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
Your Love Is Killing Me
Sharon Van Etten Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
By the time I'll see you
We've been through better days
And you've tasted all my pain
Break my legs so I won't walk to you
Cut my tongue so I can't talk to you
Burn my skin so I can't feel you
You like it when I let you walk over me
You tell me that you like it
Your love is killing me
Try to tell you this when I'm sober
How I feel about loving you
Try to remember all the turn of events
Being led by our own fantasies, fantasies
Break my legs so I won't walk to you
Cut my tongue so I can't talk to you
Burn my skin so I can't feel you
Stab my eyes so I can't see
You like it when I let you walk over me
You tell me that you like it
When our minds become diseased
There, he let it go, his temper, standing there
See her with his gun and he, steals love so he can feel alive
Everyone's knees knockin' at the fear of love, taste blood
Everybody needs to feel
Break my legs so I won't run to you
Steal my soul so I am one with you
From a distance I am onto you
But I'll stab my eyes out so I can't see
You like it
When I let you walk over me
You tell me that you like it
You love me as you torture me
You tell me that you like it
But I won't let you see
All that I can do's what I can
With this pain you've given me
With this pain you've given me
Your love is killing me
Yes, all your pain is killing me
The lyrics of Sharon Van Etten's song "Your Love Is Killing Me" depict an abusive relationship where one partner is inflicting both physical and emotional pain on the other. The song opens with the recognition that the relationship is not healthy, and that the abuse has been ongoing ("We've been through better days, And you've tasted all my pain"). This is followed by a desperate plea to end the abuse, expressed through violent imagery of self-harm ("Break my legs so I won't walk to you, Cut my tongue so I can't talk to you, Burn my skin so I can't feel you, Stab my eyes so I can't see"). The repetition of these lines throughout the song underscores the sense of feeling trapped and powerless to stop the abuse.
The chorus provides insight into the dynamics of the relationship, with the abuser enjoying the power and control they exert over their partner ("You like it when I let you walk over me, You tell me that you like it, Your love is killing me"). The second verse suggests that the victim is struggling with addiction as a coping mechanism and is attempting to express their feelings but is either too afraid or too impaired to communicate effectively ("Try to tell you this when I'm sober, How I feel about loving you, Try to remember all the turn of events, Being led by our own fantasies, fantasies"). The song ends with an ambiguous final line ("Yes, all your pain is killing me") that could be interpreted as either a final plea for the abuse to end, or as an indication that the victim has given up and resigned themselves to their fate.
Overall, "Your Love Is Killing Me" is a powerful and raw commentary on the devastating effects of an abusive relationship, both physically and emotionally.
Line by Line Meaning
It's understood, you'll be a man
It's expected that you'll grow up eventually
By the time I'll see you
We don't see each other very often
We've been through better days
Our relationship used to be better
And you've tasted all my pain
You've caused me a lot of pain in the past
Break my legs so I won't walk to you
I wish I didn't feel the need to go to you
Cut my tongue so I can't talk to you
I wish I didn't feel the need to talk to you
Burn my skin so I can't feel you
I wish I didn't feel anything for you
Stab my eyes so I can't see
I wish I didn't have to see what you're doing to me
You like it when I let you walk over me
You enjoy having power over me
You tell me that you like it
You've told me that you enjoy it
Try to tell you this when I'm sober
I struggle to communicate my feelings to you when I'm not under the influence
How I feel about loving you
I have complicated feelings about loving you
Try to remember all the turn of events
I try to think back and understand how we got to this point
Being led by our own fantasies, fantasies
Our relationship was based on unrealistic expectations
When our minds become diseased
When our thoughts become irrational and harmful
There, he let it go, his temper, standing there
He lost his temper when he saw her
See her with his gun and he, steals love so he can feel alive
He uses his power over her to feel alive and in control
Everyone's knees knockin' at the fear of love, taste blood
We're all afraid of getting hurt by love
Everybody needs to feel
Everyone has a need to feel something
Steal my soul so I am one with you
I feel like you're taking over my life and identity
From a distance I am onto you
Even though I'm not close to you, I know what you're doing
You love me as you torture me
You enjoy hurting me even though you say you love me
But I won't let you see
I won't let you know how much you're hurting me
All that I can do's what I can
I'm doing the best I can in this situation
With this pain you've given me
You've caused me a lot of pain
Your love is killing me
Your actions and behavior are causing me a lot of emotional pain
Yes, all your pain is killing me
The way you're treating me is causing me a lot of suffering
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: Sharon Van Etten
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mikeeasthampton
I just love it...
It's understood
You'll be a man by the time I see you
We've been through better days
And you've tasted all my pain
Break my legs so I won't walk to you
Cut my tongue so I can't talk to you
Burn my skin so I can't feel you
Stab my eyes so I can't see
You like it when I let you walk over me
You tell me that you like it
Your love is killing me
Try to tell you this when I'm sober, how I feel about loving you
Try to remember all the turn of events
Being led by our own fantasies, fantasies
Break my legs so I won't walk to you
Cut my tongue so I can't talk to you
Burn my skin so I can't feel you
Stab my eyes so I can't see
You like it when I let you walk over me
You tell me that you like it
When our minds become diseased
There he let it go, his temper, standing there
See her with his gun and he, steals love so he can feel alive
Everyone's knees knockin' at the fear of love
Taste blood
Everybody needs to feel
Break my legs so I won't run to you
Steal my soul so I am one with you
From a distance I am on to you
But I'll stab my eyes out so I can't see
You like it
When I let you walk over me
You tell me that you like it
You love me as you torture me
You told me that you liked it
But I won't let you see
All that I can do is what I can
With this pain you've given me
With this pain you've given me
Your love is killing me
Yes all your pain is killing me
@VermillionBird
How to know if you're over someone:
- Play any song by Sharon Van Etten. If you don't burst into tears, congrats!
@SASJKL
what if i don't cry, but i think about doing what this actress does in this video to the girl who hurt me? i was told that's sign of extreme narcissistic behavior. but i get it though. i really want her to show how much she cared.
@paulchavei5339
Wow,! The overwhelming Depth of the lyrics with her voice is earthshaking! Your comment resonates within us all.
@v1nn1crazy63
truth !!!
@v1nn1crazy63
TRUE !!!
@leonardosalas4350
One day, brokes my heart everytime
@kemikalrxn
This song ruins me every time. Such pain, such power, such beauty. Sharon is an incredible talent. I'm in awe of her.
@homesigns
+Sham Bolic SAME. Sharon is incredibly authentic, and her music reflects that.
@paulchavei5339
Yeah....Damn what a song.
@homesigns
Yep. She's got a bunch of great songs.