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.
There Where He Lives In Me
Melody Gardot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There in the air I breathe
Like a river that runs through my heart how it seems
That my love, he's a weaver of all my most infinite dreams
There where he lives in me
Amizade e amigo d'amour
In this beauty of silence
How she takes off her white dress
Just to pass you her beauty
There where all our tears are just from laughter
There we are always together
Even when he's gone forever
There where he lives in me
There where he lives in me
In this beauty of silence
With the moon here beside me
How she takes off her white dress
Just to pass you her beauty
There where all our tears are just from laughter
There we are always together
Even when he's gone forever
Hmm, there where he lives in me
There where he lives in me
The lyrics of Melody Gardot's song "There Where He Lives In Me" is an ode to the enduring nature of love. The singer is speaking about the permanence of love, even when the beloved is no longer physically present. The lyrics suggest the idea that love transcends time and distance, and resides within the singer's heart and soul. She describes her love as a weaver of all her infinite dreams, highlighting an essential quality that love brings into one's life.
The song's lyrics also make use of a poetic device called personification. The moon, which is present in the night sky, is described as taking off her white dress and passing on her beauty as if the moon is a person. This metaphorical language evokes the idea of the moon as a witness to the enduring nature of the love being sung.
Overall, "There Where He Lives In Me" is a moving song about love's ability to transcend physical space and time. The lyrics are evocative and poignant, highlighting the emotional power of love and its transformative effect on our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
There where he lives in me
He resides within me, where my love for him can never be taken away or replaced.
There in the air I breathe
In every breath I take, he exists and fills my lungs.
Like a river that runs through my heart how it seems
His presence flows within me, shaping and influencing my life in deep and meaningful ways.
That my love, he's a weaver of all my most infinite dreams
He has the power to create beautiful and endless dreams within me, bringing hope and comfort to my soul.
Amizade e amigo d'amour
Friendship and love intertwined, like a beautiful dance of the heart.
In this beauty of silence
In peaceful moments of stillness, his presence is still felt and cherished.
With the moon here beside me
The celestial light of the moon illuminates my heart, reminding me of his connection to me.
How she takes off her white dress / Just to pass you her beauty
The moon reveals her truest, most inner beauty to me, representing the depth of my love's beauty and character.
There where all our tears are just from laughter
In his presence, joy is abundant and tears flow from pure happiness and not sorrow.
There we are always together / Even when he's gone forever
Our bond exists beyond the physical realm, and his memory lives on in my heart forever.
Hmm, there where he lives in me
The powerful and unbreakable connection between us is recognized and honored, forever residing within me.
Writer(s): Pierre Aderne, Melody Gardot, Phillippe Baden Powell
Contributed by Jacob G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.