In the summer of 1998, Nerissa and Katryna were asked to play Lilith Fair, but leave the boys at home. The performance was a success, and the sisters decided to do some shows on their own. This duo configuration, which Dar Williams jokingly dubbed "the Probe effect" (a term familiar to followers of Star Trek) allowed Nerissa and Katryna to travel to places in the country (especially the West Coast) that the full band hadn't been able to get to as often as their usual haunts in the East. Within a year, the duo was opening for Cry Cry Cry, doing a tour of Alaska, playing the Newport Folk Festival and becoming a bona fide act of its own.
Katryna joined Nerissa in the studio in the fall of 2001 to record their first record as a duo. Love and China was produced and engineered by Dave Chalfant (husband of Katryna and member of the Nields). Love and China was released in the spring of 2002 on Zoë, and Nerissa and Katryna spent much of the next year on the road touring in support of it.
Also in 2002, Nerissa was approached by Scholastic to write a young adult novel, Plastic Angel, based on the song "This Town Is Wrong" (from If You Lived Here, You'd Be Home Now). She had already been at work on a semi-autobiographical novel about a touring band, and jumped at this chance. Since the protagonist of Plastic Angel is a songwriter, it naturally follows that a CD should accompany the book. Nerissa and Katryna recorded the companion CD in the fall of 2003 (with Dave Chalfant once again producing), and This Town Is Wrong was released in 2004. The book was published in the spring of 2005.
2007 has seen the release of two separate CDs. The first is All Together Singing In The Kitchen, a collection of songs for all ages. The latest release is Sister Holler. Their fourteenth album to date brings them back to their folk roots while at the same time showcasing their growth as musicians and songwriters. The premise of the album is that Folk music has always been passed down orally, and as such, it changes with each generation of singers and songwriters. Each song was inspired by a pre-existing song: there's a revised version of the old spiritual, "Ain't That Good News," a modern sea chanty — even a version of Pachelbel's Canon in D.
Bio mostly taken from their official website: www.nields.com.
Paris
Nerissa & Katryna Nields Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I spent the day in a sidewalk café writing
I wrote thirty postcards all to you and every one said
'Having a good time, wish you were here'
I was supposed to meet Maria, but we got our signal crossed
So I walked along the Rive Gauche multiplying
I bought raspberries and the Daily News
I hope it works, it'll have to
And I dreamed last night
Of how the moonlight shines in your old room
And the fight that put me on this flight that brought me here
With no one to talk to
I took myself to the cinema and mostly closed my eyes
But every now and then I paid attention
And every now and then there was a word I understood
I got the joke and that's enough for today
And I dreamed last night
Of how the moonlight shines in your old room
And the fight that put me on this flight that brought me here
With no one to talk to
I took myself to the cinema and mostly closed my eyes
But every now and then I paid attention
And every now and then there was a word I understood
I got the joke and I wrote it down and put it
On a postcard and sent it to you
The song "Paris" by Nerissa & Katryna Nields is about loss, longing, and the quest for meaning. It tells the story of a protagonist who feels adrift and disconnected from the world. In the first verse, she takes a plane to Paris to remind herself of what she's lost, potentially a relationship or sense of purpose. She spends the day in a sidewalk café writing thirty postcards, all to one person. The postcards say "Having a good time, wish you were here," reinforcing her loneliness and isolation.
In the second verse, she was supposed to meet with Maria but got her signal crossed. She walks along the Rive Gauche and buys raspberries and the Daily News, hoping to take something home to make the person she wrote the postcards to happy. She dreams of the moonlight shining in their old room, and the fight that led her to take the flight and be alone in Paris. She takes herself to the cinema but mostly closes her eyes, only occasionally paying attention and getting a joke here or there, which she writes down on a postcard to send to the same person as before.
The song captures the feeling of being lost and disconnected and trying to find meaning or a sense of belonging in a new place. The singer seeks to connect with someone she loves but is unable to do so physically, leading to a sense of isolation and loneliness. The song's lyrics are a vivid depiction of the singer's struggles, and the message of the song is relatable for anyone who has ever felt lost.
Line by Line Meaning
I took a plane to Paris to remind me what I've lost
I flew to Paris to remind myself of what I no longer have in my life.
And I spent the day in a sidewalk café writing
I spent the whole day writing in a café beside the street.
I wrote thirty postcards all to you and every one said 'Having a good time, wish you were here'
I wrote thirty postcards to you, telling you that I am having a good time in Paris and wish you were here with me.
I was supposed to meet Maria, but we got our signal crossed
I planned to meet Maria, but we had a misunderstanding and missed each other.
So I walked along the Rive Gauche multiplying
Instead, I walked along the Left Bank of the Seine, enjoying the sights and sounds.
I bought raspberries and the Daily News
I bought raspberries and the newspaper.
And something to take home to make you happy
I purchased something to bring home with me to make you happy.
I hope it works, it'll have to
I hope it makes you happy, but it has to because it is all I can do.
And I dreamed last night
Of how the moonlight shines in your old room
And the fight that put me on this flight that brought me here
With no one to talk to
Last night, I had a dream about the moonlight in your old room and the argument that made me take this solo trip to Paris, where I have no one to share my thoughts with.
I took myself to the cinema and mostly closed my eyes
But every now and then I paid attention
And every now and then there was a word I understood
I got the joke and that's enough for today
I went to the cinema alone and mostly closed my eyes, but occasionally, I paid attention and understood a word or two. When I got the joke, it was enough enjoyment for today.
And I dreamed last night
Of how the moonlight shines in your old room
And the fight that put me on this flight that brought me here
With no one to talk to
Again, I dreamed of the moonlight in your room and the argument that made me come to Paris alone.
I took myself to the cinema and mostly closed my eyes
But every now and then I paid attention
And every now and then there was a word I understood
I got the joke and I wrote it down and put it
On a postcard and sent it to you
At the cinema, I sometimes understood a joke and wrote it down on a postcard to you.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: NERISSA NIELDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind