Biography
A former football player, Nicolai was signed by the Telegram label of Warner records, releasing two albums that did not sell enough copies to enable him to give up his part-time job as a gardener.
A meeting with Ebbot Lundberg of the Swedish band Soundtrack of our Lives led to two further albums, a tour with Emiliana Torrini and the use of one of his songs in an advertisement for an oil company. This small influx of cash enabled the production of a trio of vinyl albums with the Esbjörn Svensson jazz trio.
This steady production of somewhat experimental acoustic music attracted the attention of Americana luminaries Will Oldham and Jonathan Donahue, and a contract with the Dolores Recordings branch of Virgin Records followed. The first album on this label, Soul Rush with backing from the Esbjörn Svensson trio attracted some limited attention in 2001, but the next album, 2003's Tranquil Isolation, achieved widespread, especially thanks to its input from Will Oldham.
A third album, Here's My Song, You Can Have It followed in 2004.
He is currently touring the USA with Mercury Rev.
Father
Nicolai Dunger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
While you whisper and falter, who am I to see?
I think I'm running away from you. I think I'm running away from you, while I wonder true.
For you I just feel love so deep. But you tell me I'm a drifter and I'm falling to the gound.
And that I'm running away from you. And that I'm finding away from you, while I wonder true.
the seasons, they grow like every other do. yhe years, they just follow like every other do.
And I don't want to leave you down in the ground
The opening line of Nicolai Dunger's song "Father" already sets the tone for the rest of the song. "To say you're a father is a wrong thing to do" suggests a complex relationship with the father figure, where the singer perhaps does not possess the garden variety father-child relationship. This relationship is further brought to life in the next line as the singer tries to fathom who they are compared to the father figure. This indicates some dissociation or distance that has been created between the father and the singer.
The singer is running away from the father figure and yet feels a deep love for them. The father figure, on the other hand, projects a negative image unto the singer by accusing them of being a drifter and falling to the ground which could indicate a sense of shame the father brings onto the singer. The seasons and years are used as a reminder of time that passes and how it affects everything including the difficult relationship between the father and the singer. The closing line of the song, "And I don't want to leave you down in the ground" adds a layer to the complexity of the relationship, suggesting some form of inevitability, loss or foreboding.
Line by Line Meaning
To say you're a father is a wrong thing to do.
It's inappropriate for me to call you 'father'.
While you whisper and falter, who am I to see?
Your uncertainty and hesitancy make it hard for me to understand you.
I think I'm running away from you. I think I'm running away from you, while I wonder true.
I feel like I'm distancing myself from you, all while still questioning why.
For you I just feel love so deep. But you tell me I'm a drifter and I'm falling to the ground.
I have such strong affection for you, but you criticize me for being aimless and failing.
And that I'm running away from you. And that I'm finding away from you, while I wonder true.
You accuse me of avoiding you and looking for a way out, while I'm still unsure about everything.
the seasons, they grow like every other do. yhe years, they just follow like every other do.
Just like all things in life, time passes and things change.
And I don't want to leave you down in the ground
I don't want to see you die and be buried.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: NICOLAI DUNGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind