Peyroux started singing at the age of fifteen, when she discovered street musicians in the Latin Quarter in Paris. She joined a group called the Riverboat Shufflers, first passing round the hat, and then singing. At sixteen she joined the The Lost Wandering Blues and Jazz Band, spending two years touring Europe performing songs by the likes of Fats Waller, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and others, which provided the basis for her first album, Dreamland.
Dreamland was released in 1996, and gained widespread attention. Time called it "the most exciting, involving vocal performance by a new singer this year". Dreamland, is a brilliant recording, as Peyroux's distinctive voice is not hindered by overly intricate arrangements. Most of the accompaniment on the record is light and sparse, the way it should be for a singer with such a unique voice. Peyroux soon found herself opening for Sarah McLachlan and Cesária Évora, and made appearances at jazz festivals and on the Lilith Fair tour.
In May 2002 she joined multi-instrumentalist William Galison, and together they appeared at such venues as the Bottom Line, Joe's Pub, and the Tin Angel. In 2003 the duo released a seven-song EP entitled Got You on My Mind, which they sold at shows and online. Got You on My Mind was re-released by William Galison in August 2004; the original EP was expanded by the addition of four tracks by Gallison.
Peyroux released her own sophomore effort, Careless Love, in September 2004. The album received generally positive reviews.
Her new album, Half the Perfect World, was released on September 12, 2006. She collaborated with several artists, including Jesse Harris, Walter Becker, Larry Klein (who also produced the album), and K.d. lang, with whom Peyroux duets on a cover of the Joni Mitchell song, "River".
On July 12, 2007, she was awarded Best International Jazz Artist at the BBC Jazz Awards.
Damn The Circumstances
Madeleine Peyroux Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Made soft by older brothers
My body is like my father's house
The sin of generations
Damn the circumstances
Life is hard enough
Damn the bones that rattle
You shook the ground beneath my feet
My hopes turned into water
The house came crashing down on me
In the early morning hours
Damn the circumstances
Life is hard enough
Damn the bones that rattle
Faith is good enough
Now the lines are drawn
And we sleep in rags at dust
Where all good will is gone
And the dreams we had went bust
Damn the circumstances
Life is hard enough
Damn the bones that rattle
Faith is good enough
In Madeleine Peyroux's song "Damn The Circumstances," the lyrics speak to the idea of inherited pain and trauma. The line "My heart is like a hand me down, made soft by older brothers" suggests that past experiences of the singer's family have affected them in a profound way. The metaphor of the heart being "hand-me-down" conveys a sense of being passed down from one generation to the next, with all of the emotions that come with it. The idea of the body being "like my father's house / the sin of generations" furthers this idea of passing down trauma and pain through family lines. The idea of sin suggests a sense of guilt or wrongdoing, which could be a reference to past actions that have contributed to the present struggles of the singer.
The chorus of the song, "Damn the circumstances / Life is hard enough / Damn the bones that rattle / Faith is good enough," speaks to the idea of resilience and finding faith in a difficult world despite the pain and trauma that has been inherited. The use of harsh language such as "damn" could suggest a sense of frustration or anger towards the circumstances, but the following line of "life is hard enough" acknowledges the difficulty of the situation. The idea of bones rattling could be seen as a physical manifestation of the pain that has been carried, yet the idea of faith being "good enough" provides a sense of hope and possibility for overcoming the pain.
Line by Line Meaning
My heart is like a hand me down
My heart has been passed down and has grown tender due to previous experiences.
Made soft by older brothers
It has been made more delicate by the shaping hands of those who came before me.
My body is like my father's house
My physical being is like my father's dwelling, with its own secrets and issues passed down from generations before me.
The sin of generations
There is a burden that has been laid upon me by those who came before me and the things they've done.
Damn the circumstances
A cry of frustration - a realization that life is hard enough as it is and that the world shouldn't add further burdens to us.
Life is hard enough
Life provides enough challenges as it is without extra issues and challenges being piled on top.
Damn the bones that rattle
We shouldn't let our fears and insecurities shake us up and prevent us from living life to the fullest.
Faith is good enough
Having faith in something can be enough to sustain and comfort us through difficult times.
You shook the ground beneath my feet
Someone or something has come into my life and caused a significant disruption and upheaval in my world.
My hopes turned into water
My aspirations and dreams have lost their solidity and have become insubstantial and ephemeral.
The house came crashing down on me
My foundation and sense of security have been destroyed, leaving me vulnerable and exposed.
In the early morning hours
This occurred when I wasn't expecting it, and when it was the last thing I wanted or needed at that moment.
Now the lines are drawn
A clear boundary has been established between us, with no ambiguity or uncertainty.
And we sleep in rags at dust
We are now living in poverty and squalor, without the luxuries or comfort we once had.
Where all good will is gone
The kindness and compassion we once experienced has disappeared entirely, leaving only bitterness and anger in its wake.
And the dreams we had went bust
Our dreams have been shattered, and we are left with nothing but disappointment and disillusionment.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: DAVID BATTEAU, LARRY KLEIN, MADELEINE PEYROUX
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
luischreck
Lovely song and beautyful voice ... Magic for my ears !
TheWalkingweaponDD7
The writing on this song is top notch!
ishmael huggins
A gem of a vocalist!
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PERFECT
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