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.

Spanish Song Bird
Keren Ann Lyrics

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Home is like a river of goodbye
Without a summer lullaby since you are gone
No one rings the bell from what I've heard
I'm all alone just like a bird without a song

Life is an endless parade, it's no sweet lemonade
Only an empty bottle left in the shade, oh boy

What have I done to make you go ?
Where is the sun ? Where is the snow when you are away ?
Roses seem to fade upon my side
Since you have left, there is no night, there is no day

Life is an endless parade, it's no sweet lemonade
Only an empty bottle left in the shade, oh boy

Life is an endless parade, it's no sweet lemonade
Only an empty bottle left here under the shade.

Overall Meaning

The song Spanish Song Bird by Keren Ann is a melancholic reflection on the pain and loneliness of losing a loved one. The opening line "Home is like a river of goodbye" sets the tone for the entire song, suggesting that home no longer feels like a safe haven but rather a constant reminder of the loss. The absence of a "summer lullaby" creates a sense of emptiness, as though the warmth and joy of summer has been drained away.

The chorus "Life is an endless parade, it's no sweet lemonade" speaks of the harsh realities of life, and how it can be difficult to find joy in the midst of pain. The image of an "empty bottle left in the shade" metaphorically represents the emptiness felt by the singer, and how the memories of the lost love are haunting her. The questions "What have I done to make you go?" and "Where is the sun? Where is the snow when you are away?" express the singer's confusion and desperation, trying to make sense of what has happened and how to move on without the person they love.

Overall, Spanish Song Bird is a deeply emotional and poignant song, exploring the complex feelings of grief and longing with sincerity and insight.

Line by Line Meaning

Home is like a river of goodbye
Being at home without you is like being on a river, flowing away from me and being lonely.

Without a summer lullaby since you are gone
Since you've been gone, there's been no comforting sounds of summer to help me sleep at night.

No one rings the bell from what I've heard
I haven't heard anyone coming to my door since you left.

I'm all alone just like a bird without a song
I'm completely alone and as lonely as a bird that has lost its way and has nothing to sing about.

What have I done to make you go ?
I can't figure out what I did wrong to make you leave me.

Where is the sun ? Where is the snow when you are away ?
Nothing feels the same without you around, not even the weather seems right.

Roses seem to fade upon my side
Everything around me, even the beautiful roses, are losing their beauty and fading away since you left.

Since you have left, there is no night, there is no day
Without you, time seems to have lost all meaning and everything is a blur of darkness and sadness.

Life is an endless parade, it's no sweet lemonade
Life feels like a never-ending procession of struggles and challenges, with no sweet breaks in between.

Only an empty bottle left in the shade, oh boy
The only thing left is an empty bottle in the shadows, and it's a sad reminder of how things used to be with you.

Life is an endless parade, it's no sweet lemonade
Once again, life feels like a never-ending procession of struggles and challenges, with no sweet breaks in between.

Only an empty bottle left here under the shade.
All that's left is an empty bottle, sitting alone in the shadows.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BENJAMIN BIOLAY, KEREN ANN ZEIDEL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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