Svavar Knutur's performances have been described as 'swoon-worthy vocals to the beautiful simplicity and raw emotion' of his songs. An article in the German Publication of Rolling Stone (april 2009) also described "an energetic man with entertainer qualities and and soft cotton, nordic folk reverie." Add to this humoristic storytelling and self beratement of the highest standards and reap a fantastic mixture of art and entertainment. Knutur, a former student of Philosophy and Anthropology, thrives on the human condition and never tires from diving in its murky waters.
Knutur has worked on several projects with the aim of strengthening and empowering songwriter communities, both locally and globally, one of the founding members of The troubadour conspiracy and the Icelandic Chapter of Undercover Music Lovers, Knutur has worked on bringing the Melodica festival to the northern Hemisphere and done extensive work with the Troubadour Olympics tour, helping international artists book tours in his country, where not only the music matters, but the tour is also turned into an expedition of adventure and exploration.
Drawing upon a wide range of influences, three of Svavar Knutur's most governing ones are without doubt Nick Drake, Will Oldham (Bonnie Prince Billy) and Kris Kristofferson, although such artists as Leonard Cohen, Cat Stevens, Joni MItchell, Nick Cave and many more singer/songwriters have contributed to the icelandic troubadour's development.
Knutur's songwriting has not gone unnoticed internationally, as his song Astarsaga ur fjollunum (Lovestory from the mountains) propelled Hraun to participate in the final 5 competition on BBC World Service's Next big thing, playing for millions of viewers and listeners all over the world.
Knutur has already released two albums along with his band Hraun, where he is the main songwriter. His latest solo release "Kvöldvaka" (Evening wake), released in the spring of 2009, features a selection of Hraun Songs along with some new compositions and has received rave reviews in the Icelandic music press, as well as a warm welcome by fans.
Whether to describe Svavar Knutur's music as Troll pop, Fjord folk or Mood Swing is up to you, but it'll be worth your time to listen to.
Clementine
Svavar Knútur Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
how could I leave while you were sleeping?
Oh my darling Clementine,
I couldn't bear to hear you weeping.
You tried to teach me right from wrong,
and you tried to burn off all my bad ways.
But misery's a stubborn friend,
So I sailed from your white sands,
on a ship of broken plans.
And your face was on my mind,
oh my darling Clementine.
Oh my lovely Clementine,
it's such a hell to be without you.
My soul tormented every night,
and every day, I think about you.
I adored you foolish charm,
never meant to do you harm.
And your pain was on my mind.
Oh my darling Clementine.
Oh my precious Clementine,
I never dared to look behind me.
All this time I ran and ran,
and I ran aground,
and I pray you'll find me.
And with all the bad I've done,
I realize that you're the one.
And I hope you'll still be mine,
Oh my darling Clementine.
The song "Clementine" by Svavar Knútur is a heartfelt ballad about a man's regret for leaving his lover, Clementine, while she was sleeping. Though he didn't want to hear her weeping, he couldn't bear to say goodbye to her face-to-face. Clementine tried to teach him right from wrong, and she tried to help him change his ways, but his stubborn misery persisted even on good days, and this ultimately drove a wedge between them. Now that he is gone, he is tormented every night and day by thoughts of her. Despite his foolish charm and adoration for her, he ran away from her, not daring to look back until now. He runs aground and hopes that she will find him, with the realization that she is the only one he wants and hopes that she will still be his.
The song's lyrics convey a sense of deep remorse, longing, and desire for redemption. The man knows that he made a mistake by leaving Clementine, and he wishes he had stayed even though it may have been difficult to change his ways. He acknowledges that his stubborn misery got in the way of their relationship and hopes that she can forgive him. This powerful message is delivered through the use of vivid imagery and expressive language.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh my darling Clementine,
Addressing the beloved Clementine
how could I leave while you were sleeping?
How could he leave his beloved Clementine when she was asleep?
I couldn't bear to hear you weeping.
He loves Clementine and cannot bear to hear her cry.
You tried to teach me right from wrong,
Clementine tried to guide him on the right path.
and you tried to burn off all my bad ways.
She tried to get rid of his bad habits.
But misery's a stubborn friend,
Misery is difficult to shake off
and she persists, in spite of good days.
Even if good days come, the feelings of misery still persist.
So I sailed from your white sands,
He left from her white sandy shores.
on a ship of broken plans.
He had no clear plan of where he was going.
And your face was on my mind,
He could not stop thinking about Clementine.
Oh my lovely Clementine,
Addressing the beloved Clementine
it's such a hell to be without you.
He feels like he is in hell without her.
My soul tormented every night,
His soul is tortured each night without Clementine.
and every day, I think about you.
He thinks about her every day.
I adored your foolish charm,
He loved her playful nature.
never meant to do you harm.
He never wanted to hurt her.
And your pain was on my mind.
He was worried about her pain.
Oh my darling Clementine.
Addressing the beloved Clementine
Oh my precious Clementine,
Addressing the beloved Clementine
I never dared to look behind me.
He was afraid to look back.
All this time I ran and ran,
He kept moving forward without stopping.
and I ran aground,
He reached a point where he could go no further.
and I pray you'll find me.
He hopes she will find him.
And with all the bad I've done,
He acknowledges his mistakes and misdeeds.
I realize that you're the one.
He comes to know that Clementine was the only one for him.
And I hope you'll still be mine,
He hopes that despite everything, she will still be his.
Oh my darling Clementine.
Addressing the beloved Clementine
Contributed by Kayla I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Martin Heisig
This song makes my brain lie on a meadow dreaming from rainbows,
unicorns and butterflies, while it acutally has to study for exams. Just
beautiful and so inspiring :)
Katla Palsdottir
You described it perfectly
TV Noir
Wir haben mal wieder einen Clip in die YouTube-Playliste der außergewöhnlichsten Instrumente bei TV Noir gepackt!
Ukulelen sind an sich ja nicht so außergewöhnlich, aber ein so kleines Instrument, an einem so großen Mann wie Svavar Knutur... Das kann man durchgehen lassen, oder?
Gibbet Hoskins
I played a gig with Svavar in Australia about 10yrs ago :) One of my favourite songs ever :)
Ewa Kuacja
Ég elska þetta!
Julie Waterman
hi Svavar this is Mike Drake's wife Julie, amazingly I hadnt looked you up before on youtube! I absolutely love what you do and your voice too. I hope one day I too could come to Melodica, or that you can make it to Norwich. Hope melodica goes well next week . Julie x
Thomas Hebick
tolle musik. top künstler. er ist live einfach supiiiii ;) grüße aus erfurt
Sólveig Guðnadóttir
Drengurinn er snillingur, þvílík
flott rödd, og hæfileikar
SoundBasics
Er ist einfach der Hammer :).
Ingo Langreck
another great song!