Rubarth has become a fixture in New York's indie scene, named #1 Best of NYC Songwriter by Deli Magazine and grand prize winner of NPR's Mountain Stage New Song Contest.
Her fourth album A Common Case of Disappearing produced by Jacquire King (Tom Waits, Kings of Leon, Norah Jones) highlights her raw, vulnerable voice against a driving band. The album debuted at #13 on iTunes Songwriter charts and features duets with Jason Reeves and Jason Mraz.
Over the years, Rubarth has toured Europe, Japan and the US, including appearances at Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center Atrium. She composed the score for the documentary Desert Runners. Her songs have attracted enthusiastic praise from NPR All Songs Considered, The Huffington Post, BBC Radio, Acoustic Guitar Magazine, and a Sun Studio Session airing nation-wide on PBS.
At 21 years old, Rubarth quit her career as a chainsaw sculptor in Nevada in order to pursue music. She taught herself guitar, began playing open mics and recorded her songs, which soon received over 1.5 million listens on MySpace through word of mouth alone. She has shared the stage with many artists including Loudon Wainwright III, Jason Mraz, Roger McGuinn (The Byrds), Colin Hay, Martin Sexton and Lisa Loeb. Rubarth now composes for films as well, most recently writing music with Paul Brill for the highly-acclaimed Sundance Film Festival winner Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work. She is also one half of Brooklyn's The Paper Raincoat with Alex Wong, an iTunes Indie Spotlight band chosen as Paste Magazine's "Best of What's Next."
For more information and a Free EP, please visit http://AmberRubarth.com
Don't You
Amber Rubarth Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you got him as a friend
Don't get tangled in the covers
It's a means to an end
There's no turning back
We're starting over again
Don't take him as a lover
When you've got a friend
'Cause I did it myself
I made the mistake
I tried to be true and
I tried to have faith
But it backfires hard
Beneath the thick of your skin
Don't you take him as a lover
When you've got a friend
In Amber Rubarth's song "Don't You," the lyrics advise against crossing the line from friendship to lovers. The opening lines caution, "Don't you take him as a lover when you got him as a friend." The message is that once you change the dynamic of a friendship by becoming romantically involved, it's almost impossible to go back to how things were before. The line, "Don't get tangled in the covers, it's a means to an end," further emphasizes that temporary physical pleasure can have long-lasting consequences.
The chorus repeats the main message of the song and reveals that the singer has personally experienced the fallout of mixing friendship and romance. "Cause I did it myself, I made the mistake. I tried to be true and I tried to have faith. But it backfires hard beneath the thick of your skin. Don't you take him as a lover when you've got a friend." The singer learned the hard way that crossing the line from friends to lovers can result in deep emotional scars that take a long time to heal. The lyric "It's a means to an end" implies that temporary physical pleasure is not worth risking a friendship, as it is ultimately short-lived.
Overall, "Don't You" encourages listeners to prioritize the value of their platonic relationships, rather than risking them for the potential of something more. The song reminds us that true friendship is rare and precious. Once a line is crossed, there's no guarantee that friendship can ever be restored. The song is a touching reminder to be cautious when considering romantic relationships with those closest to us.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't you take him as a lover
Do not engage in a romantic relationship with him
When you got him as a friend
Since you already have him as a friend
Don't get tangled in the covers
Avoid becoming physically involved with him
It's a means to an end
Physical attraction can be a temporary motivation for a relationship
There's no turning back
Once the relationship becomes romantic, it is difficult to go back to a purely platonic friendship
We're starting over again
Starting afresh with a new romantic relationship
'Cause I did it myself
Because I previously made this mistake
I made the mistake
I engaged in a romantic relationship with a friend
I tried to be true and
I attempted to be honest and faithful
I tried to have faith
I wanted to believe the relationship would work out
But it backfires hard
However, the romantic relationship caused negative consequences
Beneath the thick of your skin
Emotionally, the experience left a lasting impact
When you've got a friend
When the person is already a friend, keep the relationship purely platonic
Contributed by Liam T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@muhammedb.2487
Don't you take him as a lover
When you got him as a friend
Don't get tangled in the covers
It's a means to an end
There's no turning back
We're starting over again
Don't take him as a lover
When you've got a friend
'Cause I did it myself
I made the mistake
I tried to be true and
I tried to have faith
But it backfires hard
Beneath the thick of your skin
Don't take him as a lover
When you've got a friend
@samuelpierce7664
Heard this on the headphone testing disc - what an amazing song. Need more of this artist!
@caramason56
Brilliant and beautiful.
@muhammedb.2487
Don't you take him as a lover
When you got him as a friend
Don't get tangled in the covers
It's a means to an end
There's no turning back
We're starting over again
Don't take him as a lover
When you've got a friend
'Cause I did it myself
I made the mistake
I tried to be true and
I tried to have faith
But it backfires hard
Beneath the thick of your skin
Don't take him as a lover
When you've got a friend
@BaNguyen-wn2py
I love this song
@user-vf4my1ob8p
Beautiful Song 2
@narongtang4023
beautiful song
@loromat100
I like it 🇪🇨✌️
@enriquemaidana8662
I love it. <3
@Jghosn13
Muy mala grabacion!!!
@abith1
Concuerdo