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.
lilies
Noe Venable Lyrics
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I lay me down and someone cut my hair
I lay me down I cannot remember where
I think about it less than you'd think
The thing that happened when I was asleep
I think about it more than you'd know
The things that waking I myself chose
I dreamed a woman where the night sky met my eyes
I dreamed a woman she had lilies in her eyes
I feel that something inside me wants to rise
I think about it less than you'd think
The thing that happened when I was asleep
Sometimes it weighs heavy on me
The things I did when I was awake
Sometimes it weighs heavy on me
Noe Venable's song "Lilies" is a contemplative exploration of memory and identity. Starting with the lines "I lay me down like a truth amongst the dares / I lay me down and someone cut my hair / I lay me down I cannot remember where," the song creates an image of the singer surrendering themselves to a mysterious force that leaves them changed in some way. The use of "dares" suggests a willingness to take risks and challenge oneself, while the loss of hair is traditionally associated with loss of power or identity. The uncertainty about where the singer has laid themselves down further adds to the sense of disorientation and surrender.
The following lines, "I think about it less than you'd think / The thing that happened when I was asleep / I think about it more than you'd know / The things that waking I myself chose," suggest that the singer is grappling with memories that are both outside of their control (what happened to them while they were asleep) and within their control (how they choose to structure their waking life). There is a sense of duality here - the singer is both acted upon and self-directed.
The song's central metaphor is introduced in the lines "I dreamed a woman where the night sky met my eyes / I dreamed a woman she had lilies in her eyes / I feel that something inside me wants to rise." This woman with lilies in her eyes represents the possibility of growth and transformation, while the singer feels an urge to "rise" - to ascend, to move upwards. The use of flowers as a symbol is common in poetry and songwriting, and lilies in particular have numerous meanings depending on the context. Here, they could represent purity, renewal, or even death. The woman with lilies in her eyes is an intriguing and mysterious figure, and the fact that she appears only in a dream suggests that she is not easily accessible or graspable.
Overall, "Lilies" is a song that explores the tension between surrendering to forces beyond your control and actively choosing your path in life. The song's use of metaphor and contemplative lyrics create a dreamlike atmosphere that encourages the listener to reflect on their own experiences of memory and transformation.
Line by Line Meaning
I lay me down like a truth amongst the dares
I rest my being within the realm of all risks and possibilities
I lay me down and someone cut my hair
In a moment of surrender, there was a loss and transformation of self
I lay me down I cannot remember where
I relinquished control and lost sense of time and place
I think about it less than you'd think
My thoughts and memories are often shielded from others' perceptions
The thing that happened when I was asleep
An event occurred when I was unconscious and vulnerable
I think about it more than you'd know
I internalize and ponder the choices I make in conscious moments
The things that waking I myself chose
My conscious decisions hold weight and consequence
I dreamed a woman where the night sky met my eyes
In my subconscious, a figure of femininity appeared in the celestial realm
I dreamed a woman she had lilies in her eyes
The feminine figure held an innocent, pure quality within her gaze
I feel that something inside me wants to rise
I sense an internal drive pushing me to ascend and transform
Sometimes it weighs heavy on me
At times, I am burdened by the weight of my conscious decisions
The things I did when I was awake
My actions in the conscious realm hold weight and consequence
Sometimes it weighs heavy on me
At times, I am burdened by the weight of my conscious decisions
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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