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.

Soul Suckers
Amos Lee Lyrics

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Did you believe it
When they told you they discovered you?
And that everything is free
As long as you do what they tell you to
You think it's true?

But nothing could be farther from the truth
My love

Did you even listen
When they told you to change your name?
And that nobody wants honesty when looking at a perfect frame
Play the game

Nothing could be further from the truth
My love
And nothing is more powerful that beauty in a wicked world
Play it girl
Play it girl
Play it girl

Does it make you feel good
When they tell you what you want to hear?
And after they suck all your soul
Well that's when they'll disappear
Disappear
They disappear forever

Like a prince in your little fairy tale
And you will find
One day you put you soul on sale

Nothing could be further from the truth

My love
And nothing is more powerful than beauty in a wicked world

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Amos Lee's "Soul Suckers" raises questions about the music industry and the price of fame. It begins by questioning whether or not the listener has been lured in by illusions such as fame being free, assuming one does as they're told. However, Lee sings that "nothing could be further from the truth." He continues on to suggest that any musician who's been told to change their name or offered a false sense of approval shouldn't give up who they truly are, because in the end, offering the world authenticity will yield far greater results than the seemingly irresistible sirens of the music industry's fame and glamour.

As the song progresses, Lee states that succumbing to the music industry soul-sucking agents will only lead to the artist losing their authenticity, their soul, and that's when the false ideas and unkept promises will disappear. Lee uses fairy tale imagery to describe how these false promises function in the music industry, saying that the good feelings from being told what one wants to hear are simply fictitious, just like the prince in Cinderella. Ultimately, he concludes that nothing is more powerful than sincerity in a corrupt society.

Overall, "Soul Suckers" is a song about the false allure of fame and material success and the price of sacrificing oneself in pursuit of these goals. Lee encourages the listener to stay true to themselves and not to get caught up in the superficial world of the music industry.

Line by Line Meaning

Did you believe it
Did you really think it was true

When they told you they discovered you?
When they claimed to have found you

And that everything is free
And that everything is given to you at no cost

As long as you do what they tell you to
As long as you follow their instructions

You think it's true?
Do you believe this to be true?

But nothing could be farther from the truth
But in fact the opposite is true

My love
Dear

Did you even listen
Did you even pay attention

When they told you to change your name?
When they advised you to change your given name

And that nobody wants honesty when looking at a perfect frame
And that people prefer a perfect facade over honesty

Play the game
Play along with them