Niblett grew up in Nottingham, England and chose her stage name in honour of Jean Louise "Scout" Finch, the protagonist in Harper Lee's 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird. She studied music and performance art at college, and also expresses an interest in astrology—explaining the title of her 2005 LP Kidnapped by Neptune, she says, "Neptune is this planet that everyone has in their chart. But for me, where Neptune is right now and has been for the past two years has been affecting my chart in a huge way. Neptune is kind of the musicians’ planet, it rules music."
Niblett has released three LPs, through the Secretly Canadian record company in North America and through Too Pure in the United Kingdom. Her first release was a split 7" single with Songs: Ohia in 2001. Shortly after this she released her first LP Sweet Heart Fever, recorded in Glasgow with drummer Kristian Goddard. Her follow-up release was a one-sided 10" EP, I Conjure Series, recorded live, where Niblett plays all the instruments herself. For the next two albums—2003's I Am and 2005's Kidnapped by Neptune—Niblett enlisted the help of producer Steve Albini. She is also featured in Peoria Lunch Box Blues on Magnolia Electric Co. (2003). 2007 saw the release of Niblett's fourth long player This Fool Can Die Now again featuring a rhythm section of Kristian Goddard & Chris Saligoe as well as Bonnie "Prince" Billy as guest vocalist on four of the albums duets. Her 5th LP The Calcination of Scout Niblett was released in 2010 through the Drag City label.
Niblett cites among her influences a number of grunge period bands, including Mudhoney, Sonic Youth and Nirvana, and in particular the guitar of Kurt Cobain. Her drumming technique, however, is inspired, she says, by a man who played at an open-mic night in Nottingham and would accompany himself on the drums while playing Beatles covers. This drumming technique has been a particularly distinctive feature of Niblett's records with Steve Albini, whose method is to place the drums centrally in the mix. A good example of Niblett's minimalist approach to songwriting is "Your Beat Kicks Back Like Death", included on I Am and as the B-side to "I'll Be a Prince". It consists solely of a drumbeat with a cheerfully delivered repeating lyric, "We're all gonna die!", eventually concluding, "We don't know when, We don't know how." Niblett names the song as a favourite. Also of note is her downbeat cover of the 1978 reggae hit Uptown Top Ranking, which Niblett released as a single after it became popular at live performances.
River of No Return
Scout Niblett Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you listen, you can hear it call, Wailaree! (Wailaree!)
There is a river called the River of No Return
Sometimes it's peaceful, and sometimes wild and free.
Swept on forever to be lost in the stormy sea. (Wailaree!)
I can hear the river call, No return, no return, No return, no return. (Wailaree!)
I can hear my lover call, "Come to me." (No return, no return)
I lost my love on the river and forever my heart will yearn.
Gone, gone forever down the River of No Return. Wailaree! (Wailaree!)
Wailaree!
You never return to me. (No return, no return)
The lyrics to Scout Niblett's song 'River of No Return' are a powerful and emotional reflection on the transience of love, which can be both beautiful and dangerous. The first two lines of the song introduce the metaphor of the River of No Return, which represents the journey of life and love, and the inescapable finality of death. The repetition of the word 'Wailaree!' throughout the song serves to emphasize the haunting quality of this metaphor, as though it is a mournful lament for something that can never be reclaimed.
The second stanza expands on this metaphor, describing the River of No Return as sometimes peaceful and sometimes wild and free. This reflects the changing nature of emotions and the unpredictability that can accompany the journey of love. The third line of this stanza introduces another metaphor, that of love as a traveler on the River of No Return, which represents how love is something that is constantly moving and evolving, and cannot be contained or controlled. The final line of this stanza suggests that love can be lost and lost forever, just as a traveler on a river can be swept away in a stormy sea.
Line by Line Meaning
If you listen, you can hear it call, Wailaree! (Wailaree!)
The song talks about a river called the River of No Return and how its call can be heard
There is a river called the River of No Return
The song introduces the main theme, which is the river called the River of No Return
Sometimes it's peaceful, and sometimes wild and free.
The river's nature is unpredictable, sometimes calm and sometimes wild and free
Love is a traveler on the River of No Return.
The song relates the river to the journey of love, how it can flow smoothly sometimes and sometimes become turbulent
Swept on forever to be lost in the stormy sea. (Wailaree!)
Love can be swept away by the river and lost forever in the stormy sea
I can hear the river call, No return, no return, No return, no return. (Wailaree!)
The river's call echoes in the singer's ears, reminding her that once you go down the river, you can never return
I can hear my lover call, "Come to me." (No return, no return)
The singer's lover calls her to come to him, but the lyrics remind that once you leave the river, you cannot return
I lost my love on the river and forever my heart will yearn.
The singer lost her love on the River of No Return, and her heart will forever yearn for him
Gone, gone forever down the River of No Return. Wailaree! (Wailaree!)
The singer's love is gone forever, down the River of No Return, leaving her with only the river's call echoing in her ears
Wailaree!
This is the river's call, echoed throughout the song
You never return to me. (No return, no return)
The lyrics emphasize that once you go down the River of No Return, you can never return, underlining the finality of the river's journey
Contributed by Miles V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.