As a young man, this son of a corporate forester spent nearly 10 years in Alabama, working a “real job” surveying land and occasionally delivering arrangements for his mother’s flower shop, all the while honing his craft as a writer and performer, using his day job as a means to support and develop his musical recordings. In 2001 upon the release of a self-produced and financed live album, 21 To Enter, he gave up working this “real job” and hit the road touring to support the record bringing along just his guitar. After a couple of years out of the road, 2003 brought the release of his first EP, 6th Street, which quickly earned attention and critical acclaim.
While performing at a club in Little Rock, Arkansas in 2004, Adam received his first big break when he had a chance encounter with producer Pete Anderson. Anderson watched Adam’s entire set that night and was immediately impressed with his rich, soulful voice and earnest songwriting. This proved to be a pivotal encounter in Adam’s development as a writer/artist with it leading to an invitation to join Anderson in LA for some creative collaboration. Adam spent the next two years making trips to the West Coast to write the material for what would become the album, A Different Groove, produced by Anderson and released in March of 2007.
The release of A Different Groove led to another fateful night, but this time at the club, Tavern on the Gruene in Gruene, TX where Adam was appearing on Ray Wiley Hubbard’s weekly radio show on KNBT. That very night, recording artist Miranda Lambert and her mother were driving through town when their car broke down. Deciding to grab a sandwich and a beer while they sorted out their transportation problems, they caught most of Adam’s set. Miranda was impressed. So much so that she introduced herself to Adam, later asking him to open a string of shows. One of these shows was at Joe’s Bar in Chicago, where she introduced him to her producer, Carnival Music partner Frank Liddell, who signed Adam as writer to Carnival Music Publishing and to their record label as an artist.
One of the many talents displayed on his recordings is a voice that is rich and uniquely expressive. But it doesn’t end there. His songwriting abilities have garnered an equal amount of attention and his songs have been covered by some of the most successful artists in the genre.
His newest offering is a self-titled EP that will be released in May of 2011 in conjunction with his appearance on Willie Nelson’s Country Throwdown tour. Co-written with Jason Saenz, “Flame And Gasoline” the debut single from the EP and forthcoming full-length album, due in fall of 2011, is a great example of Adam’s exemplary writing style and unique vocals. “Jason came to me with the title” says Adam, “and we sat down to write about that relationship everyone has been in where you can’t be together, but you can’t be apart either. There’s a truth in the lyrics that I think we can all relate to.” In addition to “Flame And Gasoline” the EP will feature 4 other self-penned tunes that run the gamut from country, blues, rock and soul.
I Wanna Be with You
Adam Hood Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't take those sleepin' pills
Stay up and talk to me
Cause I wanna be with you
Nobody's callin me
There's nowhere to be tonight
So come in and lock the door
Love's never easy
And I know I'm hard on you
I think you realize you're hard on me too
So when the going's tough
We can't put our weapons down
Cause this love's strong enough to stay around
They can't tear this fortress down
These people talk too much
And I'm a conversation piece
We can't let 'em split us up
Cause I wanna be with you
And I'm not a pay check
And you're more than trailer trash
And a power too big for us
Has kept me here with you
Love's never easy
And I know I'm hard on you
And I think you realize you're hard on me too
So when the going's tough
We can't put our weapons down
Cause this love is strong enough to stay around
They can't tear this fortress down
You know that talk is cheap
I speak my heart in melody
And I'll use this song to say
That I want to be with you
The opening lines talk about putting down the cigarettes and not taking sleeping pills, emphasizing the importance of being awake and present in the moment. The singer is requesting the other person to stay up and talk to them because they want to be with them. The rest of the lyrics talk about the struggles and challenges of love, and how despite those difficulties, the love between them is strong enough to withstand them.
The lyrics mention that nobody is calling the singer and there's nowhere else to be, which could indicate that they are feeling lonely and want to spend time with the other person. The idea of locking the door further emphasizes the desire to be alone with the person they love. They mention how love is not easy and both parties are challenging on each other, but they need to stay together despite the hardships. They also talk about being judged by others, yet they won't let them tear their relationship apart.
The last lines emphasize the importance of actions rather than words, as talk is cheap, but music can express what words cannot. The singer is using the song to express their desire to be with the person they love.
Line by Line Meaning
Put down the cigarettes
Stop smoking because I want to spend time with you and care about your health.
Don't take those sleepin' pills
Stay awake with me and have a conversation instead of taking sleeping pills.
Stay up and talk to me
Stay awake and spend quality time with me by talking.
Cause I wanna be with you
I want to be with you because I love you and enjoy your company.
Nobody's callin me
No one is calling me, so I have free time to spend with you.
There's nowhere to be tonight
I don't have any plans or commitments tonight, so I want to spend it with you.
So come in and lock the door
Come inside and let's have privacy to enjoy each other's company.
Cause I wanna be with you
I want to be with you because you make me happy and I value our relationship.
Love's never easy
Love can be difficult and requires effort.
And I know I'm hard on you
I realize that I can be difficult to deal with and may cause stress in our relationship.
I think you realize you're hard on me too
I believe that you understand that you also contribute to the challenges we face in our relationship.
So when the going's tough
During difficult times in our relationship,
We can't put our weapons down
We can't give up and let our negative emotions ruin our relationship.
Cause this love's strong enough to stay around
Our love is strong enough to overcome challenges and we will stay together.
They can't tear this fortress down
Other people cannot break our relationship apart.
These people talk too much
People gossip and spread rumors about our relationship.
And I'm a conversation piece
I am a topic of discussion amongst others.
We can't let 'em split us up
We cannot allow the opinions of others to influence our relationship.
Cause I wanna be with you
I want to be with you no matter what others say or think.
And I'm not a pay check
My worth is not determined by my monetary income.
And you're more than trailer trash
You are not defined by your social status or past experiences.
And a power too big for us
There are outside forces that may impact our relationship.
Has kept me here with you
Despite these challenges, I choose to stay with you because of our love.
You know that talk is cheap
Words do not always hold value.
I speak my heart in melody
I express my true feelings through my music.
And I'll use this song to say
I will use this song to communicate my love and desire for you.
That I want to be with you
I desire to be with you and create a meaningful relationship.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAG KRISTER VOLLE, MARTIN KARL SANDBERG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind