Kasher has a very close relationship with Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes. They grew up in Nebraska together, went to the same Catholic high school, Creighton Prep. It is rumored that Tim taught Oberst to play guitar. In the Bright Eyes song, "Nothing Gets Crossed Out" Oberst sings, "yeah Tim I heard your album and it's better than good. When you get off tour I think we should hang and black out together." (referring to the album Black Out by The Good Life, released in 2002 on Saddle Creek Records.) Furthermore, Oberst later sang backup on the song "Staying Alive," from Cursive's 2003 effort The Ugly Organ.
Kasher temporarily disbanded Cursive after the departure of guitarist Steve Pedersen (who left to pursue a law degree at Duke University. He now leads the Saddle Creek band Criteria). He married and moved to Portland, Oregon. According to interviews, Kasher went through a bitter divorce in 2000, which led to the regrouping of Cursive, as well as providing the inspiration for The Good Life album Black Out, and Cursive's Domestica.
The Good Life was originally planned to be a solo project. Kasher wanted to experiment with different types of lyrics and melodies. He released Novena on a Nocturn on Better Looking Records. He then recruited Ryan Fox, Roger Lewis and Stephanie Drootin into the band and released Black Out, Lovers Need Lawyers EP and Album of the Year.
Kasher created a another record with Cursive which was released in August 2006, entitled Happy Hollow. In 2009, Cursive released their latest effort, 'Mama, I'm Swollen'. The Good Life, despite a near breakup in late 2005, returned to the studio to release the album, 'Help Wanted Nights' in September 2007.
Under his own name, Tim Kasher recorded a song called "Stranger Than Strangers" which was released on a compilation CD called "My Favorite Songwriters." He released the solo album 'The Game of Monogamy' in 2010, and a follow-up disc of songs from that session called 'Bigamy', in 2011.
The Jessica
Tim Kasher Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The bruised bags beneath your eyes said you could use some rest
My brother thought you never looked so hot
But my brother's tastes were always a little odd
There were photos of you hanging on to some guy's arm
Sure he's taller and more handsome
But is he going bald?
I mean, I never really wanted you to begin with
When all theses men seem to see these things I don't
I want to take back your tired beauty all for my own
Jessica, oh Jessica
What happened to us?
Was it too much?
Was it not enough?
Was I happy then? I don't think I ever was
I found some photos in a shoebox I had tucked away
A vacation we ha taken to Spirit Lake
You were young and wild and free in a bikini top
I looked old and bored and stormy
But hey, it's only a snapshot
Jessica, oh Jessica
What happened to us?
Was it too much?
Was it not enough?
Was I happy then? I don't think I ever was
I don't think I ever was
I don't think I ever was
And I'll never be
No, I'll never be
No, I'll never be as happy as I like to think I was
Oh Jessica
In Tim Kasher's song "The Jessica," he reminisces about his past relationship with a woman named Jessica. He starts off by describing a photo he saw of her in a bridesmaid's dress, with bags under her eyes, indicating that she needs rest. He notes that his brother thought she looked hot, but that his brother's tastes are odd. Then, Kasher sees more photos of Jessica hanging on to some guy's arm, and he wonders if this man is more attractive than him, ultimately concluding that he never really wanted her to begin with. However, Kasher has a desire to reclaim her beauty for himself.
In the second verse, Kasher finds a shoebox of photos from a past vacation they took together to Spirit Lake. In the photo, Jessica is young, wild and free in a bikini top, while he looks old, bored and stormy, trapped by his unhappiness. He then questions what happened to their relationship, whether it was too much, not enough or if he was ever truly happy with her.
Kasher's lyrics convey a sense of nostalgia, regret and yearning for the past. He appears to be struggling with the fact that he was never truly happy with Jessica, yet still has these strong memories and desires to be with her. Perhaps, he is realizing that he's idealized the relationship and Jessica's beauty in his mind, and that he'll never be as happy as he thinks he was.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw a photo of you laughing in a bridesmaid's dress
I stumbled upon a photo of you in a bridesmaid dress and you looked happy but tired.
The bruised bags beneath your eyes said you could use some rest
The swollen purple bags under your eyes were evidence that you were not well-rested and probably tired.
My brother thought you never looked so hot
My brother found you attractive in that photo.
But my brother's tastes were always a little odd
But my brother's taste in women is not something I always agree with.
There were photos of you hanging on to some guy's arm
I saw some pictures in which you were holding onto someone else's arms.
Sure he's taller and more handsome
The guy you were with was taller and better-looking than me.
But is he going bald?
I was trying to find one thing that is wrong with him and whether he's going bald just to feel better about myself.
I know it's absurd to get upset
I'm aware that it's ridiculous for me to get upset about it.
I mean, I never really wanted you to begin with
To be honest, I was never interested in being with you.
When all these men seem to see these things I don't
But when other men find you attractive, I am curious to know what it is that they are seeing that I'm not.
I want to take back your tired beauty all for my own
I want to claim your beauty even though you are exhausted and probably not at your best.
Jessica, oh Jessica. What happened to us? Was it too much? Was it not enough? Was I happy then? I don't think I ever was
I'm reminiscing on our past and I'm wondering what went wrong. Maybe it was too much or not enough, but even when we were together, I don't think I was happy.
I found some photos in a shoebox I had tucked away
I discovered some old photos in a shoebox I had kept somewhere safe.
A vacation we had taken to Spirit Lake
The photos were from a trip we took together to Spirit Lake.
You were young and wild and free in a bikini top
In the photos, you looked young, playful and carefree wearing a bikini top.
I looked old and bored and stormy
In contrast, I looked old, bored and unhappy in the pictures.
But hey, it's only a snapshot
I know that the pictures captured only a moment in our lives and can't tell the whole story.
I don't think I ever was
I don't think I was ever truly happy with you.
And I'll never be. No, I'll never be. No, I'll never be as happy as I like to think I was
I'll never be as happy as I want to believe I was even with you.
Oh Jessica
The song is about Jessica.
Contributed by Jasmine O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
1.618
"I know it's absurd to get upset, I mean I never really wanted you to begin with.." I've never heard that feeling put so brilliantly.
jesica susana maritza
I saw a photo of you laughing in a bridesmaid's dress
The bruised bags beneath your eyes said you could use some rest
My brother thought you never looked so hot
But my brother's tastes were always a little odd
There were photos of you hanging on to some guy's arm
Sure he's taller and more handsome
But is he going bald?
I know it's absurd to get upset
I mean, I never really wanted you to begin with
When all theses men seem to see these things I don't
I want to take back your tired beauty all for my own
Jessica, oh Jessica
What happened to us?
Was it too much?
Was it not enough?
Was I happy then? I don't think I ever was
I found some photos in a shoebox I had tucked away
A vacation we ha taken to Spirit Lake
You were young and wild and free in a bikini top
I looked old and bored and stormy
But hey, it's only a snapshot
Jessica, oh Jessica
What happened to us?
Was it too much?
Was it not enough?
Was I happy then? I don't think I ever was
I don't think I ever was
I don't think I ever was
And I'll never be
No, I'll never be
No, I'll never be as happy as I like to think I was
Oh Jessica
dmbtke
Isn't it great when one of your favorite artists writes a song with your ex-wife's name in the title describing every screw up you did?
Alexander Aultman
"Was it too much? Was it not enough? Was I happy then? I don't think I ever was"
jordan lillich
oh mr. kasher...why do you hurt me so?
Jay Schillinger
rad weres split identities?