Venable performed in numerous theatrical and musical productions as a youth with the San Francisco-based Young People's Teen Musical Theater Company. She was also in the cast of the Lewis Carroll-themed musicals "Right Mind" and "Right Mind is Nowhere" directed by George Coates.
Her original one-act play "Annie Beckstead Does Her Homework" won at the Rocky Mountain Student Theater Project in Telluride, CO. She attended Bennington College as a Dramatic Writing and then a Music major before deciding to pursue music as a career.
In 2004 Venable moved to Brooklyn where she continues to compose and perform with longtime-collaborators Todd Sickafoose and Alan Lin. Her songs are noteworthy for their striking melodies and complex subject matter, and she invites comparison with musicians Elliott Smith and Mazzy Star.
Her albums include You Talking to Me? (1996), No Curses Here (1998), Down Easy (2000), Boots (2002), The World Is Bound by Secret Knots (2003), and The Summer Storm Journals (2007).
Noe is rumoured to have a second new album in the works, "a concept album-rock-opera-story thing" (the first being the recently released SSJ, a collection of songs), as stated on one of her rant room entries on her website.
Feral
Noe Venable Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wanna make it all the way to the ocean
I wanna live for life and no other
Cause I don't ever wanna be like my mother
I wanna learn to walk on the water
Cause I don't wanna be like my father
I have a sister and I got a little brother
And I don't ever wanna be like them either
Uh uh Uh
Feral
I had a place I'd go in the garden
Where I'd pretend that nobody made me,
Watch the sun going down on the day like a
Gentleman going down on a lady
And I had friends who would come and meet me
And we would stay 'til early evening
Singing, â??we're not gonna die away so easy
We're not gonna die away die away, noâ??
Uh uh UH!
I'm not scared to walk like a lady
And I'm not scared to cry like a baby
I'm not scared I'm not scared I'm not
I'm not scared I'm notâ?¦
The song "Feral" by Noe Venable is an expression of her desire for freedom and a yearning to escape the negative traits and patterns of her family. The first verse talks about her longing to run until her feet bleed and make it to the ocean, as a symbol of complete freedom. She wants to live for herself and not be like her mother, father, sister, or brother. The repetition of the line "Cause I don't ever wanna be like them either" emphasizes her desire to break away from inherited behaviors and beliefs.
The chorus of the song is a simple repetition of the word "Feral" which can be interpreted in a few different ways. It could be a reference to wild and untamed animals, representing her desire for a primal, instinctual existence free from societal norms and constraints. It could also refer to her own inner wildness that she wants to embrace and nurture.
The following verse describes a place she would go in the garden where she could feel free and pretend that nobody made her. This verse reinforces the theme of escaping societal expectations and the pressures of others. She also speaks of her friends who would join her in this place, singing that they're not going to be extinguished easily, solidifying the idea of their desire for freedom and living life on their own terms. The final line of the last verse repeats, indicating that she's not afraid to cry, walk like a lady, or live her life without fear, demonstrating her conviction to live life on her own terms.
Line by Line Meaning
I wanna run 'til my feet start bleeding
I want to keep going, to push myself to the limit.
I wanna make it all the way to the ocean
I want to succeed and reach my goals, no matter how far away they seem.
I wanna live for life and no other
I want to live for myself and not try to fulfill the expectations of others.
Cause I don't ever wanna be like my mother
I don't want to repeat the mistakes of my mother and follow in her footsteps.
I wanna learn to walk on the water
I want to accomplish things that seem impossible, to live a life without limits and restrictions.
Cause I don't wanna be like my father
I don't want to repeat the mistakes of my father and follow in his footsteps.
I have a sister and I got a little brother
I have a family, but I don't want to be like them because I want to live my own life.
And I don't ever wanna be like them either
I don't want to repeat the mistakes of my siblings and follow in their footsteps.
Feral
The term 'feral' can be interpreted as a wild and untamed feeling, embracing one's natural instincts and desires.
I had a place I'd go in the garden
I had a place where I could escape and be alone.
Where I'd pretend that nobody made me
I would imagine a world where I was free from the expectations and judgments of others.
Watch the sun going down on the day like a
I would appreciate the beauty and wonder of the world around me.
Gentleman going down on a lady
The comparison to an intimate act suggests a sense of reverence and awe for the world and its natural beauty.
And I had friends who would come and meet me
I had friends who were like-minded and shared my desire for freedom and exploration.
And we would stay 'til early evening
We would spend as much time as we could together, enjoying our freedom and our youth.
Singing, â??we're not gonna die away so easy
We were determined to live our lives to the fullest and not let anyone or anything hold us back.
We're not gonna die away die away, noâ??
We were committed to living boldly, to experiencing everything that life had to offer, without fear or reservation.
I'm not scared to walk like a lady
I'm not scared to embrace my femininity and express myself however I want.
And I'm not scared to cry like a baby
I'm not scared to show my vulnerability and my emotions.
I'm not scared I'm not scared I'm not
I'm not afraid to live my life on my own terms.
I'm not scared I'm notâ?¦
I'm not afraid to be myself and to be true to who I am, no matter what anyone else thinks.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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