Sarah Jarosz (born 23 May 1991 in Austin, Texas) is an American alt-country… Read Full Bio ↴Sarah Jarosz (born 23 May 1991 in Austin, Texas) is an American alt-country musician and singer-songwriter from Texas. Her first CD, Song Up in Her Head, was released in 2009, with her tune "Mansinneedof" nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Country Instrumental Performance. Her second album, Follow Me Down, was released in 2011. Her third album, Build Me Up from Bones, was released on September 24, 2013 through Sugar Hill Records.

Jarosz emerged on the scene in about 2003 as someone to watch. Jamming on stage with bluegrass icons named Grisman or Skaggs, she played her mandolin with a sure touch and real joy. It looked and sounded comfortable in her twelve-year-old hands. She started writing songs on the guitar, took up the banjo, and won a bunch of awards. While her instrumental talents are formidable, let's make one thing clear: Sarah is a singer. She's just flat got it. Her voice is velvety smooth, agile, and powerful. With subtle use of colors and effects, she inhabits her songs the way a fine actress does her role. Overall, her music feels good, avoids over reaching. Nothing's contrived.

Her schoolteacher parents have raised her well, providing the skills, support, and freedom to become the confident artist that she is. Beautiful, talented, and just a little mysterious in a wholesome, Wimberley Texas hill-country kinda way, Jarosz is at home in this world. She knows what she's about and is ready to get out there and make her mark.

Gypsy
Sarah Jarosz Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I saw a gypsy today
She was beautiful
I couldn't look away
She was yellow and gray
The colors of the day
A bit too gorgeous
And not much to say

Stars on her little white wrists
Silken ribbons
Flowing from her hips
A smile that stopped time
Bittersweet as wine
She's lost and she's fine
Taking her time
I saw a gypsy today

Across the way
I heard someone say
Pick up a penny
Have luck for a day
But I picked that coin up
And I ain't found no luck
Just wanderin' and stuck

In the mud and the muck
But I saw a gypsy today

Overall Meaning

In Sarah Jarosz’s song “Gypsy,” the singer describes seeing a beautiful gypsy who captures her attention. The gypsy is colorful, with yellow and gray as her predominant colors, but despite her looks, she doesn’t have much to say. The singer also notices that the gypsy has stars on her wrists and ribbons flowing from her hips. The gypsy’s smile is described as bittersweet as wine, which suggests that perhaps she has experienced some hardship in her life, but she is still doing fine and taking her time. Despite the singer’s longing for some luck, she knows that the gypsy has something special that she doesn’t possess.

The term “gypsy” is often used to describe a person from the Romani ethnic group, who has a nomadic lifestyle and often travels from place to place. However, in this song, the term is more likely being used to describe a free spirit or someone who is unconventional in their lifestyle. The gypsy could be seen as a representation of the singer’s desire for freedom and adventure. Additionally, the presence of the penny and the idea of luck could suggest that the singer is searching for something more in her life but hasn’t quite found it yet.

Overall, “Gypsy” is a song about longing for something more and recognizing the beauty in the unusual and unconventional. The gypsy is a symbol of the singer’s desires and aspirations for a more adventurous life.

Line by Line Meaning

I saw a gypsy today
The singer met a gypsy and is about to describe the gypsy's appearance.

She was beautiful
The gypsy was very attractive.

I couldn't look away
The singer was fixated on the gypsy's appearance.

She was yellow and gray
The gypsy wore yellow and gray clothing.

The colors of the day
Her clothes matched the colors of the sky.

A bit too gorgeous
The singer felt like the gypsy was almost too beautiful.

And not much to say
The gypsy was quiet and didn't speak much.

Stars on her little white wrists
The gypsy had stars tattooed on her small wrists.

Silken ribbons
The gypsy wore ribbons made of silk.

Flowing from her hips
The ribbons draped down from the gypsy's waist.

A smile that stopped time
The gypsy had a captivating smile that made the singer feel like time stopped.