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.
I'm Not Myself
Amos Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Baby, go ahead
I know you don't believe me
Oh, when I finally said that
I'm not myself
When I'm with you
It takes and breaks
I'm half a mile from Jersey
The headlights on the shore
You know how much it hurts me
I never been this deep before
And I'm not myself
When I'm with you
It takes and breaks
My heart in two
And oh, does anybody have a clue
How hard I worked at loving you?
And I'm not myself
When I'm with you
It takes and breaks
My heart in two
The lyrics of Amos Lee's "I'm Not Myself" depict the emotions of a person in a complicated relationship. The person seems to be aware that the relationship is draining energy from them and is not bringing out the best in them. The lyrics "I'm not myself when I'm with you, it takes and breaks my heart in two" highlight the way they feel when they are with their partner. The person feels like they are losing their sense of self and identity. The lyrics "And oh, does anybody have a clue, how hard I worked at loving you?" reveal that the person was committed and worked hard to make the relationship work.
The second verse of the song further explores the emotional battle the person is going through in the relationship. The person is physically distant but still feels the emotional pain from the relationship, as seen in the lyrics "You know how much it hurts me, I never been this deep before." The person recognizes the impact of the relationship on their mental health and overall wellbeing, yet appears to struggle to let go.
Overall, "I'm Not Myself" is a poignant expression of the emotional complexities of a draining relationship. The song emphasizes the importance of recognizing when a relationship is not healthy and acknowledging the self-destructive nature of such a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
And if you wanna leave me
The singer acknowledges their partner's desire to leave.
Baby, go ahead
The singer gives permission for their partner to leave.
I know you don't believe me
The singer recognizes that their partner doubts the authenticity of the singer's feelings.
Oh, when I finally said that
The artist reveals that they have previously spoken about their feelings.
I'm not myself
The artist feels like they are not acting true to themselves when they are around their partner.
When I'm with you
The singer specifies that their identity issue only occurs when they are with their partner.
It takes and breaks
The singer is strongly affected by their partner's actions and words.
My heart in two
The artist feels like their heart is splitting apart from the pain and emotional stress caused by the relationship.
I'm half a mile from Jersey
The artist gives a geographical reference to their location.
The headlights on the shore
The artist can see car lights on the coast.
You know how much it hurts me
The singer's partner knows the level of pain the singer is experiencing.
I never been this deep before
The artist reveals that they have not experienced such intense emotions before.
And oh, does anybody have a clue
The singer wonders if anyone understands the struggles they are facing in their relationship.
How hard I worked at loving you?
The singer questions if their efforts to love their partner were enough to make the relationship work.
And I'm not myself
The singer repeats their previous statement, emphasizing that they feel completely unlike themselves in this relationship.
When I'm with you
The artist clarifies that their identity issue only affects them in the presence of their partner.
It takes and breaks
The artist continues to express their emotional vulnerability and sensitivity to their partner's actions.
My heart in two
The repetition of this line reiterates the depth of the singer's pain and suffering in this relationship.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IRA GERSHWIN, HAROLD ARLEN, E. Y. HARBURG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@annhadden9386
What a beautiful soul❤️Your music is so spiritual 🎼🥰
@ElisabethWestrumSkulstad
Beautiful, love this <3
@johanrodriguez1167
Como para lanzarte al metro sin creer en nadie porque eres hampa.