TED2015
Teitur: Home is a song I've always remembered
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For musician Teitur, singing is about giving away a piece of yourself to others. "If your intentions are to impress people or to get the big applause at the end," he says, "then you are taking, not giving." Listen as he plays on stage at TED2015, offering two songs about love, distance and home.
Teitur - Singer-songwriter
Whether they’re sung in in English or his native Faroese, Teitur laces his deceptively innocent songs with often stinging hooks. Full bio
Whether they’re sung in in English or his native Faroese, Teitur laces his deceptively innocent songs with often stinging hooks. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
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(Guitar music)
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I was just thinking
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that I have been missing you way too long
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There's something inside this weary head
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that wants us to love just instead
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But I was just thinking,
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merely thinking
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I've got loads of pictures,
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I've got the one of you
in that dancing dress
in that dancing dress
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But man I feel silly in that dim light
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Just after doing you
by the sight of my Kodak delights,
by the sight of my Kodak delights,
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I am sinking,
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merely sinking
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I think about long distance rates
instead of kissing you babe
instead of kissing you babe
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I'm a singer without a song
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If I wait for you longer
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my affection is stronger
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and I ... I was just thinking,
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merely thinking
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that this boat is sinking
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I'm tired of postcards,
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especially the ones
with cute dogs and cupids
with cute dogs and cupids
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I'm tired of calling you and missing you
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and dreaming I slept with you
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Don't get me wrong
I still desperately love you
I still desperately love you
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inside this weary head
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I just want us to love just instead
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But I was just thinking and thinking,
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merely thinking
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I think about long distance rates
instead of kissing you babe
instead of kissing you babe
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and time is running me still
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If I wait for you longer
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my affection is stronger
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I ... I was just thinking
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I ... I was just thinking
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that I'm tired of calling you once a week
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thinking of long distance rates
instead of kissing you
instead of kissing you
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So baby I'm sinking,
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merely sinking
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(Guitar music ends)
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(Applause)
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Thank you.
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Singing is sharing.
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When you sing, you have to know
what you're talking about intimately,
what you're talking about intimately,
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and you have to be willing
to share this insight
to share this insight
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and give away a piece of yourself.
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I look for this intention
to share in everything,
to share in everything,
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and I ask: what are the intentions
behind this architecture or this product
behind this architecture or this product
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or this restaurant or this meal?
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And if your intentions
are to impress people
are to impress people
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or to get the big applause at the end,
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then you are taking, not giving.
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And this is a song that's about --
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it's the kind of song that everyone
has their version of.
has their version of.
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This song is called "Home,"
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and it's sort of a "This is where
I'm from, nice to meet you all,"
I'm from, nice to meet you all,"
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kind of song.
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(Laughter)
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(Applause)
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05:09
(Piano music)
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Home is the sound of birds
early in the morning
early in the morning
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Home is a song I've always remembered
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Home is the memory
of my first day in school
of my first day in school
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Home is the books that I carry around
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Home is an alley in a faraway town
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Home is the places I’ve been
and where I’d like to go
and where I’d like to go
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Home
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I'm always gonna feel at home
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No matter where I may roam
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I'm always gonna find my way back home
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No matter how far I’m gone
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I’m always gonna feel this longing
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No matter where I might stay
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Home is a feather twirling in the air
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Home is flowers in a windowsill
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Home is all the things she said to me
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Home is a photo I never threw away
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Home is the smile on my face when I die
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Home is the taste of an apple pie
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I met a woman, she always lived
in the same place
in the same place
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And she said home is where
you’re born and raised
you’re born and raised
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And I met a man, he sat
looking out to the sea
looking out to the sea
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And he said home is where you want to be
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I met a girl in some downtown bar
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And she said I'll have
whatever he's having
whatever he's having
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And I asked her how come
we never met before?
we never met before?
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And she said all my life I’ve been trying
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to get a place of my own
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I’m always gonna feel at home
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No matter where I may roam
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Always gonna find my way back home
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No matter how far I’m gone
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I'm always gonna feel this longing
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No matter where I might stay
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(Piano music)
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(Piano music ends)
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Teitur - Singer-songwriterWhether they’re sung in in English or his native Faroese, Teitur laces his deceptively innocent songs with often stinging hooks.
Why you should listen
Teitur crafts songs with unexpected lyrical twists portraying everything from awkward love affairs to lost weekends. Although he’s written hits for singers like Seal and Corinne Bailey Rae, the best interpreter for Teitur’s songs is himself: his half-dozen solo albums have won him accolades from the Danish Royal family, the Guardian and fans around the world.
His album Story Music (recorded in a former ice factory) features contributions from legendary Beach Boys arranger Van Dyke Parks and 78 musicians gathered from his native Faroe Islands.
Teitur | Speaker | TED.com