Born on the 2nd February 1985 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Gardot took up piano and played as a youngster on the nightclub scene of Philadelphia, influenced by jazz, folk, rock, and pop musics. At the age of nineteen she was a fashion student at the Community College of Philadelphia. While cycling in Philadelphia in November 2003 she was hit by a car whose driver had ignored a red traffic light. In the accident she suffered serious head and spinal injuries, and her pelvis was broken in two places. Because of these severe injuries she was confined to her hospital bed for a year. Her musical beginning was prompted by a tending physician who was concerned with her cognitive impairment as a result of head injury sustained in the accident. He believed that music would help her brain injury improve, as it has been known to show remarkable results in improving people's cognitive ability after such trauma.
Following her doctor's suggestion, Gardot made recordings bedside, while still unable to walk, and eventually released the works as an EP: Some Lessons: The Bedroom Sessions (2005). Gardot's desire to be well, combined with a bit of luck, brought her to the attention of a local radio DJ at the AAA station WXPN (known for launching the careers of artists such as Amos Lee and Norah Jones). Her cognitive powers slowly but surely became pronounced, leading to the independent recording and release of her debut CD, Worrisome Heart, which was reissued in 2007 by Verve records.
Gardot is hypersensitive to light and noise, so wears dark glasses; she also uses a cane to walk. Onstage she requires a special seating unit, and wears a Transcutaneous Electro-Nerve Stimulator, a TENS device, to assist in alleviating her neuralgic muscle pain. Though touring is difficult, she has been performing in major cities on the East Coast of the U.S. to support her recordings. In 2009, working with producer Larry Klein and arranger Vince Mendoza - both known for their work with Joni Mitchell - Gardot followed up her Verve debut with My One and Only Thrill.
In 2012, she released the album The Absence.
She Don’t Know
Melody Gardot Lyrics
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You gon' meet your maker when he hands you dough
Late-night creature go a-walkin' with her
Head hung low
All her features are a talkin'
But-a she don't know
She don't know
Hips are swaggerin' and achin' to and fro
She don't need no education
When the streets are mean
He done seen a revelation now
In her jeans
but she don't know
How easy it is to make a dollar
When a man gonna give you his wages
Just to make him scream and holler
With a number left, left in the pages
But she don't know
In Melody Gardot's song "She Don't Know," the lyrics describe a woman walking down the streets late at night, and the people, places, and experiences she encounters. The woman seems unaware of how vulnerable she is to the dangers around her, despite the fact that her appearance and behavior draw attention from men looking to exploit her. The line "Mean concrete got you walkin' to a place you know" implies that the woman is headed to a familiar location, perhaps implying that she is a sex worker. The following line "You gon' meet your maker when he hands you dough" suggests that the woman's work is dangerous and that she is putting her life at risk in return for money.
As the song progresses, the focus shifts to the woman's physical appearance and sexual appeal. The lyrics describe her hips "swaggerin' and achin' to and fro" and her figure "in her jeans." The line "She don't need no education when the streets are mean" suggests that the woman doesn't have other options to make a living, other than selling her body. The line "He done seen a revelation now in her jeans" suggests that a man has become enamored with the woman's sexual appeal, which has become his "revelation." Overall, the song seems to offer a bleak picture of a woman living on the streets and relying on her sexuality to survive.
Line by Line Meaning
Mean concrete got you walkin' to a place you know
You're stuck in a routine and following a path you've taken before
You gon' meet your maker when he hands you dough
You'll face the consequences of your actions when you receive your payment
Late-night creature go a-walkin' with her
A woman who is out late at night
Head hung low
Feeling ashamed or embarrassed
All her features are a talkin'
Her body language and appearance speaks for herself
But-a she don't know
She's unaware of how she presents herself to others
High heels clingin' on a pavement streets aglow
A woman wearing high heels walking on brightly lit streets
Hips are swaggerin' and achin' to and fro
Her hips are moving with confidence and discomfort
She don't need no education
She's relying on her looks and street smarts instead of her education
When the streets are mean
In a harsh environment where people are willing to do anything to survive
He done seen a revelation now
The man who pays her has had a realization
In her jeans
Revelation was due to her clothing or appearance
But she don't know
She's oblivious to the impact she's had on the man
How easy it is to make a dollar
It's easy to make money doing what she's doing
When a man gonna give you his wages
When a man is willing to give up his hard-earned money for her services
Just to make him scream and holler
She'll do whatever it takes to satisfy the customer
With a number left, left in the pages
Her customer's contact information is written down somewhere for future business
But she don't know
She's unaware of the potential consequences of her actions
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MELODY GARDOT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind