
Finding my way down the mountain
I am trying to navigate my way through life and overcome challenges, similar to descending a treacherous mountain
Finding my way to the sea
I am searching for something new and exciting, like finding the vast and limitless ocean
You'll understand
Eventually, you will be able to comprehend the complexity of our situation and why I had to leave
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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