Grammy winner and 7 time Grammy nominee Paula Cole has released six solo albums spanning an eighteen year career. She has sold approximately three million albums and has performed with icons in many genres of music from Peter Gabriel to Dolly Parton (and many more.) Cole’s emotionally deep and thrilling performances are a trademark. Poetic and fiercely touching, intelligent writing makes Cole stand apart. Her compositions have been covered by Herbie Hancock, Annie Lennox, Katherine McPhee to name a few. From a small town in Massachusetts Paula Cole was raised in a musical family with whom she and her daughter remain close. Cole is a scholarship alumna from Berklee College of Music with a background in jazz, received her first record deal with a jazz label (which she declined), and has collaborated with many jazz artists. Paula teaches and gives clinics in a spirit of giving back to the circle of music. With a loving allegiance to her fans, she maintains loyal communication online and after her live shows. As the first woman in history to solely produce and receive the best Producer Grammy nomination for her work, “This Fire”, Cole has broken boundaries with a searcher’s spirit. From her top ten hits of the 1990’s to her more recent critically acclaimed albums, Paula Cole continues to write, produce, record and perform heartfelt, meaningful, lasting music that defies categorization.
14
Paula Cole Lyrics
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Faraway and not listening anymore
Dreaming of life on another shore
Not here, not now, with me, the bore
So I stop talking and fade to bleak
Feeling insignificant, atrophied and weak
Even though it's not who I know myself to be
Doesn't speak
[Chorus:]
But I was 14 with my passion
And 15 with my best
16 with my ego
And zero with the rest
My heart is a P.O.W. tangled in my chest
I don't know how to communicate in a cardiac arrest
Your eyes they drown me in your sadness
Your words they bring hurricanes
Braving Shakespearean tempest
The mighty tiger
Doesn't blink
[Chorus]
I think I found the one
Silent suffering inside
The one who got away
I was too dangerous to hide
[Chorus]
So I stop talking, baby, 'cause you always want me to shut up
Take the center stage meanwhile I become your trusted, silent prop
So take good care, this mighty woman's ready to explode
Fire here below the surface of my volcano
The lyrics of Paula Cole's song "14" seem to be about a woman who is struggling in a relationship with someone who is distant and not fully present with her. She compares her partner's detachment to the Cliffs of Moher, which are beautiful but far away and out of reach. She feels ignored and overlooked, as her partner seems to be more interested in their own dreams and desires than in being with her. The woman in the song feels insignificant and weak, even though she knows she is capable of being confident and powerful. She reflects on her past and how she used to be full of passion and ego, but now feels like her heart is a prisoner in her chest. She admits that she doesn't know how to communicate effectively in this relationship, as if she is experiencing a kind of emotional heart attack.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "I was 14 with my passion / And 15 with my best / 16 with my ego / And zero with the rest / My heart is a P.O.W. tangled in my chest / I don't know how to communicate in a cardiac arrest." This seems to be a nostalgic and regretful reflection on the woman's past self, when she was full of ambition and confidence. Now, she feels boxed in and trapped, unable to express herself or connect with her partner.
In the last verse of the song, the woman seems to be reaching her breaking point. She feels like she has been suffering in silence, and that her partner cannot handle her emotions. She describes herself as "too dangerous to hide" and warns that there is a "fire here below the surface of my volcano." It is clear that the relationship is in a dangerous place, and she is ready to explode.
Line by Line Meaning
Your eyes they conjure up those Cliffs of Moher
You make me feel like I'm looking at the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland with your eyes
Faraway and not listening anymore
You're distant and not paying attention to me anymore
Dreaming of life on another shore
You're daydreaming about living somewhere else
Not here, not now, with me, the bore
You don't want to be here with me, the boring one
So I stop talking and fade to bleak
I stop talking because I feel sad and hopeless
Feeling insignificant, atrophied and weak
I feel unimportant, weak, and powerless
Even though it's not who I know myself to be
This isn't how I see myself normally
The Queen, the confidence Doesn't speak
Even though I usually feel confident, I can't express myself now
But I was 14 with my passion
When I was 14, I had a lot of passion
And 15 with my best
When I was 15, I had all the best things in life
16 with my ego
When I was 16, my ego was very strong
And zero with the rest
But I had nothing else going on in my life
My heart is a P.O.W. tangled in my chest
My heart feels trapped like a prisoner of war in my chest
I don't know how to communicate in a cardiac arrest
It's hard for me to express myself when I feel like my heart is stopped
Your eyes they drown me in your sadness
When I look into your eyes, I feel overwhelmed by your sadness
Your words they bring hurricanes
Your words feel like a destructive force like a hurricane
Braving Shakespearean tempest
We're facing a huge storm like something out of a Shakespeare play
The mighty tiger Doesn't blink
You're as strong as a tiger, and you don't flinch
I think I found the one
I think I found the person I'm meant to be with
Silent suffering inside
But you're silently suffering inside
The one who got away
I feel like you got away from me
I was too dangerous to hide
You felt like you couldn't hide things from me because I could see through it
So I stop talking, baby, 'cause you always want me to shut up
I stop talking because you want me to be quiet all the time
Take the center stage meanwhile I become your trusted, silent prop
You want to be the main focus while I'm just a supportive, silent figure
So take good care, this mighty woman's ready to explode
Be careful, because I'm a strong woman who is ready to unleash my true power
Fire here below the surface of my volcano
There's a fiery passion within me that's ready to erupt like a volcano
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PATRICK LEONARD, PAULA COLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind