We are a thing that came out of a few chance meetings at Sydney University. You see, Heather and Hayley had been playing music together for a while. Inevitably came the journey south from Byron - being their place of youth - to Sydney for a foray into higher education. Nik and Sam were studying at Sydney University also. And you know, for some reason you just meet people...
We don't have a manifesto as such, but we do have definite intentions in what we do. We wish to play pop, but with a recognizable element of self-awareness. We wish to be emotional, but with a sense of certainty that our audiences won't walk away thinking that we take ourselves too seriously. What is paramount is an attempt to push this thing called the culture industry in some direction which makes it more human. (I guess this is all too ambitious but oh well... We do try)
Heather studies piano at the conservatorium and reads a bit too much Russian literature. Hayley looks toward her personal canon of pop ballads for guidance in all situations and believes we must return to the way life was prior to the poker machine epidemic. Nik is a science student who imbues his drumming with formulas and mathematical complexities. Sam is a country music-playing, Marx-spouting communist with a love of all things meaningfully subversive.
The Jezabels have released 3 EPs: Dark Storm (2010), The Man is Dead (2009) and She's So Hard (2009).
Their debut album Prisoner was released in September 2011. The Jezabels won the 2012 ARIA Award for Best Independent Release for their album, Prisoner.
Official site: http://www.thejezabels.com
Got Velvet
The Jezabels Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You lit a light in my life
Raised them chips and railroads
Headed off into the night
But you were like the government
Lying all the time
With a shattered piece of way-back-when
Stuck, forever in your mind
When, baby, it was you and me
One step forward, two step fighting infidelity
Which always is velvet-covered
I woke
I awoke into a ghost
Of a ship that sailed
But I'ma laugh it up the most
Because I no longer have to worry
About the shadows on your walls
Can you remember how proud we were
Right before the fall?
When, baby, it was you and me
One step forward, two step fighting infidelity
Though, truly we don't 'mind
Sleeping on a different bed
Long as you got velvet covers
Shouting it out to remind you
Hanging it out to dry
The Jezabels’ song ‘Got Velvet’ is a reflection on a past relationship, where the singer was lied to and cheated on. The first verse describes the person who they were in a relationship with as someone who faked a light in their life, while leaving with all the chips and railroads. The next lines suggest that this person was like the government, continually lying, and clinging to memories of a time when things were perhaps better between them.
The second verse talks about the singer waking up to the realization that the relationship had failed. They describe it as waking up to a ghost of a ship that had sailed away. The singer acknowledges that they no longer worry about the shadows on the walls caused by their ex-partner's infidelity. They wonder if their ex-partner remembers how proud they were before the fall, before the relationship had fallen apart.
The chorus repeats the idea that they had fought infidelity but ultimately were like velvet-covered - it was something that was being obscured or hidden away. In the final lines of the song, the singer suggests that it doesn’t really matter that they are sleeping in different beds as long as they have velvet covers. They shout out to remind themselves of the dishonesty their ex-partner has shown them and hang it out to dry.
Line by Line Meaning
Well bravo
Congratulations
You lit a light in my life
You brought happiness into my life
Raised them chips and railroads
You took risks and made investments
Headed off into the night
You went on an adventure
But you were like the government
You were untrustworthy
Lying all the time
You were dishonest
With a shattered piece of way-back-when
You were living in the past
Stuck, forever in your mind
You couldn't move on from the past
When, baby, it was you and me
When we were together
One step forward, two step fighting infidelity
We kept moving forward but struggled with trust
Which always is velvet-covered
Which is always hidden or covered
I woke
I suddenly realized
I awoke into a ghost
I realized I was living in the past
Of a ship that sailed
Of a relationship that ended
But I'ma laugh it up the most
But I will enjoy life to the fullest
Because I no longer have to worry
Because I don't have to stress anymore
About the shadows on your walls
About your secrets and hidden past
Can you remember how proud we were
Do you remember how happy we were
Right before the fall?
Before our relationship ended
Though, truly we don't 'mind
Though we don't really care
Sleeping on a different bed
Sleeping in separate beds
Long as you got velvet covers
As long as you have luxury
Shouting it out to remind you
Telling you to remember
Hanging it out to dry
Leaving it out in the open
Contributed by Liam A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Red Sparowe
So yeah, this song is most of what I love about The Jezabels. Loud and melodramatic, shameless about it, and actually pulls that mood off.
And that guitar solo gives me chills.
oscar franco
@Joe Blasterthron muy de acuerdo contigo , solo de guitarra es impresionante , hace mucho no escucho un solo tan bueno , got velvet es uno de los mejores temas del disco , lastima que este material no ha llegado a nuestro pais Argentina , pero trato de difundirlo a full . saludos
Thesajlem
that guitar solo is just awesome!
SabroSuit Samus :V
Me encanta, los mejores , música de calidad eso sí! 👌👍🏻
Chuck Schultz
Literally my favorite song.
Ranger9700
This band sounds like the scottish band Texas
Thesajlem
2:13!