With themes related to the pacific northwest, Gibson writes songs on a nylon-stringed guitar. In November 2004, she self-released an EP, Amends, produced and engineered by Drew Grow, on a laptop, in a house in Newberg, Oregon. Following this initial release, Laura released her debut full-length in November, 2006 titled If You Come to Greet Me on Hush Records. Engineered by Adam Selzer (Norfolk and Western, M. Ward, The Decemberists) and recorded completely on analog tape, songs on If You Come to Greet Me vary from pieces composed with bare-bones guitar and voice, to an orchestra of trumpets, piano, vibraphone, saw, violin, cello, banjo and found sounds. Songs have described as, "haunting portraits of nostalgia and intimacy, of loneliness and wide-eyed hope".
The La Grande Songfacts reports that Laura Gibson's fifth album is titled after La Grande, a small town situated in the forests of the Pacific Northwest where she parked her trailer and wrote and recorded the ten tracks that make up the record. It was released in January 2012.
Gibson's latest album Empire Builder was released April 1st, 2016 on Barsuk Records / City Slang.
MILK
Laura Gibson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I cannot keep myself from stumbling back to you
And you'll say "Don't you ever lose you heat"
"Don't you ever be caught shedding your skin too soon"
Find me with a milk-heavy heart
And I would clear the pollen from your eyes
For love has got you hanging on my hips
Like a worn-out dress with my skin showing through
Can't we forget about the truth?
It never called to me like it called to you
And if salvation never takes our hands
We'll dance around the wreckage
Nonetheless
Just as sure as every parting word
Comes stuttering off every parting tongue
I cannot keep myself from stumbling back to you
Laura Gibson's song "Milk-Heavy Pollen-Eyed" is a tender reflection on the hold that love has over our lives, despite our best efforts to move on. The song begins with the admission that no matter how hard the singer tries to "carve [her] path," she is unable to break free from the grip of a past love. The repeated image of "stumbling back to you" captures the sense of inevitability and resignation in her struggle.
The second verse introduces the voice of her former lover, who urges her not to lose her passion or vulnerability -- traits that they both share. The lines "Try as I may to carve my path" and "Can't we forget about the truth?" suggest a conflict between the singer's desire for independence and the ease and comfort of falling back into old patterns. The third verse expands on the theme of love as a physical entity, with the image of the singer's heart being "milk-heavy" and the offer to "clear the pollen from [her lover's] eyes." This exchange feels tender and intimate, but also slightly melancholic, as the singer acknowledges the transience of their connection.
The chorus ties together the different threads of the song by emphasizing the singer's inability to resist her lover's hold on her -- "love has got you hanging on my hips / like a worn-out dress with my skin showing through." The final lines of the song, "Just as sure as every parting word / Comes stuttering off every parting tongue," capture the bittersweet feeling of acceptance and resignation that pervades the entire song.
Overall, "Milk-Heavy Pollen-Eyed" is a haunting and poetic meditation on the power of love, both to connect us to others and to thwart our attempts at independence.
Line by Line Meaning
Try as I may to carve my path
Despite my best efforts to make my own way in life
I cannot keep myself from stumbling back to you
I always find myself returning to you no matter how hard I try to stay away
And you'll say "Don't you ever lose you heat"
You will caution me against losing my passion or drive
"Don't you ever be caught shedding your skin too soon"
You will warn me not to move on or change before I am ready to do so
Find me with a milk-heavy heart
Look for me when I am feeling emotional and vulnerable
And I would clear the pollen from your eyes
I would help you see things more clearly or understand them better
I would, I would
I am willing to do whatever it takes to support you, even if it is difficult or challenging
For love has got you hanging on my hips
I feel responsible for you, or like I am carrying you with me wherever I go
Like a worn-out dress with my skin showing through
Like an old, tattered garment that reveals my true self and emotions
Can't we forget about the truth?
Can we avoid facing reality or the difficult aspects of our situation?
It never called to me like it called to you
I am not as drawn to the truth or the need to acknowledge it as you are
And if salvation never takes our hands
Even if we never find a way to escape or improve our circumstances
We'll dance around the wreckage nonetheless
We will still try to enjoy life and find happiness amidst the chaos and destruction
Just as sure as every parting word
Every time we say goodbye or try to move on
Comes stuttering off every parting tongue
It is always difficult and painful to say farewell or let go
I cannot keep myself from stumbling back to you
I am always drawn back to you, even when it is not the best or healthiest choice
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Laura A Gibson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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