Sharon Van Etten - Peace Signs (Live on KEXP)

Host: Cheryl Waters

Engineer: Kevin Suggs

Cameras: Shelly Corbett, Justin Wilmore & Patrick Richardson Wright

Edits: Justin Wilmore

[kathysoiio]

Her Voice is so warm and unique... I wish so hard i could sing like her...

[christopherbair]

Holy shit, this was out 13 years ago?? I just came across this song. Love, love, love her voice. ;)

[peteford]

I woke up I was already me
I was somewhat afraid I was something
Peace signs
I told you I could no longer see
I was right in the fire I was on my knees
Peace signs
Take it back I felt no longer used
I had nothing to do I was so you
Peace sign I was already you
Peace sign I was already you
Peace sign I was already you
No lie I was no longer wrong
I had questions in mind why you were strong
Hit back it was already too
Hit back it was already soon
Hit back it was already too
Oh yeah
I still dream that I think of you
In the calm of the night
And I don't know what to do
Peace signs
When I wake up I am already me
And I am not afraid I am something
Peace signs
Peace signs
Peace signs
Peace signs

[kallenuppunen]

Sharon playing IDLES: Sheer excellence, 2 in 1!🎸😻🎸

[tomrichardson]

Compared to the 2022 recording space, the 2010 space is so bare bones, but the audio and camera work are excellent, and black and white seems right for this amazing song.

It is really awesome to discover this great track from the archives. Great job KEXP.

[AmbientWalking]

Who is listening to this in April 2020?

[qqssaa]

wow !! i am so amaze about her !!! what a great artist !!

[levonleemusic]

love this song..; it seems so simple to play;i only play 20 years guitar and sing. still busy with it after some weeks; maybe better something faster or very slow... what a voice. never forget when sharon was in brussels with great lake swimmers. she played so simple and pure...; she is getting better every day; so gratefull. what a change with battery and infamous babe

[Takezo]

"you make me wish I was in a band so I coould cover that." Awesome.. who is this DJ I want to kiss her solidly.

[ShotgunHeroX]

I liked that glance at the part where she said "dreams of you"

a lot of subtext right there, mhm!

[Outwhere]

It is a peace sign as well. But the fact that it's on a dream catcher is a nice twist!

[juliahpeanut]

Who else got listened to this on Maid??

[ShotgunHeroX]

it's a dream catcher. The plot thickens, my dear friend. But what does it all mean?

[bellinghammond]

First off i wanna say that I think this is an important song...one of the best from the period....but similar to "Murder Was The Case" (another pivotal song from another amerikan micro-culture in peril) "Peace Signs" is also a song sprung from a culture in DEEP trouble...a canary in a coalmine of coming societal woe.
On its face it is a *Feminist™ Anthem of Empowerment™ and Assertiveness™ etc*....
But it's more useful to recognize the engorged sense of "Grievance" it contains. 
"Peace Signs" is shot through with a typically misguided Feminist™ fury.
It lyrics heroically stomp along with the song's martial beat, detailing a revolt against a nameless male "Abuser™" (because that is the antagonistic lens through which SvA and millions of Womxn™ have been trained to now view relations between the sexes....that POV is part of a larger effort to contain human population growth and it WORKS. It was just reported that for the first time in U.S. history the actual NUMBER of so-called "white" people went down by 5 million from last year, at the same time that birth rates have plummeted. This is happening not just in amerika but all across the Western World.)
Sharon could have just 'simply' dumped the guy like most people do when they hook up with unsuitable partners.... She had options. She always had options....but you wouldn't know it from looking at these admittedly fine lyrics.... But there is a happy medium between "doormat" and "Empowered female ass-kicker"....Having said that, I'd urge young people to go out there and learn to compromise with your opposite sex, be a woman worthy of the man worthy of the woman, make some babies....and maybe get your asses back to Church.
"When I wake up I am already me"
Duh.


I woke up I was already me
I was somewhat afraid I was something
Peace signs
I told you I could no longer see
I was right in the fire I was on my knees
Peace signs
Take it back I felt no longer used
I had nothing to do I was so you
Peace sign I was already you
Peace sign I was already you
Peace sign I was already you

No lie I was no longer wrong
I had questions in mind why you were strong
Hit back it was already too
Hit back it was already soon
Hit back it was already too
Oh yeah
I still dream that I think of you
In the calm of the night
And I don't know what to do
Peace signs
When I wake up I am already me
And I am not afraid I am something
Peace signs
Peace signs
Peace signs
Peace signs