Blasko was first heard in the mid-1990s fronting Sydney band, Acquiesce, after an initial tour of France with founding members Dave Hemmings, Paul Camilleri, and her sister Kate Halcrow. With material written by Blasko and Camilleri, they recorded a single and an EP with producer Hugh Wilson, receiving some local attention.
In 2002, Sarah decided to go solo. Material for the Prelusive EP - a result of initial explorative collaborations with Wilson but fully realised with Nick Schneider and Steve Francis - was originally recorded as demos. However, after becoming disillusioned with the indecisiveness and lack of solid commitment from the labels she met with, Blasko decided to release and promote the material independently. With the financial assistance of then-manager Craig New, she also produced a music video for the leading track, "Your Way".
The track was picked up by local community stations such as 2SER, as well as the national youth broadcaster, Triple J – who also gave light rotation to two other EP tracks, "Will You Ever Know" & "Be Tonight". "Your Way" was also featured on the test loop of fledgling Sydney community radio station 2FBi, when the station began to broadcast full-time.
After this initial success, Sarah was approached by and eventually signed to Brisbane-based label, Dew Process, who repackaged and re-released the EP. There are minor variations to the packaging of the major label release, which make the independent release slightly more valuable to collectors.
In late 2004, Blasko released her debut album, The Overture & the Underscore, recorded in Hollywood at the studio of engineer Wally Gagel. She co-produced the album with Gagel and fellow songwriter, Robert F Cranny.
The album was met with critical acclaim and received gold accreditation in Australia, despite limited commercial radio play. In 2005 Blasko was rewarded for her work with four ARIA nominations. Of particular note was her nomination for Album of the Year.
Sarah spent most of April 2006 recording her second album in Auckland, New Zealand at Roundhead Studio, the studio of Crowded House frontman Neil Finn.
Sarah produced the album with Robert F Cranny , and "Flame Trees" collaborator and Midnight Oil guitarist and keyboard player, Jim Moginie . The recording session was engineered by Paul McKercher, who has worked with numerous Australian bands including Glide, The Cruel Sea , You Am I and more recently Augie March.
The final addition to this all-Australian team was New York-based producer/engineer, Victor Van Vugt, who mixed the record. Van Vugt has worked on a number of Beth Orton records and has a long association with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds , mixing a number of their albums as well as some Mick Harvey solo work and production efforts such as PJ Harvey’s Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea.
The album was nominated for the 2006 J Award, and debuted at number 7 on the ARIA Albums Chart. It led to her first ARIA win for Best Pop Release at the 2007 ARIA awards and a nomination for Sarah for Best Female Artist.
After some posts detailing on her blog that Sarah would be soon releasing new material on a third album, on July 10, 2009 she released 'As Day Follows Night'. Produced by Bjorn Yttling of Peter, Bjorn & John and recorded in Stockholm, Sweden, the album was performed with a band of local Swedish musicians with comparatively little electronic production in contrast to her previous works. The end result was an album retaining Sarah's signature style of pop and trip hop, while adding some jazz influences to the mix. This release, along with her extensive touring across Australia resulted in her receiving the ARIA award for Best Female Artist and being nominated in two other categories.
Diverging from previous efforts, Sarah made a conscious effort on her third album to make her songs more intimate, closing the distance between herself and the listener. In an interview to The Brag magazine by Mike Gee, she states 'Generally the songs are more open and I didn't want to obscure them too much... I wanted the songs to be straight to the point. I wanted them to be like classic old pop songs in that they had that structure.'
In 2011, Sarah collaborated with two other artists, Sally Seltmann and Holly Throsby, to form a group named Seeker Lover Keeper. They released a namesake album in June of that year and promoted the record by touring churches around Australia.
October 2012 saw the return of Sarah's solo work in which she released her fourth independent record, 'I Awake'. In an effort to explore her family's heritage, she recorded the songs with the Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra. However, she was aware that recording such an album was risky. Sarah stated in an interview that she did not want the album to be 'watered down' or 'unnecessary'.
She is currently promoting the record by touring Australian cities in which she invited their respective orchestras to provide backing music. Most recently, she performed live in the Sydney Opera House where the concert was streamed live via Youtube. Soon, Sarah will embark on a European tour to promote her album overseas.
The Garden's End
Sarah Blasko Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're picking up my scent
You're trying to hunt me down
In the hope that I'll give in
But I know these tracks
Better than I know you ever could
You're breathing down my neck
Nobody wanted this
Not after all these years
Still the darkness draws us deeper
In just like a trap
But now I've got you here
I'll never lead you back
For the garden's end
Is where wilderness begins
You dug a hole for me
That I'll bury you in
And if you raise the dead now
I might lead you back
And if you cut your hair
I might leave a map
Nobody wanted this
Not after all these years
Nobody noticed you
But now they're on to you
You say you'll have the last laugh
But the winters coming
And the snow will cover tracks
And I'll be watching
Because I'm hunting you
And nobody's buying it
Not after all these years
But somebody's noticed you
And now I'm on to you
The Garden's End by Sarah Blasko depicts a story of two individuals who are in a cat-and-mouse chase. The song's lyrics are a metaphorical representation of the pursuit of one person by the other. The person being pursued knows the tracks better than the one chasing after them. The first verse tries to convey that the singer is aware of the predator's actions and tries to avoid being caught. The second verse, "Still the darkness draws us deeper in just like a trap" takes about how the darkness of the situation leads them into a trap where they are caught in the middle of chasing and being chased. However, the singer now has the upper hand, having the predator caught in their trap, and they will never lead them back.
The chorus's lyrics, "For the garden's end is where wilderness begins /You dug a hole for me that I'll bury you in" take a metaphorical representation of the consequences of the predator's actions. The predator has dug their own grave by trying to hunt the singer. The bridge of the song portrays how the hunted is well aware of the predator's actions - "And I'll be watching because I'm hunting you." In conclusion, The Garden's End lyrics symbolize an individual's journey in overcoming challenges and taking control, which is depicted through the metaphors used in the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh I can hear you breathing
I am aware of your presence around me, as I can hear you breathing.
You're picking up my scent
You are trying to sense my presence by following my scent.
You're trying to hunt me down
You are pursuing me with the intention to overpower me.
In the hope that I'll give in
You expect me to submit to your authority and assail me as you wish.
But I know these tracks
I am familiar with the route I'm taking and the path you'll follow.
Better than I know you ever could
I know this way better than you ever could, no matter how hard you try.
You're breathing down my neck
You are so close behind me that you're almost breathing down my neck.
But it will only make me win
This attempt of yours to overpower me will only result in me emerging victorious.
Nobody wanted this
Nobody ever expected or wished for this situation to occur.
Not after all these years
This has happened after a long time, which no one saw coming.
Still the darkness draws us deeper
Despite the situation being unexpected, it is getting worse with time.
In just like a trap
Like a trap, the situation is making us stuck and helpless.
But now I've got you here
I have finally caught you, and you are here with me.
I'll never lead you back
I won't take you back to where you initially started, as that's not my intention.
For the garden's end
The end of the garden represents the beginning of the wilderness beyond it.
Is where wilderness begins
Wilderness starts right after the garden ends, which means unpredictability and the unknown.
You dug a hole for me
You created a problem for me in the first place.
That I'll bury you in
Now that I've solved my problem, I will deal with you and make you pay for your actions.
And if you raise the dead now
If you try to resurface the past, bring up old matters again, or try to resurrect a disagreement, issue, or action, when it is no longer relevant or helpful.
I might lead you back
I may consider the issue and take you back to it if it's still relevant or beneficial.
And if you cut your hair
If you change yourself drastically or try to obscure your identity or past actions.
I might leave a map
I may help you if you make a complete change if it would benefit both of us.
You say you'll have the last laugh
You believe that you will emerge as the winner in the end, and you'll have the final say.
But the winters coming
Difficult times are approaching, and things will not be right in the future.
And the snow will cover tracks
It will be challenging to trace where things are going wrong, and there will be no going back.
And I'll be watching
I'll stay alert and pay attention to what's going on so that I can act accordingly.
Because I'm hunting you
I am ever ready to catch you if you try hiding or running from me.
Nobody's buying it
No one is accepting your lies, excuses, or justifications anymore.
Not after all these years
All this time, you've been misleading people with excuses and lies, but no longer now.
But somebody's noticed you
Someone has finally caught on to your actions and is aware of what you've been doing.
And now I'm on to you
I have finally learned what you've been doing, and I will catch you.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BLASKO, CRANNY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
apatheliac
Still listening to this song and album. Absolute perfection
stixkyz
Ikr
Pedantic Malingerer
So under rated!
OhWowAshDoesThings
Literally perfect.
Shane Hall
i can't believe that only 5000 people have checked out this song,and at least 20 of them have been me
Some Bloke
@Cal Tha well done.
Melody Tadeo
+Calum Thaxter Almost missed this reply, but somebody's noticed you
Cal Tha
Nobodys buying this not after all these years
Konstantina Papazoglou
Indeed :)
stixkyz
Your the best mate