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
The Brink
The Jezabels Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She'd suck me up, breaking hearts for fun
That's just a girl that I describe
She isn't real; she is no one
But from the grave, she could make
A rock 'n' roller of you, son
You'll hear her in your dreams
Don't you wanna dance?
When you came to life, boy
On distant train
I had no reason, reason to stay
Here in this world
I never found someone"
She'll suck you up and spit you out
And bring you back again
Then take you out and turn you 'round
You're likely to fall head over feel
Cause when you're looking back on yesterday
When you're looking at the grand parade
When you're looking back at better days
It's because you wanted
You wanted something real
Yeah, we all want something real
Guess I just want a brother to feel
Here in this world with me
Bring back my spirit and my soul
Here to this world, to me
It's coming out in waves
She's calling out your name
Hey, get out on the floor
Go on, get outta here
When you came to life, boy
On distant plain
I had no president calling my name
Here in this world
I never found someone
"I never found someone
I never found someone
I never found someone
Bring back my spirit and my soul
Bring back my soul and make me real"
Never fall in love again
Never fall in love again
Never fall, never fall
Never fall in love again
The Jezabels’s song “The Brink” is a powerful and enigmatic ballad that seems to explore ideas of desire, disillusionment, and the search for something real in a world of illusion. While the lyrics are often surreal and poetic, they seem to tell a story of a man who is lost in his own head, haunted by the memory of a girl he once knew who had a way of sucking him in and breaking his heart for fun. This "girl" is not real in the sense that she is a figment of his imagination or a long-lost lover who has passed away, but she nonetheless exerts a powerful hold over him, drawing him away from reality and into a dreamland of desire and longing.
Despite the seductive and alluring nature of this dreamland, however, the song warns of its dangers, hinting that those who fall under its spell are likely to get hurt or disillusioned in the end. The line "she'll suck you up and spit you out, and bring you back again" seems to capture this idea, suggesting that the girl in question is a mercurial and capricious force who can be both nurturing and destructive at the same time. In the end, however, the song seems to suggest that this risk is worth it, that even if we never find exactly what we're looking for, there's something inherently valuable in the searching itself, a sense of purpose and meaning that can help us make sense of our lives and push us forward even in moments of darkness and despair.
Line by Line Meaning
Hard on the pedal, her hand on a fellow
She's persistent and determined to get what she wants, using her sexuality to manipulate men
She'd suck me up, breaking hearts for fun
She's a heartbreaker that enjoys toying with people's emotions
That's just a girl that I describe
The girl is a figment of imagination
She isn't real; she is no one
The girl doesn't exist in reality
But from the grave, she could make a rock 'n' roller of you, son
Even though she's not real, her influence can be felt and could inspire someone to take on a new persona
You'll hear her in your dreams
The girl's presence lingers in the subconscious
"Hey, you wanna get outta here? Don't you wanna dance?
In the dream, the girl beckons the dreamer to follow her lead
When you came to life, boy, On distant train
The dreamer is transported to a strange and faraway place in their subconscious
I had no reason, reason to stay
The girl in the dream sees no purpose in sticking around and is ready to leave at any moment
Here in this world, I never found someone
The girl is searching for something, but doesn't know what it is
She'll suck you up and spit you out, And bring you back again
The girl is fickle and unpredictable, playing with people's emotions
Then take you out and turn you 'round
She'll toy with you and manipulate you until you don't know which way is up
You're likely to fall head over feel
Her charming ways may sweep you off your feet
Cause when you're looking back on yesterday, When you're looking at the grand parade, When you're looking back at better days
When you look back on your life, you'll realize that you were seeking something genuine
It's because you wanted, You wanted something real
Your heart longs for something authentic
Yeah, we all want something real, Guess I just want a brother to feel Here in this world with me
Everyone is searching for something true, and the dreamer just wants someone to accompany them in their search
Bring back my spirit and my soul
The dreamer wants to be reignited with passion and purpose
Here to this world, to me
The dreamer longs for a renewed sense of vitality in their life
It's coming out in waves
The feeling of longing is powerful and overwhelming
She's calling out your name
The dreamer feels pulled towards the girl from their dream
Hey, get out on the floor
The girl in the dream is inviting the dreamer to step into their subconscious
Go on, get outta here
The dreamer is urged to leave their current reality and enter the mysterious world of the dream
When you came to life, boy, On distant plain
The dreamer is once again transported to a strange and unfamiliar place in their mind
I had no president calling my name
The girl is still searching for something, but isn't sure what it is
I never found someone
The girl is lonely and longing for companionship
"I never found someone I never found someone I never found someone
The girl reiterates her loneliness and inability to find what she's looking for
Bring back my spirit and my soul, Bring back my soul and make me real"
The girl's desire for authenticity and connection is fervent and unyielding
Never fall in love again
The dreamer is hopeful that they'll find what they're looking for, but hesitant to open their heart completely
Never fall in love again, Never fall, never fall, Never fall in love again
The dreamer is guarding their heart, fearful of being hurt or disappointed again
Contributed by Xavier T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Suzie Newbury
on Beat To Beat
I think it might be 'dawn' instead of 'don'.