Her songs have featured on several TV shows, including The L Word, Charmed, How I Met Your Mother, ER , Nip/Tuck, Men in Trees, Alias, One Tree Hill, Brothers & Sisters, Grey's Anatomy and The O.C., to which she made a guest performance in season 2. Her song was also used in So You Think You Can Dance (Season 6). Yamagata also contributed a song to Mandy Moore's 2007 album, Wild Hope. She also toured with Moore, opening many of her shows around the country.
On May 22, 2008, a new banner was added to her site indicating the digital release of a new EP, Loose Ends, with three new songs, serving as a preview for the now delayed release of her second full-length album.
In early 2008, her site featured a "teaser video" for the new album. The album was finally released on October 7, 2008. Yamagata's second studio album is called Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart. This album is much darker than its predecessor and deals more with heartache. It was originally slated for release in the late-summer of 2007.
On October 9, 2008, a two-song live acoustic video performance premiered on LiveDaily Sessions, featuring the songs "Faster" and "Sunday Afternoon".
On April 2, 2009, she performed her single "Elephants" on One Life to Live in the fictional Capricorn Cafe.
She previewed the song "Jonah" on October 10, 2009 on her official website. Later on in November 2, Yamagata premiered the song "He Loves You Deep Inside". The songs serve as an appetizer to her next record.
Quiet
Rachel Yamagata Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I had read all of this
in his eyes.
Long before he even said so,
Why go? I asked.
You know,
and I know why.
when I leave
as it was
when I first got here.
I don't expect anything,
I don't expect anything...
Take care.
I've been hurt before.
Too much time spent
on closing doors.
You may hate me,
but I'll remember to love you.
Goodbye,
don't cry.
You know why.
And it'll be just as quiet
when I leave
as it was
when I first got here.
I don't expect anything,
I don't expect anything...
All the waves of blame arrange as broken scenery,
As they steal your best memories away.
What if I was someone different in your only history?
Would you feel the same
as I walk out the door?
Never to see your face again;
Never to see your face again.
And it'll be just as quiet
when I leave
as it was
when I first got here.
It'll be just
as quiet,
when I leave
as it was
when I first got here.
I don't expect anything,
I don't expect anything,
I don't expect anything,
I don't expect anything,
I don't expect anything,
I don't expect anything
to change
when I leave.
The lyrics of Rachel Yamagata's song "Quiet" depict a person about to leave their partner, but not before reflecting on the history of their relationship. The first verse reveals that the singer's partner has already told them they cannot come with him, but the singer had already known what was going to happen through long before their partner said anything. The singer asks why he has to leave, but they both know the reason why. The singer's partner is leaving, and they have to accept it.
In the chorus, the singer acknowledges that it will be quiet, similar to when he first arrived. The lines "I don't expect anything, I don't expect anything" suggest the singer has given up hope for something better or different to happen, accepting that things will stay the same. The singer walks out of the door, but not before telling the person to take care, and that no matter how much they may hate him, he will still love them.
In the second verse, the lyrics suggest regret for the time the singer has spent closing doors, which means the time they have wasted on relationships that didn't work out. The line "What if I was someone different in your only history?" shows that the singer is wondering if they were different, would the outcome be the same? Even if they were different, it wouldn't matter because they are still walking out the door, and they will never see their partner's face again.
Overall, the song captures the feeling of a relationship coming to an end, and while the singer is saddened by it, they also accept it and wish the other person well.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby says I can't come with him.
My partner told me I cannot stay with him anymore.
And I had read all of this in his eyes.
I saw it coming before he even spoke to me.
Long before he even said so,
He had been thinking about leaving me for a long time.
Why go? I asked. You know, and I know why.
I asked him why he was leaving, even though we both knew the reason why.
And it'll be just as quiet when I leave as it was when I first got here.
There will be no fuss when I go, as there was none when I arrived.
I don't expect anything, I don't expect anything...
I do not anticipate anything or any kind of reaction from him.
Take care.
I hope he takes care of himself.
I've been hurt before.
I have experienced pain in the past.
Too much time spent on closing doors.
I have spent too much time ending relationships.
You may hate me, but I'll remember to love you.
Even though he may hate me, I will still choose to love him.
Goodbye, don't cry. You know why.
I am leaving now, but there is no need to cry because he knows why I am leaving.
All the waves of blame arrange as broken scenery, As they steal your best memories away.
Memories of our past together now seem broken and unpleasant.
What if I was someone different in your only history? Would you feel the same as I walk out the door?
If I had been a different person during our time together, would you still let me go without a fuss?
Never to see your face again; Never to see your face again.
I will never get to see his face again, now that he is leaving me.
It'll be just as quiet, when I leave as it was when I first got here.
I am leaving without a sound, just as how I had arrived.
I don't expect anything, I don't expect anything, I don't expect anything, I don't expect anything, I don't expect anything, I don't expect anything to change when I leave.
I do not expect anything to change after I leave.
Contributed by Micah M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.