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.
Wandering Limbs
Kimbra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Despite your despair, I'm going over to the other side
There's a break in the clouds where the crimson connects
Anticipate my demise, the world's different from up here
Am I caught in the background, a part of the scene?
Misery in the come down, when I come down from here.
Are we tangled in each other, or placed in between?
Am I just scant in the landscape,
Or a range close to you?
I think I fell into a strange play with wandering limbs
And eager hands
Now the sun's gone today, I can lest towards space
Now transcend into blues, fade out from the ground breaks
I feel so beautiful, cut me off from the crowd
I got the birds eye view, now we're all just thoughts in a sky
Am I caught in the background, a part of the scene?
Misery in the calm-down, when I come down from here.
Are we tangled in each other, or placed in between?
Like a stone, or a stones throw away from far
Am I just scant in the last day
Or a range close to you?
I think I fell, I think I fell into a strange play with wandering limbs
And eager hands
The lyrics of Kimbra's song Wandering Limbs have a dreamlike quality to them, reflecting on the sensation of being in a surreal and transitional state. The theme of being suspended in midair is recurrent throughout the song, with the singer choosing to dangle their feet over a wire and move to the other side despite the fear and apprehension they might feel. The lyrics mention a break in the clouds where the crimson connects, possibly alluding to an opening in a seemingly unbroken or stagnant environment. The anticipation of demise could also mean the anticipation of change, with the singer acknowledging that the world is different from up there.
The lyrics also touch upon the idea of being caught in the background, a part of the scene, or tangled in between things, like a stone or stone throw away from falling. This can be interpreted as a reflection on the feelings of isolation and uncertainty that come with navigating a new situation. The singer questions whether they are just scant in the landscape or range close to someone else. The phrase "strange play with wandering limbs and eager hands" could represent a desire to explore and experience new things, heightened by the transcendent feeling of being up high.
In the second half of the song, the lyrics focus on the visual, with the sun gone and the singer perceiving their surroundings with a bird's eye view. The singer feels beautiful and disconnected from the crowd, with everyone else just thoughts in the sky. The last verse repeats the themes of being caught in the background or tangled in between, and questions whether the singer is a range close to someone else or simply scant in the last day. The song ends with the repetition of the phrase, "I think I fell into a strange play with wandering limbs and eager hands."
Line by Line Meaning
I'm gonna dangle my feet over the wire
I'm going to take a risk and try something new.
Despite your despair, I'm going over to the other side
Even though others may not understand or agree with my decision, I'm still going forward with it.
There's a break in the clouds where the crimson connects
There's a moment of hope or beauty in the midst of chaos or difficulty.
Anticipate my demise, the world's different from up here
Others may expect failure or negativity from me, but taking a new perspective can change one's outlook on life.
Am I caught in the background, a part of the scene?
Do I feel unnoticed or insignificant?
Misery in the come down, when I come down from here.
Feeling low or depressed after experiencing a high.
Are we tangled in each other, or placed in between?
Do we feel connected or lost in the middle of things?
Like a stone, or a stones throw away from falling
Feeling stable or close to instability.
Am I just scant in the landscape, or a range close to you?
Do I feel like I'm part of something or isolated from it?
I think I fell into a strange play with wandering limbs and eager hands
I feel like I'm caught up in something unpredictable or exciting.
Now the sun's gone today, I can lest towards space
With darkness comes the opportunity for introspection or new perspectives.
Now transcend into blues, fade out from the ground breaks
Embracing sadness or melancholy and moving away from turmoil or chaos.
I feel so beautiful, cut me off from the crowd
Feeling confident or unique and wanting to separate from the norm.
I got the birds eye view, now we're all just thoughts in a sky
Having a new perspective on the world and our place in it.
Am I just scant in the last day, or a range close to you?
Do I feel like time is fleeting or like I'm connected to others?
I think I fell, I think I fell into a strange play with wandering limbs and eager hands
Feeling caught up in something unpredictable or exciting.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: KIMBRA JOHNSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Girlz.Dont.Cry666
[Verse 1: Kimbra]
I'm gonna dangle my feet over the wire
Despite your despair, I'm going over to the other side
There's a break in the clouds where the crimson collects
Anticipate my demise, the world's different from up here
[Chorus: Sam Lawrence, Kimbra, Both]
Am I caught in the background, or part of the scene?
Misery in the comedown, when I come down from here
Are we tangled in each other or placed in between?
Like a stone or a stones throw away from falling
Am I just sketch in the landscape or arranged close to you?
(Ah, ah-ah, ah, ah-ah)
I think I fell into a strange fate with wandering limbs
And eager hands
[Verse 2: Kimbra, Sam Lawrence]
Now the sun's gone to lay, I can lust towards space
(Ah, ah-ah, ah, ah-ah)
I'll transcend into blues, fade out from the ground greys
I feel so beautiful, kept me out from the crowd cries
I got the birds eye view, (Birds eye view) now we're all just dots in a sky
[Chorus: Kimbra, Sam Lawrence, Both]
Am I caught in the background, or part of the scene?
Misery in the comedown, when I come down from here
Are we tangled in each other or placed in between?
Like a stone or a stones throw away from falling
Am I just sketch in the landscape or arranged close to you?
(Ah, ah-ah, ah, ah-ah)
I think I fell, think I fell into a strange fate with wandering limbs
And eager hands
[Outro: Kimbra, Both Riffing Vocally in Background]
Eager hands
Eager hands
(Ah Ah Ah Ah...)
@eric_b_
this video also has me coming back for over a decade. hits different.
@alexi.de.charle
Why not a century ?😮
@Desiredontexpire
Me tooo
@BenThere_DoneThat
Same
@raynbohz
Same.
@rachell8661
Same here ❤
@CheekyGoblin
this still gives me chills 10 years later MY GOD !!!!! I watched this video so many times It was my go to my senior year of HS . cries
@christianfox3936
Same lmao freshman through senior year
@Axl-ng1yj
This is honestly the best live performance of a song I've ever heard, the album version is great but this one is just a masterpiece
@hollypark4022
Such a heartbreaking, beautiful composition - all from a 17 year-old soul. (She was 17 when she wrote this song.)