Larrieux was born and brought up in the neighborhood of Greenwich Village in New York City. Her mother was a dance critic and professor who encouraged Larrieux to grow up in a free-spirited, artistic environment. Many of her influences are drawn from R&B, soul, jazz, folk, hip-hop and gospel, with flashes of Middle Eastern, West African, and Indian ethnic styles. She lives in New York City with her husband and two daughters.
As a solo artist, her music is mostly categorized as fitting within the nu-soul genre, though she also dabbles in jazz, blues and gospel sounds. She sang lead vocals with Sade's band Sweetback while Sade was on hiatus. On her last album 'Lovely Standards' she gravitated away from nu-soul to produce a cover album made up of songs from the jazz and blues singers that inspired her. Larrieux is also influenced by Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder and Prince — as she has previously credited on her website.
We Can Be New
Amel Larrieux Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can you tell I wanna lay low?
Can you tell that I'm a flower
Waiting for a sun shower?
Can you tell that love denied me?
I need someone to revive me
If you give me a reason
And we'll shed off our skin like trees do with leaves
We'll glide together down on winter breeze
And rest in the earth intertwined at the roots
Until we have grown into one, me and you
And we can be new
And we can be new
And we can be new
And we can be new
Can you tell me a story
That ends with morning glory?
Can you tell I will believe you
If I could remember how to?
Can you tell the girl I once was
Come back, there's nothing here to fear, love?
If you give me a reason
I'll be with you through the seasons
And we'll shed off our skin like trees do with leaves
We'll glide together down on winter breeze
And rest in the earth intertwined at the roots
Until we have grown into one, me and you
And we can be new
And we can be new
And we can be new
And we can be new
Want to begin, want to begin to grow our new future love
Where the ground is still fertile, full of hope and life
Never again, never again will pain and lies do you in
Let's bury them beside us, so they can remind us of when we
Shed off our skin like trees do with leaves
We'll glide together down on winter breeze
And rest in the earth intertwined at the roots
Until we have grown into one, me and you
And we can be new
And we can be new
And we can be new
And we can be new
And we can be new
And we can be new
And we can be new
And we can be new
Oh I want you to be new
And we can be new, oh
The song "We Can Be New" by Amel Larrieux talks about a person who has been hurt in love and wants to start anew with someone who can revive their love. The lyrics are filled with metaphors of nature reflecting the stages of their relationship. The person is compared to a flower waiting for a sun shower, symbolizing their need for new love. They also compare shedding off their skin like trees do with leaves, indicating leaving their past and old selves behind.
The song talks about the need for trust and belief in one another, like when the singer asks the other person to tell a story that ends with morning glory, indicating hope and overcoming challenges together. The chorus repeats four times, emphasizing their desire to be new and starting anew. The song also ends with a hopeful note, declaring that pain and lies will never again do them in.
Overall, the lyrics of "We Can Be New" convey hope for starting anew and growing together as a couple, overcoming past hurts and pain.
Line by Line Meaning
Can you tell that I've been hurt so?
Can you sense the pain and emotional trauma I've been through?
Can you tell I wanna lay low?
Can you see that I'm trying to avoid attention or scrutiny?
Can you tell that I'm a flower
Waiting for a sun shower?
Do you see how I'm waiting for a new opportunity to blossom and thrive?
Can you tell that love denied me?
I need someone to revive me
Am I showing signs of being heartbroken and needing someone to bring me back to life?
If you give me a reason
I'll be with you through the seasons
If you offer me a genuine reason to trust and love again, I'll be committed to you no matter the time or circumstance
And we'll shed off our skin like trees do with leaves
We'll glide together down on winter breeze
And rest in the earth intertwined at the roots
Until we have grown into one, me and you
We'll shed the past and grow in unity, like trees shedding leaves, and become one entity connected and grounded by our shared roots
Can you tell me a story
That ends with morning glory?
Can you tell I will believe you
If I could remember how to?
Can you please give me hope and inspiration that leads to a positive outcome? Can you see that I want to believe in love but I don't know how anymore?
Can you tell the girl I once was
Come back, there's nothing here to fear, love?
If you give me a reason
I'll be with you through the seasons
Can you see that I'm asking for someone to bring back the carefree and happy girl I used to be? If you provide me with a good reason to love again, I'll stick around no matter what life brings.
Want to begin, want to begin to grow our new future love
Where the ground is still fertile, full of hope and life
Never again, never again will pain and lies do you in
Let's bury them beside us, so they can remind us of when we
Let's start a new chapter of love where we can grow and thrive. We'll leave the past behind, but keep it close as a reminder of what we've overcome and how strong we've become.
And we can be new
Together, we can be reborn and start fresh.
Oh I want you to be new
I want you to also leave the past behind and grow with me.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: AMEL LARRIEUX, GUESLEY LARRIEUX
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind