According to the The A Soft Place To Land Songfacts Edwards' father is Leonard Edwards, a former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. As a result she spent portions of her teenage years in Korea and Switzerland. Her blend of country, folk and pop music made her a favourite of music critics, and a rising star on radio in 2003 with her debut album, Failer, made popular by her hit singles "Six O'Clock News" and "Hockey Skates" Her style of music is sometimes placed in the music genre "alt-country".
In 1999, Edwards recorded a six-song EP entitled Building 55 and pressed 500 copies. By the fall of 2000, she was on tour across Canada managing her own gigs. In 2001 she wrote seven of the ten songs for her 2003 debut release Failer.
Edwards married musician and producer Colin Cripps in 2004. They later divorced.
In 2005, Edwards released Back to Me, which also garnered considerable critical acclaim, and led to the release of the singles "Back to Me" and "In State". The track "Summerlong" also featured on the soundtrack of the movie Elizabethtown starring Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst.
In 2006, she was nominated for Juno Awards for Songwriter of the Year and Adult Alternative Album of the Year for Back to Me.
On March 4, 2008, her new CD, Asking for Flowers, arrived to excellent reviews.
Her fourth album, Voyageur, was released on January 17, 2012.
Hockey Skates
Kathleen Edwards Lyrics
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And the same old people saying hi and I don't care
Going down in the same old bar and I don't even order anymore
I am so sick of consequence and the look on your face
I am tired of playing defense
I don't even have hockey skates
You can meet me at ten thirty
We can talk like we are friends
Going over it all again
Talking about everything I am doing wrong
Do you wish your nose was longer
So you'd have an excuse not to see past it
Do you wish the lights were brighter in the city that you live
I am so sick of consequence?..
Do you think your boys club will crumble
Just because of a loud-mouthed girl?
The song "Hockey Skates" by Kathleen Edwards is a melancholic reflection on the monotony of life and dissatisfaction with oneself. The opening lyrics, "Going down in the same old town down the same street to the same bar, and the same old people saying hi and I don't care" highlights the repetition and mundaneness of life. Edwards is disillusioned with her routine and is fed up with the consequences of her actions and the judgments of others. The line, "I am tired of playing defense, I don't even have hockey skates" conveys the vulnerability and feeling of not being equipped to cope with life's challenges.
The chorus of the song reveals the disconnect between Edwards and the person she is speaking to. She sets up a meeting time, but she will not be there. She describes a conversation where they talk about everything she is doing wrong, a conversation that she is not interested in having. Edwards is questioning the societal norms that dictate how we should look and act. She asks questions like "do you wish your nose was longer so you'd have an excuse not to see past it?" and "do you wish the lights were brighter in the city that you live?" These lines suggest that Edwards is tired of societal pressure and expectations.
The final verse takes aim at the male-dominated society in which she lives. Edwards poses a rhetorical question: "Do you think your boys club will crumble just because of a loud-mouthed girl?" The provocative line challenges the patriarchal structure that dominates many areas of society.
* The song was released on Kathleen Edwards' debut album "Failer" in 2003.
* Kathleen Edwards wrote the song after coming to the realization that she did not have everything figured out in her life.
* The song was named after a pair of hockey skates Edwards bought for her then-boyfriend as a gift.
* The music video for the song was filmed in Edwards' hometown of Ottawa, Canada, and features many of her friends and family.
* The song is a fan favourite and has been covered by many artists.
* Edwards has stated that the crux of the song is about getting caught in a cycle of the same things and not knowing how to change it.
* In 2003, the song was nominated for a Juno Award in the category of "Alternative Album of the Year."
* The song has been described as a modern-day Canadian classic.
* "Hockey Skates" is one of the most popular songs of Edwards' career, along with "Six O'Clock News" and "Chameleon/Comedian."
Chords: (Verse) C, G, Dsus4, D (Chorus) Am, G, C, G, Am, G, D.
Line by Line Meaning
Going down in the same old town down the same street to the same bar
I'm stuck in a mundane routine, doing the same things every day and seeing the same people at the same bar on the usual street.
And the same old people saying hi and I don't care
I'm tired of the same people greeting me every day but I don't have enough energy to care anymore.
Going down in the same old bar and I don't even order anymore
I go to the same bar every day and I don't even order drinks anymore because I'm tired of the same routine.
I am so sick of consequence and the look on your face
I'm fed up with dealing with the repercussions of my actions and seeing the judgmental look on your face.
I am tired of playing defense
I'm exhausted from constantly defending myself and my choices.
I don't even have hockey skates
I'm not even equipped to defend myself like a useful player would with their hockey skates.
You can meet me at ten thirty
We can arrange to meet at 10:30.
I won't be there I'll be gone
But I won't show up because I'll be gone by then.
We can talk like we are friends
We can have a conversation pretending we're still friends.
Going over it all again
We can discuss everything we've already talked about before.
Talking about everything I am doing wrong
We can discuss everything that's wrong with me and my life.
Do you wish your nose was longer
Do you wish you had an excuse not to look past your own problems?
So you'd have an excuse not to see past it
Do you wish you had an easy way out of ignoring your own issues?
Do you wish the lights were brighter in the city that you live
Do you wish your surroundings were better or more exciting?
I am so sick of consequence?..
I'm getting fed up with dealing with the outcomes of my choices.
Do you think your boys club will crumble
Do you think a confident and vocal woman like me can topple your inner circle?
Just because of a loud-mouthed girl?
Would the mere presence of a woman who speaks her mind and is unashamedly herself cause your group to fall apart?
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: KATHLEEN MARGARET EDWARDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind