Clark joined Sufjan Stevens' touring band in 2006, bringing with her a tour EP entitled Paris Is Burning. It contains three tracks, including a cover version of Jackson Browne's These Days.
Clark released her début album, Marry Me, 10 July 2007 on Beggars Banquet Records. Named after a line from the cult-hit television show Arrested Development, the LP features appearances from drummer Brian Teasley (Man or Astro-man?, The Polyphonic Spree), Mike Garson (David Bowie's longtime pianist), and horn player Louis Schwadron (The Polyphonic Spree).
In 2008 Clark was nominated for three PLUG Independent Music Awards: New Artist of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, and Music Video of the Year, and on 6 March 2008, she won the Female Artist of the Year award.
Her second album for 4AD, entitled Actor, was released on 5 May 2009. It was written entirely by Clark and produced by Clark and John Congleton of The Paper Chase.
The Strange Mercy Songfacts reports that Clark wrote her third album in Seattle. She decamped to the Northwestern city to escape from the information overload she was experiencing at home and recorded Strange Mercy in a studio provided by Death Cab For Cutie drummer Jason McGerr. The album was released by 4AD on September 12, 2011 and peaked at #19 on the Billboard 200, making it her first Top 20 LP.
2) A pseudonym of singer-songwriter Vincent Bernardy, who has written and recorded music since 1980. see also St. Vincent Folk
3) A singer/songwriter from Victoria, Australia.
Actor Out of Work
St. Vincent Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're a bandage, pull it off
I can quit you cut it out
You're a patient, iron lung
You're a cast signed broken arm
You're an actor out of work
You're a liar and that's the truth
You're a boxer in the ring
With brass knuckles underneath
You're the curses through my teeth
You're the laughter, you're the obscene
You're a supplement, you're a salve
You're a bandage, pull it off
I think I love you, I think I'm mad
You're a cast signed broken arm
You're an actor out of work
I think I love you, I think I'm mad
You're a boxer in the ring
With brass knuckles underneath
I think I love you, I think I'm mad
In St. Vincent's song "Actor Out of Work," the singer is in a tumultuous relationship with someone who is both a source of comfort and pain. The lyrics are full of contradictions; the person is both a supplement and a salve but also a bandage that needs to be pulled off. The singer professes their love but also acknowledges that this person is a liar and lost in the scene, perhaps in reference to the entertainment industry. The chorus repeats the analogy of the person being a cast, signed broken arm, or an actor out of work- both in need of healing and also unable to perform their intended function.
In the second verse, the person is compared to a boxer with brass knuckles, a symbol of violence and aggression, and also the laughter and the obscene. The singer is torn between loving this person and recognizing the toxic dynamic they share. Overall, the song seems to capture the push and pull of a love-hate relationship, where the person who makes you feel alive can also bring you to your knees.
Line by Line Meaning
You're a supplement, you're a salve
You are something that fills a gap and eases the pain in my life
You're a bandage, pull it off
You are a temporary solution that needs to be removed to truly heal
I can quit you cut it out
I have the ability to break away from you, even if it's difficult
You're a patient, iron lung
You are dependent on me to keep you alive, like a machine that forces air into your lungs
You're a cast signed broken arm
You are a visible injury that needs attention and care
You're an actor out of work
You are someone who no longer has a role, a purpose, or a job to do
You're a liar and that's the truth
You deceive me even though I know the reality of the situation
You're an extra, lost in the scene
You are someone who blends in and doesn't stand out, despite being in the midst of everything
You're a boxer in the ring
You are someone who fights for what you want, no matter the cost
With brass knuckles underneath
You are willing to cheat and take shortcuts to get what you want
You're the curses through my teeth
You bring out the worst in me and make me say things I normally wouldn't
You're the laughter, you're the obscene
You are responsible for making me laugh, but also for crossing the line in your actions or words
I think I love you, I think I'm mad
Although you bring both joy and pain into my life, I am unsure if my feelings for you are genuine or crazy
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ANNE ERIN CLARK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
TheBoss2332
To me she seems like an artists who will evolve throughout time and I wouldn't expect any album exactly like the last.
e928r87fyw
can't believe you said this 11 years ago! how right you were
Loris
Aged like fine wine!
life's not fair reloaded
and u were so right
Berry Picker Squad Captain
This comment aged so beautifully
Christine H. Black
This song - and St. Vincent's work in general - is relentlessly amazing. Can't get it out of my head - in a good way. Am so glad to have found her!
John Butler
AGREE. I'm wondering if "The Nowhere INN" (directed by Carrie Brownstone, "Portlandia"), is relevatory. Or mysterious. Or strange. LOL.
entertainer106
I finally met her tonight after once again, a phenomenal show. (Not my first time seeing her). We chatted for a bit; she thought she knew me...she recognized me.. We got a photograph together. She signed a CD. I cried. Basically, it was the most epic moment of my life thus far.
Vintage Piss
That’s so cool. Lucky!
Mal, A Legendary Mage!
still the most epic moment?