Mirel Wagner (born 3 December 1987), is a Finnish singer-songwriter. She wa… Read Full Bio ↴Mirel Wagner (born 3 December 1987), is a Finnish singer-songwriter. She was born in Ethiopia and raised in Espoo, Finland.

Wagner has been writing songs since the age of 16. Her self-titled debut album was released in February 2011 by the Finnish indie label Kioski. It was later released in United Kingdom and Europe by Bone Voyage Recordings and in North America by Friendly Fire Recordings. In August 2012 Time Magazine listed Wagner as one of the ″11 Great Bands You Don’t Know (But Should)″. Although her debut album was not a big success, it caused a lot of attention and in February 2014 Wagner was signed by the American record label Sub Pop.

Wagner's second album When the Cellar Children See the Light of Day was released in August 2014. The album peaked number one at the Finnish Album Chart. It was a nominee for the 2014 Nordic Music Prize which is an annual award for the Best Nordic Album Of The Year. She won the prize.

On 21 April 2015, Wagner performed on the music television show Later... with Jools Holland.

She also did the trailer song for Gore Verbinski's 2017 film A Cure for Wellness, which was a cover of The Ramones song "I Wanna Be Sedated".

Joe
Mirel Wagner Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Joe Joe Joe
where do you go
I'm going to wash my sins away
an angel told me so
when they find me in the river
tell my mother I was a good boy
I'm light as a leaf
an angel holding hands with me

no sign of sorrow
no sign of grief
when they find me in the river
tell my mother I was a good boy
Joe folds his clothes
and goes wading in
the birds are singing in the trees
there singing for me

when they find me in the river
tell my mother I was a good boy

Overall Meaning

The haunting and poignant lyrics in "Joe" by Mirel Wagner are open to interpretation, but there are a few key themes that can be discerned. The song is sung in the first person by someone who seems to be addressing a man named Joe. The singer asks Joe where he's going, but already seems to know the answer. Joe is going to wash his sins away, following the advice of an angel that the singer has also heard from. Although the reason for this desire to cleanse oneself is not explicitly stated, it seems to be related to a sense of sin, as well as a desire to be free from pain and sorrow.

The choice of drowning in a river as a way to cleanse oneself is particularly striking. The line "I'm light as a leaf" might suggest that the singer is already dead or dying, and the reference to an angel holding hands with him suggests a sense of peace and release from pain. Yet the fact that the singer asks the listener to tell his mother that he was a good boy when they find him in the river suggests that there may be some sense of shame associated with this act, or at least an awareness that it may be misunderstood.

Line by Line Meaning

Joe Joe Joe
The singer is addressing someone named Joe

where do you go
The singer is asking Joe where he goes

I'm going to wash my sins away
Joe is going to wash away his sins

an angel told me so
Joe was instructed to do so by an angel

when they find me in the river
Joe expects to be found in the river

tell my mother I was a good boy
Joe wants his mother to know that he was a good person

I'm light as a leaf
Joe feels weightless

an angel holding hands with me
Joe feels like he is being guided by an angel

no sign of sorrow
Joe is not sad

no sign of grief
Joe is not in mourning

Joe folds his clothes
Joe is getting ready to go into the water