Currently based in Brooklyn, NY, USA, van Etten débuted with single Much More Than That (2007, Abaton Book Company). Her album Are We There was released on 14 May 2014 on Jagjaguwar).
van Etten moved to Tennessee to attend Middle Tennessee State University, where she discovered a variety of influential music. After moving back home to New Jersey, she was encouraged by Kyp Malone of TV on the Radio to pursue a career in music.
van Etten undertook her first UK tour with Meg Baird in Jan 2008. She toured with Great Lake Swimmers on their European tour in May 2009, kicking it off with a show in London with Beirut and Shearwater. She again toured with them in September/October 2009.
On May 26th, 2009, she released her "Because I Was in Love" single on 12" vinyl, CD and MP3 on Language of Stone.
She was the first artist to record in 2010 for the Weathervane Music's Shaking Through video series.
On September 21, 2010, her sophomore album, "Epic" was released on Ba Da Bing. The powerful 7-track album featured much more instrumentation than her first, primarily-acoustic affair. The evolution of her sound proved that she is much more than a traditional folk singer-songwriter.
The release of Epic coincided with a difficult break-up of a relationship. She busied herself with touring for the record, but when the singer completed her schedule a year later, she found herself homeless in New York. After a period of sleeping on friends' couches, recovering from her heavy touring schedule, she hooked up the National's guitarist Aaron Dessner to record her third album, Tramp, which was released on February 7th, 2012.
May 2014 brought about the release of Van Etten's fourth record, Are We There, on Jagjaguwar. Van Etten self-produced the record with Stewart Lerman, with the guidance of bandmate and manager Zeke Hutchins. Most of the recording was done at Hobo Sound Studios in Weehawken, New Jersey, with piano tracks being recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York City. The record features musicians Zeke Hutchins, Doug Keith, Heather Woods Broderick, Dave Hartley, Adam Granduciel, Marisa Anderson, Stuart D. Bogie, Mickey Free, Mary Lattimore, Little Isidor, Jacob Morris, Torres' Mackenzie Scott, Shearwater's Jonathan Meiburg, Lower Dens' Jana Hunter, and Efterklang touring member Peter Broderick.
In 2015, the EP I Don't Want to Let You Down was released on Jagjaguwar. It is composed of the songs that did not make it onto Are We There.
On October 2, 2018, Van Etten released a new track entitled "Comeback Kid" and announced her next album Remind Me Tomorrow, which was released on January 18, 2019. On February 28, 2019, Van Etten appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to perform the single "Seventeen".
Sites: MySpace
Ask
Sharon Van Etten Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like cigarette ash,
The world is collapsing around me.
Let's try to do the best we can.
I think I need more than the flowers and letters, man.
It's not that I don't try, it's that you won't again
And it hurts too much to laugh about it
(Yes it hurts too much to laugh about it)
Hey, please think about it, friend.
I know you're lonely, I'm here writing in the dark
Tryin' to get the balls
But it hurts too much to ask
Dear I Need Someone Who's Lost,
Tell me how not to stop all these tears and fears
So nothing else will drop,
So all this pain will stop.
But if it hurts too much ask
If it hurts too much to ask
It's not that I don't cry,
It's that I have to hide,
Yeah it's that I have to hide
So I won't be there to ask.
So I won't be there to ask.
No, I won't be the one to ask.
I won't be there to ask.
It hurts too much to laugh about it.
Yes it hurts too much to laugh about it.
Yes it hurts too much to laugh about it, man.
The lyrics to Sharon Van Etten's "Ask" are a poignant reflection on the pain of unrequited love and the fear of vulnerability that can arise from previous heartbreak. The opening lines, "Let's find something that can last. Like cigarette ash, The world is collapsing around me," set the tone for the rest of the song. The singer is searching for something enduring, but feels like everything is crumbling around them. The metaphor of cigarette ash, which is fleeting and temporary, underscores the uncertainty and sadness of the moment.
The central theme of the song is the difficulty of asking for what you want or need when you feel like you've been hurt too many times before. The lyrics, "But if it hurts too much to ask, If it hurts too much to ask. It's not that I don't cry, It's that I have to hide, Yeah it's that I have to hide, So I won't be there to ask," illustrate the singer's reluctance to open themselves up to possible rejection or disappointment. The repeated phrase "It hurts too much to laugh about it" underscores the deep emotional pain that the singer is experiencing.
Overall, "Ask" is a deeply moving song that captures the complexities of grief, heartbreak, and the search for meaningful connections in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Let's find something that can last.
Let's search for something that is enduring and long-lasting.
Like cigarette ash,
Something that can fade away easily like the ash of a cigarette.
The world is collapsing around me.
The world is crumbling and falling apart in my view.
Let's try to do the best we can.
Let's strive to do our best in such bleak times.
I think I need more than the flowers and letters, man.
I require more than mere flowers and letters, dude.
It's not that I don't try, it's that you won't again
I do try, but you refuse to give in again.
And it hurts too much to laugh about it
It is too painful to find humor in such a situation.
(Yes it hurts too much to laugh about it)
(Indeed, it is too agonizing to find humor in it.)
Hey, please think about it, friend.
Hey, buddy, kindly consider it.
I know you're lonely, I'm here writing in the dark
I understand that you are lonely, I am here composing this in the dark.
Tryin' to get the balls
Attempting to build up the courage.
But it hurts too much to ask
But it is too painful to inquire and solicit answers.
Dear I Need Someone Who's Lost,
To Whom it May Concern: I am in need of someone who is lost.
Tell me how not to stop all these tears and fears
Please advise me on how to mitigate these tears and fears.
So nothing else will drop,
So nothing else will fall and crumble apart.
So all this pain will stop.
So that all this agony and distress will come to a halt.
But if it hurts too much ask
But if it is too damaging and excruciating to inquire, don't.
If it hurts too much to ask
If it is too distressing to inquire, don't.
It's not that I don't cry,
It's not that I don't shed tears,
It's that I have to hide,
It's because I have to conceal my emotions,
Yeah it's that I have to hide
Yes, it is because I have to hide.
So I won't be there to ask.
So I won't be there to inquire.
So I won't be the one to ask.
So, I won't be the person who asks.
I won't be there to ask.
I won't be present to inquire.
It hurts too much to laugh about it.
It is too sore to find amusement in it.
Yes it hurts too much to laugh about it.
Indeed, it is too excruciating to find humor in it.
Yes it hurts too much to laugh about it, man.
Yes, it is too painful to find amusement in it, dude.
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC, BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: AARON BROOKING DESSNER, SHARON KATHARINE VAN ETTEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Anika says "hi"
on A Crime
Sharon, if you ever read this ... thank you.