Sometimes she plays solo and at others she is surrounded by a group of wonderful musicians consisting of Laura Wilkie, Siobhan Anderson and sometimes Louise Bichan (the fiddle pixies), Leo and Declan Forde and pianist Jennifer Austin.
She played the Communion night at Notting Hill Arts Centre in London, having had her track My Friend Fire, recorded and produced by Ben of Mumford and Sons. This was featured on the first Communion compilation album. .
Rachel has supported many acts, including Mumford & Sons on their Highlands & Islands tour as well as KT Tunstall, Newton Faulkner and John William Grant. Sermanni performed duets with both Faulkner and Grant.
Eggshells
Rachel Sermanni Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The ghost has laced a ribbon
No amount of soul she's given
She don't know what to give
Sitting empty rooms together
She wants to fit the shards together
Find out what they lost when they lost him
She fears she'll crack the eggshells
But the pendulum still swings
Delicate towards... that's within sight
Mmmm,
Has this frozen knows,
The cost of those who were lost at sea
These words won't carry everyone
And they won't carry me
These trees anchored to the ground
The birds take flight
The blossoms bound
I won't let them fall out or let them fall
Don't make this cold for me I
I feel it's snowing at my feet
Taking me down up on my knees
I think I need you, I think I need you
To know
That this frozen knows,
The cost of those who were lost at sea
These words won't carry everyone
And they won't carry me
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
That this frozen knows,
The cost of those who lost at sea
These words won't carry everyone
And they won't
That this frozen knows,
The cost of those who lost at sea
These words won't carry everyone
And they won't carry me
She dipped the anchor from the life
Strength ... of your sight
Together this is harder...
Sleep easy in your bed at night x 3
The song "Eggshells" by Rachel Sermanni is a melancholic tune that discusses uncertainty and grief in the wake of a significant loss. The lyrics paint a picture of a woman who is trying to move on from her grief while acknowledging her fears and uncertainties about the future. She encounters a man while preparing flour, and the ghost of her loved one has left behind a ribbon as she struggles to find purpose and meaning. The woman tries to fit the pieces of her shattered life back together but fears that she will break the fragile eggshells of her new reality.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the cost of loss and how the woman struggles to find adequate words to convey the depth of her feelings. The frozen refers to the woman's state of being, paralyzed by loss and grief as she struggles to pick up the pieces of her life. The lyrics describe her desire to find an anchor in her sea of grief, and how trees are anchored onto the ground while birds take flight. The woman wants to find a way to stand firm in her grief while allowing herself to move forward.
In the bridge, the woman finds comfort in knowing that her loved one understands the cost of loss and how it can consume a person. However, the lyrics also acknowledge that not everyone can understand the depth of the woman's pain, and that words alone cannot carry the burden of her grief. The song ends with the repetition of the phrase "sleep easy in your bed at night," which seems to suggest that despite the woman's struggles, she wants to find a way to find peace and rest.
Line by Line Meaning
Preparing flower she is faced with the man
As she prepares the flowers, she comes face-to-face with the man who haunts her
The ghost has laced a ribbon
The ghost has left a symbol of their connection to each other
No amount of soul she's given
She has given all she could of herself, but it doesn't seem like enough
She don't know what to give
She doesn't know what else to offer or give to the relationship
Sitting empty rooms together
They sit in silence in empty rooms with nothing to say to each other
She wants to fit the shards together
She wants to piece together their broken relationship and reconcile their differences
Find out what they lost when they lost him
She wants to understand what was lost and what caused their relationship to fall apart
She fears she'll crack the eggshells
She's afraid to ruin what little they have left in their relationship
But the pendulum still swings
Their relationship is still in motion and it's not clear if it will improve or deteriorate
Delicate towards... that's within sight
They must be careful with each other but they still have hope for a positive outcome
Has this frozen knows,
The singer is questioning if the person they are addressing (or themselves) is frozen in place and unable to move forward
The cost of those who were lost at sea
They are contemplating the sacrifices made from those who were lost in the ocean
These words won't carry everyone
Their message won't resonate with everyone who hears it
And they won't carry me
The singer doubts if their words will even carry themselves
These trees anchored to the ground
The trees are a symbol of stability that they can hold onto
The birds take flight
The birds are a symbol of freedom and change
The blossoms bound
The blossoms are bound to the trees and won't fall off easily
I won't let them fall out or let them fall
The singer is determined to make sure they don't lose their stability and fall like the blossoms
Don't make this cold for me I
The singer is pleading not to make things harder or colder for them
I feel it's snowing at my feet
The artist is feeling the pressure and burden of the situation
Taking me down up on my knees
The situation is overwhelming and bringing the artist to their knees
I think I need you, I think I need you
The artist recognizes that they need the other person to move forward
To know
They need the other person to know how they feel and what they want
She dipped the anchor from the life
She has let go of the anchor that was holding her back in life
Strength ... of your sight
She draws strength from the sight of the other person
Together this is harder...
The singer acknowledges that they cannot do this alone, and that things are more challenging when they are together
Sleep easy in your bed at night x 3
The singer wishes that the other person can rest easily at night, despite the difficulties they are facing
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
This line does not have a clear meaning, but is a musical interlude
Contributed by Keira O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
अन्वेषा Ghosh
Loved it..heard this song recently ..a song full of depth :) and this young lady is beautiful :)
Thomas Tavernier
Your voice is like life.. A beautiful gift :)
Portcullis
Lovely song and a beautiful voice. I especially love the way that she sings in her own gorgeous Scottish Highlands accent.
Joel Chudleigh
Loving this - amazing lyrics and voice
Marie-Claire Berreen & Her Husbands
How have I only just discovered her, where have I been - she's amazing
Dave Diepenbach
she is sent by heaven, she has the voice of an angel
DardisMusic
Wonderful. I know the acoustic version from your free download so it's now just nice to hear the full version. Vinyl/CD already ordered - fly Rachel, fly!
Molly Sunderland
I think i'm addicted to your music. Such a beautiful voice and gorgeous lyrics; just perfection to be honest! So jealous of your talent
Scott Bradstock
After seeing you at the Fink concert in Oxford I have followed you like mad. Such a nice voice and incredible songs. Fair play.
MorbidHarlequin
Interesting video, to go with a sublime song. The dark tones and shallow depth of field work wonderfully with the emotion of her voice. I like the close up shots of her eyes the best, for me they convey more strongly then anything else the meaning of the song. That distant look there, they sing with the song. Fantastic work.