Keren Ann (b. 1974) is a singer/songwriter with dual Dutch-Israeli citizen… Read Full Bio ↴Keren Ann (b. 1974) is a singer/songwriter with dual Dutch-Israeli citizenship. She plays guitar, piano, and clarinet, and engineers and writes choir and musical arrangements. She is of Russian-Jewish descent on her father's side and Javanese-Dutch on her mother's.

Born Keren Ann Zeidel in Caesarea, Israel on 10th March 1974, she lived in the Netherlands and Israel until the age of eleven, when her family moved to France. Her first group, KAB (for Keren Ann Band), lasted three years. In 1997, she wrote the song "Father" for the film K by Alexandre Arcady, in which she also acted a small part. The next year, at the age of twenty-four, she formed Shelby with two other women; the group released one album and had a small success with the song "1+1+1", whose composer Benjamin Biolay became an important collaborator. In 2000 she began her solo career with La biographie de Luka Philipsen -- "Luka" in homage to the Suzanne Vega song, "Philipsen" after her maternal grandmother -- written with and produced by Biolay, who also co-wrote and -produced its follow-up, La disparition. (In return, she helped write his debut album, Rose Kennedy.) The pair also wrote several songs for Henri Salvador's best-selling, prize-winning 2000 comeback album, Chambre avec vue.

Lady & Bird is a collaboration with Bardi Johannsson of the Icelandic group Bang Gang.

Not Going Anywhere, which includes several songs from La disparition re-sung in English, was her first U.S. release, but her American breakthrough came with its follow-up, Nolita. Recorded in Paris and New York, it is named for Nolita, her neighborhood in lower Manhattan; it is sung half in French and half in English.

For You and I
Keren Ann Lyrics

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Somewhere late at night
Merman called the breeze
Found an out of sight
And simply watched at ease

The sea was cold as ice
Lonely as it seems
The wind came to my eyes

And woke me from a dream

And it's over now for you and I
For you and I
And it's over now for you and I
For you and I

Out there in the sand
I waited for the dawn
To bring me thoughts from other lands
And then you came along

And it's over now for you and I
For you and I
And it's over now for you and I
For you and I

Somewhere late at night
Merman called the breeze

Found an out of sight
And simply watched at ease

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Keren Ann's song For You And I are open to interpretation, as is much of her music. They seem to evoke a sense of melancholy and lost love, perhaps symbolized by the character of the "merman" and the loneliness of the sea. The first verse describes the merman calling the breeze and simply watching at ease, which could be interpreted as a person who is content with their solitude. However, the following lines suggest a sense of longing, as the wind wakes the singer from a dream. This dreamlike quality continues in the second verse, where the singer waits for the dawn to bring them thoughts from other lands. When "you" come along, it feels like a relief and a hope for something more. However, the chorus emphasizes that it is "over now" for the singer and their lover, implying that their relationship has come to an end.

The repetition of the final verse suggests a cyclical nature to the singer's emotions and experiences. The merman, breeze, and sea all persist, and the singer remains seemingly trapped in their longing and melancholy. The song's instrumentals, which include a haunting piano and guitar, add to the dreamlike and mournful atmosphere.

Overall, For You And I is a song that evokes a sense of longing and loss, and the cyclical nature of emotions and experiences.

Line by Line Meaning

Somewhere late at night
During some unspecified time at night

Merman called the breeze
Suggesting the presence of a mythical sea creature who invites the wind to come and aid in their watch

Found an out of sight
They found a secluded place to observe the passing of time

And simply watched at ease
They watched, at peace with themselves and the world around them

The sea was cold as ice
The ocean was frigid and unwelcoming

Lonely as it seems
Describing the feeling of aloneness in the vast, empty space

The wind came to my eyes
The breeze suddenly blew into their face

And woke me from a dream
It brought them out of a state of unconsciousness

And it's over now for you and I
The situation has come to an end between two individuals

For you and I
Between the two people previously mentioned