Pallot was born in London, but spent most of her childhood on the island of Jersey. Her mother is from India, whilst her father is native born from Jersey. Early in life, she spent some time living in India, but spent most of her early school years in Jersey. From there she won a scholarship to Wellington College, a famous military public school in England. Her time at this school provides much of the personal inspiration behind her single Everybody’s Gone to War as several of her school friends were directly involved in the Iraq war.
Nerina Pallot is classically trained in singing and piano, and then engaged in a peripatetic career around the fringes of the music industry. Outside these various industry-related jobs, Nerina Pallot was an active part-time musician with an ambition to follow a career in performing and song writing. At some point her career took her to her favourite job of this time, as PA to the music industry executive Andrew King; a key figure in the management of Pink Floyd from its earliest days. Still following her ambition to pursue a musical career, Pallot signed to Polydor in her mid-20s, despite misgivings from Andrew King. This signing resulted in the release of an album containing self-penned songs; the ironically titled Dear Frustrated Superstar (2001). However, singles released from this album failed to make a sales mark as did the album. Following this, Nerina Pallot was dropped by Polydor among some bitter recriminations which are documented on her web site. This experience was later to lead to the writing of Mr. King, a touching, and very probably unique tribute to a senior music industry executive.
Following this episode, Nerina Pallot returned to University to study English with a partially formed plan to become an English teacher. However, during her studies she rekindled a love of lyrical English and started to write again. The song Idaho came from this period, using the state as a metaphor for the place where she wanted to actively steer her life, rather than just letting it drift. Idaho, Mr. King, and Everybody’s Gone to War became three of the tracks that made up her second album Fires. This was, in part, financed by money from her publishers, Chrysalis, who had remained faithful, and partly through re-mortgaging her home. As important was the extensive good-will and contacts that she could call upon within the industry in both London and Los Angeles. The eventual album was released under her own label Idaho which, despite rave reviews, failed to make significant sales headway. This, and subsequent activities, lead to an early termination of her degree course, but she has expressed a desire to complete it.
Nerina Pallot persisted by extensively touring the country, and sometimes Europe, supporting acts such as Missy Higgins, Sheryl Crow, James Blunt, Suzanne Vega, Joseph Arthur, and Ray LaMontagne. This, and a very active and acerbic presence on MySpace resulted in a considerable word-of-mouth following. Typical of many of her contemporary artists in the Internet world, she is strongly supported by a group of dedicated fans, connected via so-called social networking sites. Nerina Pallot also benefits from support within influential parts of the media including the BBC.
Eventually this activity and support resulted in Nerina Pallot being signed to the Warner label 14th Floor who specialise in promoting acts with a partially established following. Fires received a slight makeover, and was re-released under the 14th Floor label. Everybody’s Gone to War was released as a single with a video filmed in a Los Angeles supermarket in the style of a Hollywood war film, save being staged as a “food-fight”. A second single, a remixed Sophia, was released in early October 2006. Learning to Breathe is to be released in early 2007 as the third single under the 14th Floor label.
During the summer of 2006 Nerina appeared at many music festivals, promotional and charity events. For the autumn months she is touring intensively in the UK and Europe as a headline act.
During her early 2007 tour of the UK and Ireland, Nerina Pallot reprised several songs from her Dear Frustrated Superstar period, possibly marking a coming to terms with a dark period in her career.
In 2007 Nerina Pallot was nominated for a Brit Award in the Best British Female category won by Amy Winehouse. Such was the unexpected nature of this nomination to her, that she had already set the date, St. Valentine’s day 2007 for her marriage to the music video producer Andrew Chatterley, both briefly leaving the reception in London for the award show.
Nerina Pallot released her third studio album "The Graduate" in 2009, on her own label. Nerina worked with many writers for the album but when it came down to the final tracklist only Pallot written material has made the cut. She wrote in her blog that she had approximately 60 viable songs. The album title refers to Pallot's 2009 graduation from university with a first-class honours English Literature degree.
Nerina Pallot and her husband Andy Chatterly wrote the title track and third single, "Better Than Today" from Kylie Minogue's 2010 studio album, "Aphrodite". Pallot signed with Geffon Records and released "Year Of The Wolf" in 2011. The album's title comes from her son, Wolfie, with whom she was pregnant during the recording of the album. Lead single "Put Your Hands Up" was originally written for Kylie Minogue.
Girl On A Wire
Nerina Pallot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My heart in my mouth again
Nervously fumbling, secretly stumbling
Looking for the right chord
Eye on the prize, but blinded by fear
The muscles and blood arrive
Hissing of wings, hysterical flame
Beckoning her on toward
Because the win is everything and nothing now
And all is life late like memories
I'm losing my nerve again
Am I losing my nerve again?
Lost in the glare of the cruel white light
The circus of one below
So brittle and bold, ready to score
Something beyond the end
I want to know where the black-eyed goes
Lost in himself alone
Simple in words, eye on the prize
Silently believing
But the win is everything and nothing now
And all my life late like memories
The win is everything, it's everything
I'm finding my nerve again
I'm finding my nerve again
Girl on a wire
Girl on a wire
The lyrics of "Girl on a Wire" by Nerina Pallot seem to be about someone trying to achieve something, but being plagued by fear and doubts. The metaphor of being on a wire represents the feeling of being in a precarious situation and trying to balance everything just right in order to succeed. The person sings about being nervous and stumbling around, trying to find the right chord. At the same time, they are aware of the prize that awaits them if they can just make it across the wire. They can hear the hissing of wings and see the flame that is beckoning them onward. However, fear is still holding them back and blinding them.
As the song continues, the focus shifts to the onlookers below. The singer describes them as "the circus of one," implying that perhaps they are the only ones watching or caring about the person on the wire. The singer wants to know where the black-eyed goes, perhaps referring to the people who have already succeeded in this scenario. However, the singer acknowledges that even though they may be alone, they are silently believing in their own success. The chorus brings us back to the idea that the win is everything: it's the goal and the motivation, but it's also an empty and fleeting thing.
Overall, "Girl on a Wire" seems to be a song about the fear of failure and the pressure to succeed. The wire represents the high stakes of whatever situation the singer is facing, whether it be a literal tightrope walk or a metaphorical challenge in life. The song acknowledges that the possibility of failure is always there, but also emphasizes the need to keep going and find the courage to continue on.
Line by Line Meaning
Girl on a wire, it's a balancing act
The singer is feeling the pressure of balancing her life and wants to succeed in it like walking on a wire.
My heart in my mouth again
The singer is very anxious and her heart is racing with fear.
Nervously fumbling, secretly stumbling
The singer is stumbling and trembling with fear while trying to hide her nervousness.
Looking for the right chord
The singer is searching for the perfect combination of notes to create the right melody.
Eye on the prize, but blinded by fear
The singer is determined to succeed, but her fear is making it difficult for her to focus on the goal.
The muscles and blood arrive
The singer feels an adrenaline rush, which makes her muscles and blood surge with energy.
Hissing of wings, hysterical flame
The sound of wings and a burning flame is urging the singer to reach her goal.
Beckoning her on toward
The singer feels like she must continue towards her goal because she has already come so far.
Because the win is everything and nothing now
Winning has become the most important thing for the singer, but it also means nothing because she is unsure of the outcome.
And all is life late like memories
The singer's life feels like a memory that has been delayed because she has been focusing so much on winning.
I'm losing my nerve again
The singer is becoming nervous again and fears that she may not succeed.
Am I losing my nerve again?
The singer is questioning whether or not she is starting to lose her nerve and if it will ultimately affect her success.
Lost in the glare of the cruel white light
The singer feels like she is being blinded by the harsh spotlight and it is hindering her focus.
The circus of one below
The singer feels like she is all alone in the competition, as if she is the only act in the circus.
So brittle and bold, ready to score
The singer is feeling fragile and weak, but at the same time, she is determined to score and succeed.
Something beyond the end
The singer is searching for something beyond just winning, like a sense of fulfillment and purpose.
I want to know where the black-eyed goes
The singer is looking for inspiration from someone who has already succeeded in their goals.
Lost in himself alone
The person the singer is searching for is lost within themselves and cannot provide her with the guidance she seeks.
Simple in words, eye on the prize
The answer to success may be simple, but the singer still finds it difficult because she is so focused on the ultimate prize.
Silently believing
The singer is quietly holding onto her belief in herself and her goal.
The win is everything, it's everything
Winning has become the singer's main motivation and desire.
I'm finding my nerve again
The singer is regaining her confidence and strength to keep going towards her goal.
I'm finding my nerve again
The singer repeats this line to emphasize her renewed confidence in achieving her goal.
Girl on a wire
The singer repeats the song's title as a reminder of her current state and the challenges she faces.
Girl on a wire
The singer repeats the song's title again to emphasize the feeling of being on a tightrope and balancing her life.
Contributed by Jordan F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@bouwebear597
Girl on a wire, it's a balancing act
My heart in my mouth again
Nervously fumbling, secretly stumbling
Looking for the right chord
Eye on the prize, but blinded by fear
The muscles and blood arrive
Hissing of wings, hysterical flame
Beckoning her on toward
Because the win is everything and nothing now
And all is life late like memories
I'm losing my nerve again
Am I losing my nerve again?
Lost in the glare of the cruel white light
The circus of one below
So brittle and bold, ready to score
Something beyond the end
I want to know where the black-eyed goes
Lost in himself alone
Simple in words, eye on the prize
Silently believing
But the win is everything and nothing now
And all my life late like memories
The win is everything, it's everything
I'm finding my nerve again
I'm finding my nerve again
Girl on a wire
Girl on a wire