Whilst growing up, Nicholls attended Felsted School. She first found fame for performing cartwheels whilst streaking at an England vs. Australia cricket match at Lord's in May 1989, in which she joined fellow school players Derek Pringle and John Stephenson on the field of play; this footage was later included in the video Streaker, narrated by George Best.
Nicholls travelled to the United States later in 1989 and began performing with her band, Sheila Nicholls and the Splendid Frock, in New York City in the mid-1990s.
Nicholls then moved to Los Angeles where she recorded a solo album, the critically acclaimed Brief Strop, and started her own label, Essex Girl Records.
Shortly thereafter, Nicholls signed a deal with Hollywood Records, which began distributing Brief Strop. The song "Fallen for You," from the album, became a hit on College Radio stations and found its way onto the best-selling soundtrack for the movie High Fidelity. She toured extensively with the album, including several gigs alongside k.d. lang.
In mid-2002, Nicholls released her second album, Wake, in which she worked with producers Glen Ballard and Jez Colin. The album's first single, "Faith," co-written with Ballard, received ample radio play and reached the pop charts. Nicholls third album, "Songs From the Bardo" was released in August 2009.
Patience
Sheila Nicholls Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't want to hurt you
Reflex to old imprinting
Your eyes are squinting
And it seems
I'm not what you wanted me to be
Now I know I'm not what I said that I was
I just wanted this to be true
But you deserve someone more innocent
I searched for reasons to it
Four seasons through it
You came quite unexpected
So unprotected
And it seems I'm not what you wanted me to be
Now I know I'm not what I said that I was
I just wanted this to be true
I'm not sure where I went
But you deserve someone more innocent
I'll just prove to myself
That I cannot be trusted
Maybe I'm too much like my father
And if you knew him you would know he's still searching for his mother
And every other but mine
Whatever is still searching in him
Is still searching in me
'cause I'm still looking for here
Albeit vicariously
We spoke with such conviction
Imprisoned freedom
The song "Patience" by Sheila Nicholls is a reflection of the singer’s personal experiences and feelings about a relationship that has come to an end. The term "patience" in the song represents the virtue of being patient with oneself and others as one navigates through the complicated emotions of love and relationships.
The opening lines of the song, "A silent virtue, I don't want to hurt you, reflex to old imprinting, your eyes are squinting", suggest the singer’s hesitation in admitting the truth to their partner about their feelings. The next lines, "And it seems, I'm not what you wanted me to be, now I know I'm not what I said that I was, I just wanted this to be true", reveal that the singer has come to the realization that their partner had certain expectations that they were not able to live up to.
The singer goes on to say that they are not sure where they went wrong in the relationship, but they have come to believe that their partner deserves someone more "innocent." The final verse reflects the singer’s introspective thoughts and suggests that perhaps the reason for their failure in relationships may be due to their own personal demons and emotional baggage.
Overall, "Patience" is a deep and introspective song about the complexities of love and the importance of being honest and patient with oneself and others when navigating through it.
Line by Line Meaning
A silent virtue
Being patient is a quiet, respectable quality
I don't want to hurt you
I don't want to hurt your feelings or disappoint you
Reflex to old imprinting
I'm behaving based on old habits ingrained in me from the past
Your eyes are squinting
I can tell from your facial expressions that you're skeptical of me
And it seems
I'm not what you wanted me to be
It appears that I'm not living up to your expectations
Now I know I'm not what I said that I was
I realize that I haven't been honest with myself or you
I just wanted this to be true
I had hoped that what we had was real
I'm not sure where I went
But you deserve someone more innocent
I'm not sure what went wrong, but I see that you deserve someone who is more pure and trustworthy than me
I searched for reasons to it
I tried to find explanations for what went wrong between us
Four seasons through it
I've been thinking about this for a long time
You came quite unexpected
So unprotected
You appeared suddenly in my life and I wasn't prepared for it
I'll just prove to myself
That I cannot be trusted
I'll accept that I've made mistakes and can't be relied upon
Maybe I'm too much like my father
And if you knew him you would know he's still searching for his mother
And every other but mine
Whatever is still searching in him
Is still searching in me
'cause I'm still looking for here
Albeit vicariously
Perhaps my issues stem from my father and his search for his own identity. I'm still searching for something too, albeit in a different way
We spoke with such conviction
Imprisoned freedom
Even though we talked confidently, we ended up restricting our own personal freedom
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JUSTIN NICHOLLS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind