With her opera singer for a mother, theater organist father and Björk’s Homogenic on constant rotation, Oh Land was enraptured by the combination of experimental and classical arts. “My goal is to sound like I’m from 2050, but still feel really classic, like the music is an old friend,” said Oh Land. She spent her days pirouetting as a ballet dancer at the Danish Royal Ballet Academy when an injury forced her to reinvent herself and discover her true talent and passion as a musician. Oh Land was discovered by Kasper Bjørke who soon released her first album, Fauna, which garnered critical acclaim in her homeland of Denmark. Her soundscapes are lavish, crunchy, symphonic, brute and captivated with rhythms that fly apart. She translates the sounds live via her contraption - a homemade one-woman-band music box topped with balloon video projections (seeing is believing). Her music is for movement and new songs such as the thumping Sun of a Gun and euphoric White Nights have proven to make even the most portentous get up and dance. Having been discovered by Epic Records at 2009’s SXSW, she is currently putting the finishing touches on her US debut album and an EP to be released this fall.
www.ohlandmusic.com
Numb
Oh Land Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She is shy
While we are waiting for her message
Constantly groping in her darkness
Firefly came
All expectations make her heart feel numb
She got a local anesthetic
She heard the siren calls
From the shadowy side
She built a house in the darkness
As the light fainted
In an open country
And her heart was
Numb
So numb
She is dancing in her grass skirt
While we are waiting for her silence
Thunder and rain
will weigh on her shelter
Morning rise
All expectations make her heart feel numb
She got a local anesthetic
And the light fainted
She heard the siren calls
From the shadowy side
She built a house in the darkness
As the light fainted
In an open country
And her heart was
Numb
The lyrics to Oh Land’s “Numb” describe the story of someone who is going through a difficult time in their life. The lyrics seem to suggest that this person is experiencing depression, as they are constantly groping in their darkness and the expectations of others are making them feel numb. The lyrics go on to describe how this person has built a house in the darkness, away from prying eyes, but they remain numb even in this space. The image of a firefly passing by, illuminating the darkness, is used to describe a fleeting moment of hope before the numbness sets back in.
The second verse describes how this person tries to distract themselves from their feelings by dancing in a grass skirt, yet their mind is still weighed down by the thunder and rain that symbolizes their troubles. The chorus repeats the same imagery of receiving a local anesthetic and feeling numbness in their heart, emphasizing the overwhelming feeling of detachment from their emotions.
Overall, the lyrics to “Numb” paint a vivid picture of someone who is struggling with their mental health and feeling disconnected from their emotions. The lyrics use imagery of darkness, shadows, and numbness to create a sense of isolation and loneliness.
Line by Line Meaning
She is shaking
She is nervous or anxious
She is shy
She feels uncomfortable and lacks confidence
While we are waiting for her message
Others are anticipating some form of communication from her
Constantly groping in her darkness
She is struggling in her own personal turmoil and is trying to find her way through it
Firefly came
Something small and insignificant, like a firefly, is able to brighten her mood momentarily
All expectations make her heart feel numb
The pressure of meeting expectations from others is weighing heavily on her and is causing her to become emotionally numb
She got a local anesthetic
She sought out something to numb her emotional pain
And the light fainted
She loses hope or optimism
She heard the siren calls
She is drawn to things that are not necessarily good for her
From the shadowy side
From a dark or sinister place
She built a house in the darkness
She created a space for herself in a place that lacks light or positivity
As the light fainted
Hope or positivity fades away
In an open country
A metaphor for her emotional state, where she feels exposed and vulnerable
And her heart was
Her emotional state was
Numb
Emotionally desensitized or unfeeling
She is dancing in her grass skirt
She is trying to find joy and happiness in something simple and carefree
While we are waiting for her silence
Others are expecting her to be quiet or reserved
Thunder and rain will weigh on her shelter
Metaphor for difficult times that will be challenging for her to endure
Morning rise
A new beginning or fresh start
All expectations make her heart feel numb
The pressure of meeting expectations from others is weighing heavily on her and is causing her to become emotionally numb
Contributed by Aiden Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.