Nina Persson (born Nina Elisabet Persson September 6, 1974 in Örebro, Swede… Read Full Bio ↴Nina Persson (born Nina Elisabet Persson September 6, 1974 in Örebro, Sweden) is the lead singer and lyricist for the Swedish pop group The Cardigans. Originally, she was going to art school until she started with the The Cardigans. She has also worked as a solo artist, releasing two albums as A Camp and appearing on the tribute album to Serge Gainsbourg entitled Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited. She has also worked with rock group Sparklehorse. She appears on the Manic Street Preachers song "Your Love Alone Is Not Enough" on the album "Send Away the Tigers". This track was voted "Track of the year" by Dutch radio station KXradio.

Persson is married to the American composer and musician Nathan Larson. She sung the lyrics to some of his songs on the soundtracks to Todd Solondz’ movie "Palindromes" and Australian movie "Little Fish".

Persson also made her acting debut in the movie "Om Gud vill" which was released in 2006.

She is currently working on her solo album.

www.cardigans.com

Éléphant
Nina Persson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I caught you smiling with pointed teeth
What once was beautiful has turned bitter and cheap
So now there's nothing I can do for you
But leave your roses out to die

I misbehaved
I'm in your way
I'm in your way

Like an elephant

Gentle smiling with pointed teeth
Now there's a war between my high hopes and me
So this is how you put an end to things?
By cutting throats with a smile?

I misbehaved
I'm in your way
In your way
Like an elephant

But in the corner of my mind
A little angel saying

Don't waste your love
You love too much

Overall Meaning

In Nina Persson's song "Elephant", the lyrics describe a relationship that has turned bitter and cheap. The singer caught the other person involved in the relationship "smiling with pointed teeth", which shows a certain aggression and malice that was not present before. The singer is helpless to do anything for the other person and feels like they are in the way. They compare themselves to an elephant, which is a metaphor for feeling too large and cumbersome to move out of the way. The lyrics show a sense of resignation and sadness as the singer recognizes the end of the relationship.

The lyrics also suggest a kind of internal struggle happening within the singer. They describe there being a "war between my high hopes and me," which shows that they have conflicting feelings about the relationship. The other person seems to have cut the singer out of their life with a smile, which highlights the cruelty and insensitivity of the situation. Despite this, the singer hears a little voice in their mind encouraging them not to waste their love and that they love too much. This shows that the singer is still struggling to come to terms with the end of the relationship and hasn't given up hope entirely.

Overall, the lyrics to "Elephant" paint a picture of a relationship that has gone sour, leaving the singer feeling helpless and unsure of what to do next. The use of animal metaphors adds a sense of weight and emotion to the lyrics, making the song feel both powerful and melancholic.

Line by Line Meaning

I caught you smiling with pointed teeth
I caught you with a cunning smile, showing your deceitful and manipulative nature

What once was beautiful has turned bitter and cheap
You have transformed from a once-beautiful person to one who's bitter and empty

So now there's nothing I can do for you
I can't help you change because you're not willing to change yourself

But leave your roses out to die
I'm leaving behind anything good that you've given me; it will wither away just as our relationship did

I misbehaved
I made some mistakes

I'm in your way
I'm blocking your path

I'm in your way
I'm still in your way

Like an elephant
Like a heavy burden that you can't get rid of

Gentle smiling with pointed teeth
You're gentle on the outside, but conniving on the inside

Now there's a war between my high hopes and me
I have high aspirations, but they conflict with my desires

So this is how you put an end to things?
Is this how you chose to destroy our relationship?