Nastasia has released six albums so far, the first of which, Dogs, was initially released in 2000 in a miniscule edition of 1000 copies on Socialist Records. The album sold out quickly and her subsequent albums, The Blackened Air (2001) and Run to Ruin (2003) were released on indie label Touch and Go Records. The label also re-released Dogs in 2004. All three albums were recorded by Steve Albini, as were later albums released on Fat Cat Records. These include On Leaving in 2006 and You Follow Me (produced in collaboration with Jim White) in 2007. Her sixth and most recent album, Outlaster, was also recorded by Steve Albini and was released in June 2010, preceded by the single Cry, Cry, Baby in May.
Nastasia was a favorite of late BBC disc jockey John Peel and recorded six sessions for his shows. The last one was recorded with the help of Tuvan throat singing group Huun-Huur-Tu. Nastasia also contributed a song to the tribute compilation for Peel named "Bird of Cuzco". Two of Nastasia's songs made Peel's annual Festive Fifty: "Ugly Face" (ranked 4th in 2002) and "You, Her & Me" (13th in 2003).
Discography:
Albums
2000 Dogs (Socialist)
2004 Dogs re-released (Touch and Go)
2001 The Blackened Air (Touch and Go)
2003 Run to Ruin (Touch and Go)
2006 On Leaving (Fat Cat)
2007 You Follow Me [with Jim White] (Fat Cat)
2010 Outlaster (Fat Cat)
Singles
2008 What She Doesn't Know (Fat Cat)
2010 Cry, Cry, Baby (Fat Cat)
Nina's official myspace page can be found at www.myspace.com/ninanastasia.
Dogs
Nina Nastasia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was walking in an amusement park
With people all around me
We rode the roller coaster rides
And he was laughing as we
Jumped to the sky
And I saw that I looked just like him
It's a dog's life
I want to lead a dog's life
Run to the woods, dig a hole
Just him and me
He showed me all the various scented treasures on the ground
There was a little girl, and she was scared of me, and I was scared of her
He let out a bark then she screamed
Dropped her chocolate ice cream
Suddenly this old man chased us 'til we jumped the fence
It's a dog's life
I want to lead a dog's life
Under the couch, chew a bone
Just him and me
He ran across the street and barely missed a speeding car
Suddenly this old man grabbed him from around the corner
I hid behind a big trash can, wondered â??What's become of him?â??
I tried to stay, but curiosity kills me
The song "A Dog's Life" by Nina Nastasia conjures up a vivid picture of a woman dreaming of living the life of a dog. The lyrics start with Nina describing a dream she had about a dog. In the dream, she was walking in an amusement park with the dog beside her. They jumped and laughed as they rode the rollercoaster and other rides. Nina felt like she looked like the dog, and for a moment, they felt like one. The dream then continues with the dog showing Nina his world, the world of a dog. He leads her into the woods and shows her all the scented treasures on the ground. Together they explore and enjoy each other's company.
However, the dream takes a sudden turn when a little girl comes into the picture. The girl is scared of Nina, and Nina is scared of the girl. The dog barks at the girl, and in her fright, she drops her chocolate ice cream. This creates chaos as an old man begins chasing them until they jump the fence. This unsettling moment causes Nina to question her fleeting curiosity of living a dog's life.
The song "A Dog's Life" reflects on the simple joys of living in the moment, having a loyal companion and exploring new surroundings without boundaries. The dream of living a dog's life may seem like a perfect escape from reality with no responsibilities, but the complexities of the real world catch up with us, and we must face them. The song is a reflection on the fleeting moments of happiness we encounter in life.
Line by Line Meaning
I had a dream about a dog
The singer dreamed about a dog
I was walking in an amusement park
In the dream, the singer was walking in an amusement park
With people all around me
There were people around the singer in the amusement park dream
We rode the roller coaster rides
The singer and the dog rode roller coaster rides together in the dream
And he was laughing as we
The dog was laughing during the roller coaster rides
Jumped to the sky
The dog and the singer jumped to the sky during the roller coaster rides
And I saw that I looked just like him
The singer had a realization that she looked like the dog
It's a dog's life
The singer wants to lead a simple, carefree life like a dog
I want to lead a dog's life
The singer desires a dog's life
Run to the woods, dig a hole
The singer wants to run away to the woods and dig a hole with the dog
Just him and me
The singer and the dog would be alone together
He showed me all the various scented treasures on the ground
The dog showed the singer all the interesting smells on the ground
There was a little girl, and she was scared of me, and I was scared of her
There was a little girl who was scared of the singer and the dog, and the singer was also scared of the girl
He let out a bark then she screamed
The dog barked, and the girl screamed
Dropped her chocolate ice cream
The girl dropped her chocolate ice cream
Suddenly this old man chased us 'til we jumped the fence
An old man chased after the singer and the dog until they jumped over a fence
Under the couch, chew a bone
The singer wants to hide under a couch and chew a bone like a dog
He ran across the street and barely missed a speeding car
The dog ran across the street and nearly got hit by a car
Suddenly this old man grabbed him from around the corner
An old man grabbed the dog from around the corner
I hid behind a big trash can, wondered â??What's become of him?â??
The singer hid behind a trash can and wondered what happened to the dog
I tried to stay, but curiosity kills me
The singer was curious but ultimately couldn't stay to find out what happened to the dog
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: NINA NASTASIA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind