Polly Jean "PJ" Harvey is an English singer, songwriter and musician. Prima… Read Full Bio ↴Polly Jean "PJ" Harvey is an English singer, songwriter and musician. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments.

Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined local band Automatic Dlamini as a vocalist, guitarist and saxophonist. The band's frontman, John Parish, became her long-term collaborator. In 1991, she formed an eponymous trio called PJ Harvey and subsequently began her career as PJ Harvey. The trio released two studio albums called Dry (1992) and Rid of Me (1993) before disbanding, after which Harvey continued as a solo artist. Since 1995, she has released a further nine studio albums with collaborations from various musicians including Parish, former bandmate Rob Ellis, Mick Harvey and Eric Drew Feldman, and has also worked extensively with record producer Flood.

Among the accolades Harvey has received are both the 2001 and 2011 Mercury Prize for Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (2000) and Let England Shake (2011), respectively, making her the only artist to have been awarded the prize twice. She has also garnered eight Brit Award nominations, seven Grammy Award nominations and two further Mercury Prize nominations. Rolling Stone awarded her three accolades: 1992's Best New Artist and Best Singer Songwriter, and 1995's Artist of the Year. Rolling Stone also listed Rid of Me, To Bring You My Love and Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea on its list of their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In 2011, she was awarded for Outstanding Contribution To Music at the NME Awards. In the 2013 Birthday Honours, she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to music.

No Girl So Sweet
PJ Harvey Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

In came a girl with the saddened eyes
And asked him over again and again
Was I too weak?
Was I a child?
And can't believe they must start
Again.

Mm hm oh-ho

Say I don't mind if you take me down,
And I don't mind if you break it all,
But how much more can you take from me?
How much more can you take from me?

I'd like to take you inside my head.
I'd like to take you inside of me.
He came from heaven is all he said.
You came from heaven and came into me.
Oh-ho, oh-ho.

He drove it fast and made it the whole night,
And daddy's angel where she laid

Rested my head and closed her eyes.
And outside the heat in those summer days,
Deep in the sky, a storm it seemed.
Deep in the sky, a storm it seemed.
They make nothing; no girl so sweet.

Took them from heaven and gave them to me.
Took them from heaven and gave them to me.
Took them from heaven and gave them to me.

Took them from heaven and gave them to me.
Took them from heaven and gave them to me.

Overall Meaning

PJ Harvey's "No Girl So Sweet" is a hauntingly beautiful song that speaks to the complexities and turbulence of relationships. The song begins with the entrance of a girl with "saddened eyes" who repeatedly questions her strength and whether she was acting childish. She expresses disbelief that they must start over again, suggesting that she has been hurt before and cannot bear to endure another round of pain. The chorus then shifts to a narrator who laments how much more they can take, suggesting that the pain and turmoil of their relationship is becoming overwhelming.

In the next verse, the singer expresses a desire to share their innermost thoughts and feelings with the person they are addressing, inviting them inside their head and inside of them. The singer then notes that "He came from heaven is all he said," implying that this person they are addressing is some sort of divine entity or savior who has come to rescue them from their pain. As the song progresses, the singer describes a night driving with someone they refer to as "daddy's angel," and seeks refuge and comfort in their arms. The song concludes with a repetition of the line "Took them from heaven and gave them to me," which suggests that the singer has found some sort of healing or redemption in their relationship with this person.

Overall, "No Girl So Sweet" is a deeply emotive song that explores themes of pain, longing, and redemption within relationships. The lyrics are cryptic yet poignant, with Harvey's voice providing a hauntingly beautiful quality that adds to the overall atmosphere of the piece.

Line by Line Meaning

In came a girl with the saddened eyes
A girl entered with sadness in her eyes

And asked him over again and again
She repeatedly asked him

Was I too weak?
She wondered if she was too feeble

Was I a child?
She doubted if she behaved immaturely

And can't believe they must start Again.
She's distressed that they have to start over again

Say I don't mind if you take me down,
She doesn't care if he destroys her

And I don't mind if you break it all,
She's fine with him ruining everything

But how much more can you take from me?
She's questioning how much more she can endure

I'd like to take you inside my head.
She wants to share her thoughts with him

I'd like to take you inside of me.
She wants him to understand her emotions

He came from heaven is all he said.
He claimed to be from heaven