Born into a family of artists, White spent her early years moving from town to town. Her mother was a folksinger, her father a sculptor, grandma was a burlesque performer and auntie was a pop song writer. Grandfather was a poet who favored the sonnet. Drawn to the arts, Simone acted in plays and films, made photographs and wrote. Needing an instrument for the songs she wrote a cappella, Simone taught herself to play guitar.
Moving to NYC from London in 2000, White began to play music onstage. She recorded her first album with producer David Domanich and musician and friend Frank Bango. White released the album, The Sincere Recording Company Presents, in 2003 on Bango's label The Sincere Recording Company.
I Am The Man, her second album, was recorded with producer Mark Nevers, (Lambchop/Calexico/Will Oldham/Silver Jews), in Nashville, Tennessee. In 2006 she was signed to the UK label Honest Jons. I Am The Man was released by Honest Jons/EMI in the UK, Japan, Italy and Holland in 2007 and released in France, Germany and the United States in 2008 through distributors Indigo and Forced Exposure. The album was a favourite with critics from MOJO and Q Magazine to the Daily Mail.
The Beep Beep Song, one of the songs from White's second album I Am The Man was used in an Audi R8 advert in the UK, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, South Africa, Sweden and was shown in the half time ad break of the Rugby World Cup Final of 2007.
In 2007 and 2008 White toured in the United Kingdom and Europe headlining and supporting various bands: Nouvelle Vague, Alela Diane, Teitur, Stephen Fretwell and Little Dragon. In 2008 she played at the festivals Greenman and WOMAD in the UK.
White was a part of Damon Albarn's critically acclaimed "Honest Jons Revue" which toured in July 2008 to the Barbican Center in London, Les Nuits Fourviere Festival in Lyon, and the Lincoln Center Festival in New York City. The Honest Jons Revue included the artists Tony Allen, The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Damon Albarn, Kokanko Sata Doumbia, Lobi Traore, Afel Bocoum, Candi Staton, Simone White and Victoria Williams.
On 12 June 2009, White's third album, Yakiimo was released digitally, with a physical release following on 22 June 2009. This album was again released through Honest Jons in the UK.
White's albums frequently include covers of songs originally recorded by her friend and collaborator Frank Bango. Such recordings include Roses Are Not Red, Wrong About You, Worm Was Wood and Bunny In A Bunnysuit.
White currently lives in Venice, California.
White's album, Silver Silver, was released in 2012.
She released "Genuine Fake", a collection of acoustic recordings, on 8 September 2017.
Worm Was Wood
Simone White Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
snail was an ocelot
the deer in the headlights
was a marigold in bloom
lily was light
and a teardrop was a grain of sand
you were counting sweaters
while sheep were howling at the moon
earth was flat
and sugar fly was sewer-rat
the leaves that were blowing
were still growing when we left
bird was bug
and billy was a beetle too
i was in love with you
how quickly we forget
we forget the clothes we wear
were only fur and feathers
we held the world together without proof
we forget the lies we tell were yet to be invented
and we lived with only instinct and the truth
snake was stick
and branches were open arms
the tide came in
and it covered up our bed
worm was wood
this used to be a neighbourhood
you made a promise
how quickly we forget
how quickly we forget
Simone White's "Worm Was Wood" is a whimsical, poetic song that explores the impermanence of memory and the malleability of reality. The lyrics are a series of surreal and dream-like images that paint a picture of a world where everything is constantly changing and nothing is as it seems. The chorus, "how quickly we forget," serves as a reminder of how easily we can lose touch with our own experiences and the world around us.
The song opens with the lines, "worm was wood, snail was an ocelot," setting the stage for the fantastical imagery that follows. The deer in the headlights is described as a marigold in bloom, and a teardrop is compared to a grain of sand. The lyrics seem to suggest that in this imagined world, anything and everything can be transformed and recontextualized.
As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the singer is reflecting on a past relationship. They were "counting sweaters" while the "sheep were howling at the moon," suggesting that while they were caught up in their own concerns, the world around them was moving on without their acknowledgement. The chorus, "how quickly we forget," takes on a more poignant tone in this context, as the singer regrets the loss of the connection they once shared with their partner.
Line by Line Meaning
worm was wood
Things were not always as they seem
snail was an ocelot
Perception is not always reality
the deer in the headlights
The innocent can be vulnerable
was a marigold in bloom
Beauty and terror can coexist
lily was light
The natural world is full of wonder
and a teardrop was a grain of sand
Perspective is everything
you were counting sweaters
Distraction causes us to miss the important things
while sheep were howling at the moon
Sometimes the truth is hidden in plain sight
earth was flat
The world was simpler once
and sugar fly was sewer-rat
Things change and evolve over time
the leaves that were blowing
Nothing is static, everything is in motion
were still growing when we left
Life goes on without us
bird was bug
The natural order is complex and intricate
and billy was a beetle too
Individuals are part of a larger system
i was in love with you
Personal relationships are timeless
how quickly we forget
Human memory is fallible
we forget the clothes we wear
Culture and custom are not inherent
were only fur and feathers
Our origins are humble
we held the world together without proof
Belief is a powerful force
we forget the lies we tell were yet to be invented
Truth is often subjective
and we lived with only instinct and the truth
The human experience is universal
snake was stick
Fear distorts our perception
and branches were open arms
Nature can be comforting
the tide came in
Change is inevitable
and it covered up our bed
We cannot hold onto things forever
this used to be a neighbourhood
Things change and are impermanent
you made a promise
People are capable of both good and bad
how quickly we forget
Our memories can be selective
Contributed by Alex S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.