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.

Roses
Keren Ann Lyrics

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Roses and hips
Along the sidewalk
Fool's got eyes
And I don't

Land slides and grips
Onto a side rock
Fool's got eyes

And I don't

So take me slowly
By the hand
And show me through
Forever land

Roses and hips
Along the sidewalk
Fool's got eyes
And I don't

So take me slowly
By the hand

And show me through
Forever land

Overall Meaning

Keren Ann's "Roses and Hips" appears to be a song about love and trust, with the singer admitting that someone else "fool's got eyes" while they do not. The roses and hips along the sidewalk may be a metaphor for life's temptations and distractions, while the "land slides and grips onto a side rock" could represent the obstacles and challenges faced in a relationship. The repetition of the chorus, with the plea to be taken slowly and shown through "forever land", suggests a desire for a long-lasting and secure love.

It's possible that the song is also referencing the idea that love can blind us to the negative qualities of our partners, while others may be able to see them more clearly. The use of the word "fool" in relation to the person with the eyes might suggest that they are not wise enough to see the truth.

Overall, "Roses and Hips" is a longing for a deep and lasting relationship, but also a recognition of the challenges that come with that desire.

Line by Line Meaning

Roses and hips
There are roses and hips on the sidewalk

Along the sidewalk
They are specifically on the sidewalk

Fool's got eyes
Someone foolish is able to see them

And I don't
But I cannot see them

Land slides and grips
There are landslides and rocky terrain

Onto a side rock
One of the landslides grips onto a rocky slope

So take me slowly
I need someone to guide me patiently

By the hand
Guiding me directly

And show me through
Leading me through this uncertain terrain

Forever land
Symbolizes an endless, unknown path