Ripley made her Broadway debut in The Who's Tommy in 1993. Additional Broadway roles include: Betty Schaeffer in Sunset Boulevard (1994), Bathsheba in King David (1997), Fantine in Les Misérables (1998), Molly Ivors in James Joyce's The Dead (2000), and Janet in The Rocky Horror Show (2000). She also performed in a benefit concert performance of Dreamgirls in 2001.
(added 10-21-08)
Updated biography and other info here: http://nexttonormal.org/aliceripley
Alice is currently starring in Next to Normal on Broadway, in her Helen Hayes Award winning role of Diana. Next to Normal was nominated for eleven 2009 Tony Awards, including a personal nomination of Best Actress in a Musical for Alice. Next to Normal has since won the 2010 Pulitzer prize in Drama.
On June 7, 2009 won Alice Ripley won her first Tony award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Diana in Next to Normal.
You Don't Know
Alice Ripley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do you wake up in the morning and need help to lift your head?
Do you read obituaries and feel jealous of the dead?
It's like living on a cliff-side, not knowing when you'll dive
Do you know, do you know, what it's like to die alive?
When the world that once had color fades to white and gray and black
When tomorrow terrifies you, but you'll die if you look back
You don't know
I know you don't know
You say that you're hurting, it sure doesn't show
You don't know
It lays me so low
When you say let go, and I say you don't know
The sensation that you're screaming, but you never make a sound
Or the feeling that you're falling, but you never hit the ground
It just keeps on rushing at you, day-by-day-by-day-by-day
You don't know, you don't know, what it's like to live that way
Like a refugee, a fugitive, forever on the run
If it gets me it will kill me, but I don't know what I've done
The lyrics of Alice Ripley’s song "You Don't Know" convey the experience of living with a mental illness such as depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder. Diana, the singer of the song, expresses her struggle with emotions that are difficult to name or explain. The first verse opens with a series of rhetorical questions that hint at the pain, despair, and loneliness that define her everyday existence. She then compares the feeling of being alive to the sensation of standing at the edge of a cliff, not knowing when she will jump or fall. This metaphor underscores the precariousness and uncertainty of her life, as well as her ambivalence about wanting to stay alive or give up entirely.
In the second verse, Diana describes the experience of being trapped in her own mind and unable to escape the incessant thoughts and emotions that plague her. She describes a world that has lost its vibrancy and becomes monochrome, as if viewed through a gray haze. She also acknowledges the paradox of fearing the future and being unable to move on from the past, both of which contribute to her feelings of hopelessness and despair. Despite these challenges, Diana feels that others don't understand what she's going through, which creates a further sense of isolation and vulnerability.
Overall, the song paints a poignant picture of what it's like to live with mental illness, capturing the perspectives and feelings that are often hidden from others. It speaks to the complexity of emotions, experiences, and challenges that people face when dealing with mental health, as well as the importance of empathy, compassion, and understanding in addressing these issues.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you wake up in the morning and need help to lift your head?
Do you feel so overwhelmed with life that you can't even face the day?
Do you read obituaries and feel jealous of the dead?
Do you feel like you'd rather be dead than continue living in this pain?
It's like living on a cliff-side, not knowing when you'll dive
Living with anxiety and fear that at any moment, you might lose control and fall apart completely.
Do you know, do you know, what it's like to die alive?
Do you feel like you're already dead, and just going through the motions of life?
When the world that once had color fades to white and gray and black
When everything that used to bring you joy now feels dull and lifeless.
When tomorrow terrifies you, but you'll die if you look back
When the future seems too overwhelming to face, but the past is filled with so much pain that you can't bear to revisit it.
You don't know
You can't understand what I'm going through.
I know you don't know
I understand that you can't understand.
You say that you're hurting, it sure doesn't show
You might claim that you're going through something similar, but I don't see the evidence of that.
It lays me so low
It hurts me so much to hear you dismiss my pain.
When you say let go, and I say you don't know
You might try to offer advice to let go of my pain, but you don't know how impossible that feels.
The sensation that you're screaming, but you never make a sound
The feeling of being trapped in your own head, screaming for help but unable to articulate it.
Or the feeling that you're falling, but you never hit the ground
The constant sense of dread, like you're always on the brink of something terrible happening.
It just keeps on rushing at you, day-by-day-by-day-by-day
The overwhelming nature of mental illness, day after day, with no break.
You don't know, you don't know, what it's like to live that way
You can't possibly understand the agony of living with mental illness.
Like a refugee, a fugitive, forever on the run
Feeling like you're constantly fleeing from something, with no place to find safety or comfort.
If it gets me it will kill me, but I don't know what I've done
The fear that whatever is causing this pain and suffering will eventually consume and destroy you, but not even understanding how you got here in the first place.
Contributed by Anna B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.