After he quit school after one year at the George Washington University, he began pursuing his music career.
One Over Two
Adam Richman Lyrics
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Breaks my nerves
Trying much too hard
To only come this far, and
Late nights breaking
The days into
A momentary consciousness
Endless bouts with loneliness
Self absorption, at it's highest peak
Inadequacies, so to speak
Or just a fixation on me
The world keeps turning
And this, so often, remains news to me
It wouldn't hurt to see that
I take from all this madness
A hint I had mistreated you
And I know it's not right at all
But I'd take one over two
The door is open
The opportunity
Stares in my eyes
So I apologize, and
Sit back down
Push it off for one more day
Back to me again
This can't be where it ends, 'cause
Sirens ring, the streets outside are
Broken up by statues
Building up a past that never
Lived like we do
And I'll never achieve greatness
While I worship all this emptiness
In "One Over Two," Adam Richman reflects on his own self-absorption and inadequacies. He describes how his summer boredom and late nights have contributed to endless bouts with loneliness, where his moments of consciousness are just temporary. Richman acknowledges how fixated he is on himself, and how he often forgets that the world keeps turning. He recognizes that he must look beyond his own insecurities and self-absorption in order to move forward.
In the chorus, he sings about taking a hint from all the madness he's been through and realizing that he's mistreated someone important to him. He knows that it's not right, but he would still choose to have one person over two. The door is open for him to make things right, but he pushes it off for another day. He knows that he can't let his world end here, and that he must take action in order to achieve greatness.
Overall, Richman's "One Over Two" is a reflection on the pitfalls of self-absorption and how it can lead to loneliness and missed opportunities. It's a call to look beyond oneself and to recognize the important people and opportunities that exist beyond our own insecurities.
Line by Line Meaning
Summer boredom
The feeling of being unchallenged and unstimulated during the summer
Breaks my nerves
Leads to feelings of restlessness and anxiety
Trying much too hard
Putting in excessive effort to achieve something
To only come this far, and
Despite the effort, not making much progress
Late nights breaking
Staying up past bedtime, unable to sleep
The days into
Transforming daytime into nighttime
A momentary consciousness
Brief periods of being awake and alert
Endless bouts with loneliness
Recurring episodes of feeling isolated and alone
Self absorption, at it's highest peak
Being overly focused on oneself and one's own needs
Inadequacies, so to speak
Feelings of not measuring up or being good enough
Or just a fixation on me
Perhaps just an obsession with oneself
The world keeps turning
Life goes on despite the individual's problems and concerns
And this, so often, remains news to me
The individual is often absorbed in their own world and forgets about the bigger picture
It wouldn't hurt to see that
Realizing that it's important to be aware of the world around oneself
I take from all this madness
Learning something from the chaos and confusion
A hint I had mistreated you
Realizing that one has not treated someone else well
And I know it's not right at all
Understanding that mistreating someone is wrong
But I'd take one over two
Preferring to change one thing instead of two
The door is open
An opportunity is available
The opportunity
The chance to make a change
Stares in my eyes
The opportunity is hard to ignore
So I apologize, and
The individual takes responsibility for their actions
Sit back down
Going back to a comfortable, familiar routine
Push it off for one more day
Delaying taking action to another day
Back to me again
Returning to a state of self-absorption
This can't be where it ends, 'cause
Feeling like there is more to life than this
Sirens ring, the streets outside are
The noise and chaos of the outside world
Broken up by statues
The stillness of the statues contrasts with the hectic outside world
Building up a past that never
Focusing on the past instead of the present
Lived like we do
Ignoring the fact that life is always changing and never exactly the same
And I'll never achieve greatness
Feeling like one will never accomplish anything truly significant
While I worship all this emptiness
Being preoccupied with meaningless things and missing out on true fulfillment
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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