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.
Nothing to Remember
Neko Case Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's hard to maintain and it's hard to get by
I don't recall, fight or flight setting in
I had no introduction
I just breathe it in like the air
And there's nothing to remember
There is nothing to remember
I owe you nothing
That's all I've got for you
And you'll borrow nothing
That's what you expect of me
So you send me a love
Out of thin sailor's knots
And I fear underneath the weight of your thoughts
My footsteps now they won't echo too loudly
All I own
All I own
Are the strides I spend to the finish line
All I own
All I own
Are the strides I spend to the finish line
And I'll give you those
You told me something that scared me to death
Don't take me home
I can't face that yet
I'm ashamed that I'm barely human
And I'm ashamed that I don't have a heart you can break
I'm just action
And other times reaction
All I own
All I own
Are the strides I spend to the finish line
All I own
All I own
Are the strides I spend to the finish line
And I'll give you those
Just don't make me go home
Give me something to remember
Give me something to remember
Give me something to remember
The lyrics of Neko Case's song Nothing to Remember describe a sense of being lost and invisible in life. The singer of the song feels like they have spent their entire life trying to make themselves invisible and it has taken a toll on their ability to navigate and survive in the world. The singer reflects on their lack of memories and feelings, saying that they "breathe it in like the air." The chorus then repeats "There is nothing to remember," emphasizing the emptiness and lack of meaningful experiences in the singer's life.
The second half of the song shifts to a more specific interaction between the singer and another person. The other person expects things from the singer, borrowing without giving anything back. The singer fears the weight of the other person's thoughts and their own shame for not having a heart. They express a desire for something to remember and to not be forced to go home. The song ends with a final plea for something to remember.
The song creates a sense of loneliness, emptiness, and desperation. The singer seems to be searching for meaning and connection but cannot find it. The lyrics offer an insightful window into the mind of someone struggling to find their place in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
I spent my life becoming invisible
I dedicated my life to being unnoticed by others
It's hard to maintain and it's hard to get by
It's tough to keep up the facade of being invisible and to live this way
I don't recall, fight or flight setting in
I don't remember ever having an instinctual response to danger
I had no introduction
I was never properly introduced to the world or to myself
I just breathe it in like the air
I try to exist in this world by blending in, like breathing air
And there's nothing to remember
There are no significant memories or moments worth holding onto
I owe you nothing
I don't owe anyone anything
That's all I've got for you
That's the extent of what I can offer you
And you'll borrow nothing
You shouldn't expect or demand anything from me
So you send me a love
You offer me affection
Out of thin sailor's knots
But your love is insincere or flimsy, like a knot that could easily come undone
And I fear underneath the weight of your thoughts
I'm afraid of being burdened by your intense feelings or expectations
My footsteps now they won't echo too loudly
I will continue to stay invisible and not make a sound
All I own
The only thing that belongs to me
Are the strides I spend to the finish line
Are the efforts I make to reach my goals
And I'll give you those
I can offer you my hard work and determination
You told me something that scared me to death
You shared something that frightened me completely
Don't take me home
I don't want to confront my fears or face my problems
I can't face that yet
I'm not ready to deal with that yet
I'm ashamed that I'm barely human
I'm embarrassed that I'm not living up to societal expectations of what it means to be human
And I'm ashamed that I don't have a heart you can break
I'm not vulnerable to emotional pain like most people are
I'm just action
I live my life based on what I do, not who I am
And other times reaction
At other times, I'm simply responding to outside forces
Give me something to remember
I long for a significant moment or experience worth remembering
Give me something to remember
Something memorable would be a welcome change from my usual monotony
Give me something to remember
I want to feel alive and connected to the world
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Julian R
Man it's been a long time since I've clicked on this video. I still remember listening to this for the first time back in 2012. 2020 anyone?
Dimitris Setakis
2022 here and I only discovered this after watching the film😥
kcrb0202
Yes. Sometimes the randomly come back to me
Xtine
I love these songs because you can try to make sense of the lyrics and apply them to the books
Samuel Barron
Spent the entire 2012 listening to this song on this soundtrack ugh 💘
Briana Yanda
I LOVE THE HUNGER GAMES I READ THE BOOKS ABOUT 10 TIMES AND WATCHED THE MOVIE 72 TIMES
K.C. Kennedy
The lyric is “‘neath the weight of your thoughts” not “your radiant thoughts.” But brilliant mondegreen!
Melody Rosas
This song describes me painfully well... That's why I've kept coming back to it for years.. I connect with Katniss
towel
I hope you're doing well
𝙰𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚊_𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚗𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚏
feels like this is how katniss felt when the first games ended