Amos Lee (born 1978 as Ryan Anthony Massaro) is an American singer-songwrit… Read Full Bio ↴Amos Lee (born 1978 as Ryan Anthony Massaro) is an American singer-songwriter whose musical style encompasses folk, rock and soul. His self-titled debut album is full of folk and soul, with a jazz twist. The Flower Songfacts state that his fourth album, Mission Bell, which was released on January 25, 2011 debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 with 40,000 copies sold in its first week; these sales were the lowest for a #1 debut in the Nielsen SoundScan era.

Lee grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Cherry Hill, New Jersey, USA. He has been quoted as saying that he is fortunate to have seen different sides of life in America. Lee enrolled at the University of South Carolina in 1995. He began to play guitar and write songs seriously while he studied English. After graduating with an English degree, Lee moved back to Philadelphia to teach elementary school. He later made the tough decision to stop teaching in order to pursue a career in music. Shortly thereafter, he released a self-produced EP that featured five of his original songs, which did extremely well in Philadelphia and created a buzz. Norah Jones was the person who finally gave Lee his big breakthrough when she asked him to open for her 2004 tour. Lee then went on to produce his self-titled debut album. In March and April of 2005 Lee opened for the tour that Merle Haggard and Bob Dylan were both embarking on, all 3 performers were extremely well received by critics as the tour went by, with Dylan receiving some of his strongest reviews in years. On October 3, 2006, Lee released his second album, "Supply & Demand" to critical and commercial acclaim.

At the age of only 27, Amos Lee has enjoyed notable success with his debut album and looks to have a promising future in the music business. His favorite artists and sources of inspiration include Stevie Wonder, Neil Young, John Prine, Bill Withers, and James Taylor.

Bottom Of the Barrel
Amos Lee Lyrics

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I keep on laughing to keep from crying
I keep on dreaming to keep from dying
I keep on trying
Ain't gonna stop
Get right down to the bottom of the barrel
And then you float back on top

We all know someone who's always hurtin'

The sun is shining they draw the curtain
One thing for certain
The pain ain't gonna stop

You get right down to the bottom of the barrel
And then you float back on top

You know the grass is always s greener in someone else's yard
And the world is so much meaner when your heart is hard

I go out walking in any season
It could be rainin' it could be freezin'
I don't need no reason
It's just so pleasing I can't stop

You get right down to the bottom of the barrel
And then you float back on top

You get right down to the bottom of the barrel
And then you float back on top

Overall Meaning

In Amos Lee's song Bottom of the Barrel, the lyrics speak to the human condition of struggling to keep going despite the hardships of life. Lee suggests that one method of coping is to keep laughing in the face of pain, to keep dreaming of a brighter future, and to keep trying to make things better. These methods of coping help the singer to persevere in difficult times without giving up. The song also reflects on the universal experience of feeling like life isn't fair, with other people's lives seeming better from the outside looking in.

Line by Line Meaning

I keep on laughing to keep from crying
I use humor to hide my pain and sadness.

I keep on dreaming to keep from dying
I hold onto my hopes and aspirations to survive and not lose all meaning to my life.

I keep on trying
I don't stop striving for better circumstances.

Ain't gonna stop
I won't give up or quit trying.

Get right down to the bottom of the barrel
I hit rock bottom, with nothing left to lose.

And then you float back on top
From that low point, I will rise and succeed.

We all know someone who's always hurtin'
We know people who are always in pain.

The sun is shining they draw the curtain
Even when things are good, they choose to stay in a negative state of mind.

One thing for certain
It's clear that they will always be in pain.

The pain ain't gonna stop
They will always experience pain.

You know the grass is always greener in someone else's yard
People always think others have it better than them.