Nerina Pallot (pronounced pal-oh in the French style) (b. 1975) is a London… Read Full Bio ↴Nerina Pallot (pronounced pal-oh in the French style) (b. 1975) is a London-based recording artist.

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.

Human
Nerina Pallot Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Worry, trouble and pain
Those old familiar foes come to call again
On your doorstep, cap in their hands
You've emptied all your pockets just to pay the man

One day, one day, we'll forget this all one day
Just for now we learn to say

We are not our sorrows
We are not our scars
No, we are only human
This is what we are

We've got a whole new world in our hands
We can dream ourselves awake, we can make a plan
We'll walk slowly, our heads in the air
Even this I know we'll bear

One day, one day, we will sing our blues away
Just for now we learn to say

We are not our sorrows
We are not our scars
No, we are only human
This is what we are

One day, one day, we will sing our blues away
Just for now we learn to say

We are not our sorrows
We are not our scars
No, we are only human

This is what we are
This is what we are.

Overall Meaning

The song "Human" by Nerina Pallot is a beautifully written heartfelt song that speaks to the struggles that we all face in life. The lyrics in the opening verses describe the common experiences of worry, trouble, and pain that can be all too familiar to us. These difficulties can come knocking on our door at any given moment, leaving us feeling drained and depleted. Pallot paints a picture of someone who has given all they have to make ends meet, even to the point of emptying their pockets just to pay the bills.

However, the chorus of the song gives us a glimpse of hope and optimism. Pallot reminds us that we are not defined by our sorrows or scars. We are human, and that is enough. The song also encourages us to dream and make plans, to walk slowly and hold our heads up high, even in the midst of adversity. The future may be uncertain, but we learn to embrace the present moment and all that it brings, both the sorrows and joys.

Ultimately, "Human" is a song about resilience and the power of the human spirit. No matter what we face, we have the ability to persevere and stay true to ourselves. We may not have all the answers, but we have each other and the strength within us to keep going.

Line by Line Meaning

Worry, trouble and pain
The common and recurring struggles of life that cause stress, difficulty, and physical or emotional suffering.

Those old familiar foes come to call again
The problems and challenges are familiar and feel like they've been faced before, making it seem like there is no escape from them.

On your doorstep, cap in their hands
The issues and obstacles have arrived at your doorstep, waiting for your attention and action.

You've emptied all your pockets just to pay the man
You have done everything you can to solve and overcome the problem, even to the point of giving away your resources, energy, or time.

We are not our sorrows
Our negative experiences and emotions do not define us or control our identity.

We are not our scars
Our past wounds or traumas do not dictate our present or future actions and decisions.

No, we are only human
We have limitations, flaws, and imperfections that make us vulnerable to pain and error.

This is what we are
We should accept, embrace, and celebrate our humanity with all its complexities, contradictions, and uniqueness.

We've got a whole new world in our hands
We have the power and potential to create and shape our future, and to see the world from a different perspective or vision.

We can dream ourselves awake, we can make a plan
We can use our imagination, creativity, and critical thinking to envision and pursue a better future, and to take concrete steps towards that goal.

We'll walk slowly, our heads in the air
We will move forward with confidence, optimism, and grace, refusing to be held back or burdened by the past or the present challenges.

Even this I know we'll bear
We are capable of enduring and persevering through the hardships and struggles, with the assurance that we are stronger than we think.

One day, one day, we'll forget this all one day
At some point in the future, we will no longer be troubled or affected by the current problems, as they will become distant memories or lessons learned.

Just for now we learn to say
For now, we need to acknowledge and accept the reality of our situation, but also to affirm our resilience and hope for a better tomorrow.

One day, one day, we will sing our blues away
We will eventually be able to find joy, happiness, and peace, despite the current struggles and setbacks, and to celebrate our victories and accomplishments.

This is what we are
We should never forget that our humanity is a precious and valuable gift, that deserves to be cherished and respected, in ourselves and others.

Contributed by Olivia M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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