Her third studio album, ‘Gardening’ (2023), is a stripped-down set of songs, delving into difficult themes like bleakness, doubt and fear, sung in a voice that is hauntingly ethereal. A sense of calmness that runs through it. ‘Romain’s Place’, for example, is a ballad about what seems to be domestic abuse: “Through it all there was a lot that kept me from leaving/ like your fists around my wrists…”. But there are also upbeat moments, like ‘Sun, Moon, Stars’, that sees Jakobsen joined by Ane Brun on vocals and a beautiful string outro: “You are the reason that I am alive”, suggesting there’s a light in the end of every tunnel. In fact, Jakobsen has said the same in ‘Dark’, from her debut EP, ‘The Lingering’.
Siv Jakobsen is based in Oslo, and trained in Boston’s Berklee College, where she found her folk pop identity. Soon, her life experiences became the themes of her work. Siv knows well that the best way to face a problem is to stare it in the eyes and acknowledge it. That’s where the healing begins. And that’s what she’s been doing, slowly-yet-steadily, from her first release in 2015 to 2020’s ‘A Temporary Soothing’, and now with ‘Gardening’, while also touring extensively. Siv’s lyrics, vocals, pauses, breaths, fingerpicked acoustic guitar sound, and arrangements all come together to calm her bruises. With each of her albums, she opens up to us even more, evoking emotion with precision to amazing effect.
Buried In Treasure
Siv Jakobsen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A blanket, a litter, the air still stands bitter,
a dragon guarding his gold
His house is a cave full of useless things
Pictures and pieces lie scattered in bins, but then, they're diamonds and dreams
And he will stay there til the end of his days
Gathering memories in trashcans and trays
Days are wasted, in a careless hole and (??)
Buried in treasures
His fingers are dancing through dresses and skirts, searching through mountains of sweaters and shirts for a sign or the smell of her smile
To keep them together, to keep her alive, so he wont remember that day that she died
And his heart oh travels back in time
Gathering memories in trashcans and trays
Days are wasted, in a careless hole and (??)
as I watch him wither away
Buried in treasures
Just a change, stays the same
The first verse of Siv Jakobsen's song, "Buried in Treasure," describes a man who is alone in his cave-like home with his thirteen cats. The air is described as bitter and the man is guarding his "gold," which is likely his memories and possessions that he has accumulated over the years. The second verse describes the man's obsession with his deceased lover, as he searches through piles of clothing to find something that reminds him of her. The chorus of the song describes how the man is "buried in treasures," wasting his days clinging to the past and memories that cannot be relived.
Line by Line Meaning
He sleeps in a corner with thirteen cats
He lives a solitary life with thirteen cats for companionship.
A blanket, a litter, the air still stands bitter,
The room is poorly insulated and the smell of cat litter still lingers in the air.
a dragon guarding his gold
He guards his possessions and treasures like a dragon would guard its gold.
His house is a cave full of useless things
His home is filled with items he deems valuable, even though they may be seen as useless to others.
Pictures and pieces lie scattered in bins, but then, they're diamonds and dreams
The scattered items may seem like trash to some, but to him, they hold precious memories.
And he will stay there til the end of his days
He will live in his home for the rest of his life.
Gathering memories in trashcans and trays
He collects memories and treasures in unconventional places.
Days are wasted, in a careless hole and (??)
His days are spent living in a carefree, unproductive manner.
as I watch him wither away
The artist is witnessing the man's decline.
Buried in treasures
He is consumed by his possessions and memories.
His fingers are dancing through dresses and skirts, searching through mountains of sweaters and shirts for a sign or the smell of her smile
He searches through his loved one's clothing for a piece of her, a sign that she once existed.
To keep them together, to keep her alive, so he wont remember that day that she died
He holds onto her possessions as a way to keep her memory alive and to avoid remembering the day she passed away.
And his heart oh travels back in time
His memories take him back to the past.
Just a change, stays the same
Even though he may change his surroundings, his obsession with holding onto memories and possessions remains the same.
Contributed by Christian W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.