Sea Sew by Irish singer/songwriter Lisa Hannigan is full of references to separation by the sea, and has the warmth and charm of a handknitted sweater. “Ocean and a Rock” tells how the singer’s distant lover is part of her physical life, and its rhythms sound like the lapping of the waves. Some of her songs are far too melancholy, but most are jaw-droppingly beautiful. This amateur video of a concert a few weeks ago is just terrible, sorry, but the lyrics say that it had to be this song. (Thanks again, Eamonn, for the music!)
PS: Added better video below!
Song and lyrics/ transl.:
What you have, my gentle spoken friend, I lack:
a frame to put you in
when you’re an ocean and a rock awayI feel you in the pocket of my overcoat
my fingers wrap around your words
and take the shape of games we playI feed your words through my buttonholes
I pin them to my fingerless gloves
green and prone to frayingThoughts of you, you warm my bones
I’m on the way, I’m on the phone,
let’s get lost, me and you
an ocean and a rock is nothing to meI am far away from where you lay
awake the day while you fall to sleep
an ocean and a rock awayI keep you in the pockets of my dresses
and the bristles of my brushes
spin you into my curls todayI spoon you into my coffee cup
I spin you through a delicate wash
I wear you all day, I wear you all daythoughts of you warm my bones
I’m on my way, i’m on the phone
let’s get lost, me and you
an ocean and a rock is nothing to methoughts of you warm my bones
I’m on the way, I’m nearly home
let’s get lost, me and you
an ocean and a rock is nothing to me
update 25 July 2009: better video
learning english with songs 🙂 englischlernen mit liedern
