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.
sailor
Keren Ann Lyrics
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A sailor at sea and a sailor of love
And he thought he could save her
Save her from innocence up and above
'Cause he never knew freedom and under the duvet
He stayed for a lifetime without any government
Help or assistance
She never left home before seven A.M.
And she looked by the window
She managed to cry but she never felt blame
For the death of her husband who died in a flame by the house of the river
Although he remained
In a reasonable distance
All the children played around the neighborhood
All the children played around the neighborhood
The children she liked to invent for the life they were living was openly bent
All they had was each other
He brought her flowers
A flash in the pan as she didn't reply
And he waited for hours
Until she accepted to offer a smile
And a terrible whiskey she had for a while
That she'd sip every morning for breakfast and sigh
Since the month of December
They used to tango
Jump and parade until midnight or more
She convinced him to Fargo
Drink lemonade with some awkward liquor
The she kissed him goodbye and attended the shore
Where she lit a big fire like never before
By the house of the river
All the children played around the neighborhood
All the children played around the neighborhood
The children she liked to invent for the life they were living was openly bent
All they had was each other
She was a widow, again
She never left home before seven A.M.
And she looked by the window
She managed to cry but she never felt blame
For the death of her husband who died in a flame by the house of the river
Although he remained
In a reasonable distance
All the children played around the neighborhood
All the children played around the neighborhood
The children she liked to invent for the life they were living was openly bent
All she had was herself
The song Sailor & Widow, by French-Israeli singer Keren Ann, tells the story of two characters who come together in a relationship, but who are ultimately unable to fully escape their own past traumas and vulnerabilities. The sailor, who has lived a life without any government assistance or structure, thinks he can save the widow, who lost her husband in a fire and is left to fend for herself emotionally. The widow is initially hesitant to accept the sailor's advances, but eventually agrees to spend time with him, even though her morning whiskey suggests she is not fully ready to open up to another person. Together, the two engage in physical and emotional intimacy, but the widow ultimately remains trapped in grief and solitude, while the sailor is unable to fully break free from his own past experiences.
The lyrics reveal a sense of loneliness and isolation that permeates the lives of the two characters. They rely on each other for companionship and support, but are ultimately unable to fully connect or break free from their own emotional baggage. The children who play around their neighborhood serve as a symbol of the innocent joy and freedom that the characters cannot fully grasp, and the repetition of the line "all she had was herself" speaks to the idea that we are ultimately alone, no matter how much we try to rely on others for support.
Line by Line Meaning
He was a sailor
The singer is introduced as a seafarer
A sailor at sea and a sailor of love
He is experienced in both seafaring and love
And he thought he could save her
He believed he could rescue the woman he was interested in
Save her from innocence up and above
He aimed to protect her from naivety and vulnerability
'Cause he never knew freedom and under the duvet
He did not experience liberty in his past and resorted to intimacy
He stayed for a lifetime without any government
He lived in secrecy and distancing from authorities
Help or assistance
He lacked support throughout his life
She was a widow
A woman who lost her husband is introduced
She never left home before seven A.M.
She had a routine of not going out before a certain hour
And she looked by the window
She regularly gazed through her window
She managed to cry but she never felt blame
Although she was grieving, she did not blame herself
For the death of her husband who died in a flame by the house of the river
Her husband tragically passed away in a fire near their home by the river bank
Although he remained
Even though his memory lived on
In a reasonable distance
It wasn't a long time since his death
All the children played around the neighborhood
There were kids playing in the area
The children she liked to invent for the life they were living was openly bent
She enjoyed fantasizing about the children's way of life
All they had was each other
The children had only themselves
He brought her flowers
The sailor gave her a bouquet
A flash in the pan as she didn't reply
She didn't react much to his gesture
And he waited for hours
He kept on waiting for her response
Until she accepted to offer a smile
Eventually, she smiled back at him
And a terrible whiskey she had for a while
She had mediocre whiskey in her possession
That she'd sip every morning for breakfast and sigh
She drank it with her breakfast every day and felt despondent
Since the month of December
This has been going on since December
They used to tango
They danced passionately together
Jump and parade until midnight or more
They enjoyed dancing until late at night or early morning
She convinced him to Fargo
She persuaded him to do something peculiar, like drinking an odd mixture
Drink lemonade with some awkward liquor
They had lemonade mixed with unfamiliar alcohol
The she kissed him goodbye and attended the shore
Afterward, she kissed him farewell and went to the beach
Where she lit a big fire like never before
She made an unusually large bonfire
By the house of the river
By the river bank
All the children played around the neighborhood
The children kept on playing around
The children she liked to invent for the life they were living was openly bent
She enjoyed imagining an abnormal life for the kids
All they had was each other
The children relied solely on themselves
She was a widow, again
The woman became a widow once more
She never left home before seven A.M.
Her routine hadn't changed
And she looked by the window
She still gazed through her window
She managed to cry but she never felt blame
The woman still mourned her husband but didn't blame herself
For the death of her husband who died in a flame by the house of the river
Her husband is still gone
Although he remained
His memory persisted
In a reasonable distance
It wasn't a long time since he passed away
All the children played around the neighborhood
The children were still playing nearby
The children she liked to invent for the life they were living was openly bent
She still obsessed with the idea of the children's imagined lives
All she had was herself
The artist was alone
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: KEREN ANN ZEIDEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@57chev56
Awesome
!!
@qianwang7002
The most underrated artist ever. I lover her so much.
@SkidReplica
He was a sailor
A sailor at sea and a sailor of love and he thought he could save her
Save her from innocence up and above 'Cause he never knew freedom and under the duvet he stayed for a lifetime without any government help or assistance
She was a widow
She never left home before 7 a.m. and she looked by the window
She managed to cry but she never feel blame for the death of her husband who died in a flame by the house of the river although he remained in a reasonable distance
All the children played around the neighborhood
All the children played around the neighborhood
The children she liked to invent for their life they were living was openly bent all they had was each other
He brought her flowers
A flesh in the pan as she didn't reply and he waited for hours
Until she accepted to offer a smile and a terrible whiskey she had for a while that she'd sip every morning for breakfast and sigh since the month of december
They used to tango
Jump and parade until midnight or more she convinced him to fargo
Drink lemonade with some awkward liquor the she kissed him goodbye and attended the shore where she lit a big fire like never before by the house of the river
All the children played around the neighborhood
All the children played around the neighborhood
All the children played around the neighborhood
All the children played around the neighborhood
The children she liked to invent for their life they were living was openly bent all they had was each other
She was a widow, again
She never left home before 7 a.m. and she looked by the window
She managed to cry but she never feel blame for the death of her husband who died in a flame by the house of the river although he remained in a reasonable distance
All the children played around the neighborhood
All the children played around the neighborhood
All the children played around the neighborhood
All the children played around the neighborhood
The children she liked to invent for the life she was living was openly bent all she had was herself