Early public performances by Kimbra included singing at JBC (now the dive bar Nivara Lounge) in Hamilton at age 9, the Waikato Times Gold Cup race meeting in 2000 as a 10-year-old, and singing the national anthem at age 12 before 27,000 people at the Auckland vs Waikato NPC rugby final. In 2007, after winning the Juice TV award for best breakthrough music video for her second single "Simply on My Lips", she came to the attention of ex-Independient Records boss Mark Richardson (Jamiroquai, Paula Abdul) and his newly-formed management company and independent label Forum 5 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Before her debut album, Kimbra released 2 singles: 'Simply On My Lips' and 'Deep For You'.
Kimbra's debut album, Vows was released in 2011. Three singles have been released from this album - 'Cameo Lover', 'Settle Down', 'Good Intent'. According to the Settle Down Songfacts, Vows spans five years of Kimbra's life from age 17 to 22. and explores love, identity and coming of age.
Kimbra also collaborated with Australian artist Gotye for the single 'Somebody That I Used To Know ' in 2011. This song has peaked on the charts in The USA, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium and The Netherlands at #1.
A significantly reworked version of her debut album was released in the U.S. in May of 2012. At the end of that year Kimbra triumphed in five categories at the New Zealand Music Awards, most notably Best Female Solo Artist and Best Pop Album. She also continued to receive plaudits for her Gotye collaboration well into 2013, among them the 2012 Grammy for Record of the Year.
Along with touring with Gotye and making festival appearances, including a spot at Brazil's Rock in Rio festival, Kimbra began work on her second album, The Golden Echo. She returned to the studio with producer Rich Costey and a host of collaborators including Bilal, Van Dyke Parks, Muse's Matt Bellamy, the Mars Volta's Omar A. Rodriguez-Lopez, and Silverchair's Daniel Johns, who co-wrote some of the album's songs. Singles such as the genre-hopping "'90s Music" and the smooth disco-funk homage "Miracle" hinted at The Golden Echo's eclecticism ahead of its August 2014 release.
Kimbra reunited with Bilal in 2015, appearing on his album In Another Life, and debuted her own single "Sweet Relief" in 2016. The 2017 single "Everybody Knows" offered the first taste of her third album Primal Heart. Featuring songs co-written and co-produced by Kimbra -- as well as collaborations with John Congleton and Skrillex -- Primal Heart appeared in April 2018.
Everybody Knows
Kimbra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Vacant eyes they won't tell a soul
You fooled me once, now I'm twice as old
See, I ain't gonna lie but I ain't gonna phone on you
No, I ain't gonna try to forget what I've gone through
Got a little box yeah
I'm gonna open
'Cause they've all been broken
Everybody knows about what you do
Everybody saw and sold the truth
I was young and gullible
But baby I grew
Now the whole world's watching you
Hands to the bone
Hands to the heart
Bodies alone
Hide in the dark
Is it a fight worth fighting? Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
See, I ain't gonna lie
But I ain't gonna hold back
Or try to deny, you turned a damn good heart black
I got a little box yeah
I'm gonna take back
Don't make your promises
'Cause I'm finished with all that
Everybody knows about what you do
Everybody saw and sold the truth
I was young and gullible
But baby I grew
And now the whole world's watching you
Everybody knows about what you do
Everybody saw and sold the truth
I was young and gullible
But baby I grew
And now the whole world's watching you
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh
The lyrics to Kimbra's "Everybody Knows" speak to a betrayal by a loved one, who has fooled the singer once and made them feel old. The singer refuses to forget their experience, but neither will they let it keep them down. The chorus suggests that the person who betrayed them is well-known for their actions, and that the singer has grown stronger and more mature in response.
The verse "Hands to the bone / Hands to the heart / Bodies alone / Hide in the dark / Is it a fight worth fighting?" touches on the exhaustion and isolation that can come with fighting against someone who has wronged you. The singer acknowledges that the fight has taken a lot out of them, and wonders whether it's worth it. Ultimately, the chorus suggests that the fight is worth it because it brings to light the truth of what has happened, and allows the singer to move forward with more knowledge and strength than before.
It's important to note that the tone of the song is not one of bitterness, but of determination and resilience. The singer has been hurt, but they are not wallowing in it. Instead, they are taking back what is theirs and refusing to be defined by their past.
Line by Line Meaning
Money moans calls you home
The lure of wealth and material possessions ultimately draws you back to the place you came from.
Vacant eyes they won't tell a soul
People with empty, hollow eyes are incapable of sharing their emotions or thoughts with others, keeping their secrets to themselves.
You fooled me once, now I'm twice as old
After being deceived once, the singer has become twice as wary and guarded, refusing to be taken advantage of again.
See, I ain't gonna lie but I ain't gonna phone on you
The artist won't tell a lie, but at the same time, she won't call for help or rely on the person who has wronged her before.
No, I ain't gonna try to forget what I've gone through
Rather than attempting to forget the past pain and trauma, the artist will confront it instead.
Got a little box yeah, I'm gonna open
The singer has a figurative 'box' containing the lies and broken promises of her past, and she is ready to confront them head-on by opening the box.
Take your promises 'cause they've all been broken
The singer wants to reclaim all the promises made to her by the person who deceived her, now that she knows they were all lies.
Everybody knows about what you do
The wrongdoing of the person in question is well-known and widely understood by the public.
Everybody saw and sold the truth
Everyone witnessed the wrongdoing and exploits of the person, and the media inevitably reported it extensively.
I was young and gullible but baby I grew
Despite being taken advantage of when she was naive and inexperienced, the artist has since grown wiser and is no longer so easily duped.
Now the whole world's watching you
With so much attention on the person and their actions, their every move is being scrutinized and analyzed by others.
Hands to the bone, hands to the heart
Working tirelessly and relentlessly, not just with the body but also emotionally and mentally.
Bodies alone hide in the dark
Bodies may be hidden in the dark, but our true intentions and flaws will eventually be brought to light.
Is it a fight worth fighting?
The singer questions whether going through the ordeal of fighting back against deception and injustice is ultimately worth it.
See, I ain't gonna lie but I ain't gonna hold back
The singer refuses to be dishonest about her feelings, and won't hold back when it comes to calling out the person who wronged her.
Or try to deny, you turned a damn good heart black
The artist acknowledges that she once had a pure and kind heart, but the person's betrayal turned it dark and jaded.
I'm gonna take back, don't make your promises
Taking matters into her own hands, the artist will no longer accept empty promises from the person, instead choosing to reclaim whatever she can from them.
Cause I'm finished with all that
She is completely done with being lied to and disappointed by this person, and won't put up with it any longer.
Ooh
Interjection expressing strong emotions.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Kimbra Johnson, Taylor Graves
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rebecca Vocal Athlete
Beautiful song and lady
0ɪɴꜱᴘɪʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟʜᴇᴀʀᴛ0
She is seriously a unique artist and underrated in this generation of music :)
Orlando Yepez
this
apburner1
Who is doing this underrating that you speak of?
Jonathanq Maldonado
0inspirationalheart0 totally agree. The only person i know who knows about Kimbra is thr person that introduced me to her music.
Erasmy Isalgue
Barely anyone around me knows about Kimbra. They know her as “the girl voice in Somebody That I Used To Know.”
AdrenalFueled
Stop with the BS. We all rate her 100% 🎉
Yana Llama
This song was my lifeline, a string of empathy after the end of a toxic relationship I was in for 3 years. Thank you for making me feel not so alone.
SonjaWolf Moon
I understand you too🥀
Scott Kleeman
Loving this! Telling her story in such a simple, yet symbolic way. The ending feels very empowering. Can't wait to see the style of music to come.