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.

Patience
Nerina Pallot Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Been good, been bad, got worse, got better.
I feel I know myself when I'm looking in the mirror.
Been hurt, been loved I'm scarred, not bitter.
I am an angel with the knowledge of a sinner.
But what do I do, and how should I be?
When I look at myself, I can only see me.

I need a little patience.

Been hard, been soft, been both, been neither
Above it all, I am only a survivor.
Been down,been low, got up, got higher
We are only human, all just liars.
So I wait for the day when I open my eyes
And I look to myself, but it's no big surprise

I need a little patience.

Well I'm sitting here and sinking and I'm on the '8th floor
And I'm thinking do I jump or should I stay around for more?
I watch my friends get bigger and get better and get richer
But I'm not bitter
Time is ticking ticking ticking ticking ticking on with a vengeance
I want it all
I want it all

I need a little patience.

Overall Meaning

In Nerina Pallot's song Patience, the lyrics convey a sense of self-awareness and acceptance of one's past experiences. The first stanza illustrates that the singer has experienced both good and bad times, even reaching a low point, but has ultimately made progress towards self-improvement. The line "I am an angel with the knowledge of a sinner" suggests that the singer acknowledges their flaws from past experiences, but doesn't let it define them. The singer struggles with trying to figure out how to be the best version of themselves, but only sees themselves when they look in the mirror. Thus, in the chorus, the singer realizes that they need a little patience to come to terms with who they are and to recognize that they should accept and love themselves.

The second stanza continues this theme of self-acceptance and acknowledges the contradictions that make up the singer's personality. They realize that they have been both hard and soft, and neither of them truly defines who they are. They consider themselves survivors who have been through difficult times but have learned from them. The singer acknowledges that humans may lie but accepts that as part of the human experience. They wait for the moment when they can look at themselves with clarity and see themselves for who they truly are. By the end of the second chorus, the singer once again repeats that they need a little patience, hinting at the idea that self-love and acceptance is an ongoing process.

Line by Line Meaning

Been good, been bad, got worse, got better.
I've experienced both high and low moments in my life, but I've learned valuable lessons from them.

I feel I know myself when I'm looking in the mirror.
I have a deep understanding of my own identity, and I am comfortable with who I am.

Been hurt, been loved I'm scarred, not bitter.
I've been both hurt and loved, and although those experiences have left me with emotional scars, I refuse to let bitterness take over my life.

I am an angel with the knowledge of a sinner.
Even though I try to maintain a positive image, I'm self-aware enough to recognize my own flaws and mistakes.

But what do I do, and how should I be?
Although I have a clear sense of self, I struggle with understanding how I should behave or the direction I should take in life.

When I look at myself, I can only see me.
I am responsible for myself and cannot rely on external factors or people to dictate my path in life.

I need a little patience.
I understand that finding my way in life is a journey that requires time, effort, and resilience.

Been hard, been soft, been both, been neither
I've experienced different emotions and personalities throughout my life, and none of them define me completely.

Above it all, I am only a survivor.
Despite facing numerous challenges, I've managed to come out strong and resilient in the face of adversity.

Been down,been low, got up, got higher
I have experienced moments of depression and sadness, but I have also seen tremendous growth and improvement in myself over time.

We are only human, all just liars.
As humans, we all have flaws and shortcomings, and we sometimes lie to ourselves or others to protect ourselves.

So I wait for the day when I open my eyes
I am patiently waiting for a moment of clarity or insight that will help me make sense of my life.

And I look to myself, but it's no big surprise
Even when I reflect on myself, I am not startled or taken aback by what I see because I am self-aware.

I need a little patience.
I continue to recognize that patience is a key virtue in finding my way through life.

Well I'm sitting here and sinking and I'm on the '8th floor
I feel lost and overwhelmed, like I'm at a great height and have no idea how to descend safely.

And I'm thinking do I jump or should I stay around for more?
Sometimes I consider ending my struggles entirely or sticking around in the hope that things will improve.

I watch my friends get bigger and get better and get richer
While my friends seem to be making great strides professionally and personally, I'm struggling to keep up.

But I'm not bitter
Despite facing setbacks and obstacles, I refuse to become resentful or negative towards others' successes.

Time is ticking ticking ticking ticking ticking on with a vengeance
I am acutely aware of the passage of time and how it feels like it is slipping away from me quickly.

I want it all
I am driven and ambitious and want to experience everything that life has to offer.

I need a little patience.
Ultimately, I remind myself that perseverance and resilience are critical to achieving my desires.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Nerina Pallot

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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