Case moved around often as a child, spending the largest part of her youth in Tacoma, Washington. She left her parents at age 15 and three years later she started playing drums for several bands around the Northwest's punk rock scene. In 1994, she moved to Vancouver, BC to enter art school, and simultaneously joined the punk group Maow, who released a record on the Mint label. She also played with roots rockers the Weasles, and eventually formed her own backing band, the Boyfriends, which initially featured alumni of the Softies, Zumpano, and Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet.
Case released her solo debut, The Virginian, in 1997, delving wholeheartedly into traditional country via a mix of covers and originals. She went on to perform with Carolyn Mark in the old-timey side project the Corn Sisters, and recorded with the Vancouver indie supergroup the New Pornographers, which she continues to be a member of. In 1998, Case completed her studies and, with her student visa expired, returned to Washington and began work on her second solo album. The lovely, melancholy Furnace Room Lullaby was released on Bloodshot Records in 2000 and won high praise from most critics.
Case subsequently relocated to Chicago, home of a thriving alt-country scene, and released the home-recorded Canadian Amp EP in 2001. Its moody, late-night ambiance carried over to 2002's Blacklisted, a darker yet more eclectic affair; it garnered Case her strongest reviews up to that point, making many year-end critics' polls, and landed her a tour slot opening for Nick Cave. Blacklisted was recorded at Wavelab Studio in Tuscon AZ, where Case had moved to in 2002.
In 2004, Case signed with Anti Records in the United States, and that year she released a live album, The Tigers Have Spoken, recorded during several dates with Canadian surf-country band the Sadies.
Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, hailed by critics as an instant classic and Case's most realized work yet, followed in 2006. Calexico's Joey Burns and John Convertino contributed guitar, cello, bass, and drums to the album.
On March 3, 2009, Case released Middle Cyclone. It was her first album to reach the top ten's on the Billboard charts in the US.
Middle Cyclone was followed by "The worse things get, the harder I fight, the harder I fight, the more I love you" which came out September 4th 2013.
Case now lives on her farm in Vermont.
Jettison
Neko Case Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I didn't let go so you'd stay
I did let you go 'cause I love you so much
And it kills me to see us this way
Love saved my life when you found me
A debt I can only repay
By closing the doors, now I'm savin' yours
Sandman take me much further than sleep
We'll ride down that river of tears
Where only the stars and the angels will weep
As I jettison all of my years
Long are the nights I lay cryin'
Wasn't because you weren't true
I hope you can finally be happy my love,
'Cause I'd give up my own life for you
Sandman take me much further than sleep
We'll ride down that river of tears
Where only the stars and the angels will weep
As I jettison all of my years
Oh, I jettsion all of my years
Oh, I jettison all of my years
"Jettison" by Neko Case is a song that speaks about the pain of letting go of someone you love, not because they hurt you or because you want them to stay, but because you love them enough to sacrifice your own happiness for theirs. The first verse reveals the motivation for letting go; the singer loves the person too much to see them unhappy, even if it means being apart from them. It's a selfless act of love that speaks to the depth of the singer's emotions.
The second verse reveals that the relationship was important to the singer because it saved their life. They feel a debt to the person they are letting go of, and in letting go, they are saving that person's life as well. The bridge discusses the grief and pain the singer has been experiencing, and how it's not caused by the person they are letting go of. Finally, the song closes with the repetition of the chorus, emphasizing the finality of this decision to let go and move on.
Overall, "Jettison" is a powerful song about love, sacrifice, and the pain of letting go. The lyrics are emotionally honest and touch on themes that are relatable to anyone who has experienced the end of a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I didn't let go 'cause you hurt me
I didn't leave because you hurt me, but because I knew staying would hurt us more.
I didn't let go so you'd stay
I didn't let go to make you stay, I did it for our own good.
I did let you go 'cause I love you so much
I let go because I love you so much, and I couldn't bear to see us suffer any longer.
And it kills me to see us this way
This situation pains me deeply, and it hurts to see us in this state.
Love saved my life when you found me
I owe my life to the love you showed me when we met.
A debt I can only repay
I owe you a debt that I can never fully repay.
By closing the doors, now I'm savin' yours
By ending things, I'm actually saving you from further hurt and pain.
And I know that you want it this way
I can sense that deep down, you know it's better for us to end things.
Sandman take me much further than sleep
I want the Sandman to take me on a journey beyond my dreams, to a place where I can let go of everything.
We'll ride down that river of tears
Together we'll go down a path that's full of emotions and pain.
Where only the stars and the angels will weep
We'll be in a place where only the celestial beings can understand and feel our pain.
As I jettison all of my years
I'll be unloading all of the baggage that comes with years of pain and heartache.
Long are the nights I lay cryin'
I've been up all night crying for a long time.
Wasn't because you weren't true
It wasn't because I thought you were dishonest, but because of the pain we both feel.
I hope you can finally be happy my love,
I hope that you can finally be happy, my love, even if it's not with me.
'Cause I'd give up my own life for you
I'm willing to give up everything, even my own life, for you to be happy.
Oh, I jettsion all of my years
I'm finally letting go of all the hurt and pain from the past.
Oh, I jettison all of my years
I'm finally unburdened and free from the weight of my past struggles.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Ford Pier, Neko Case
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Greesh Bhatt
Something about how pop music plays crappy music instead of this song
mjanovec
Helpful reply.
Stink Fistula
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Bringing On Breakdown
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