Andrea has headlined everywhere from the Nuyorican Poet's Café, to Pride Fests and Lady Fests, to high schools and universities throughout the country. They have been showcased on Free Speech TV, Dyke TV, the documentary Slam Planet, and Independent Radio Stations nationwide. They are featured on New York City's 2004 Best of Urbana CD, and are currently a member of the prestigious Bullhorn Collective "comprised of 30 of the highest ranking slam poets and most accomplished performance poets in the world." They have shared the stage with such names as Leslie Feinberg, Amy Goodman, Dennis Kucinich and KRS1.
Andrea's poetry deconstructs the foundations of the current political machine, highlighting issues such as patriarchy, gender norms, white-supremacy, and capitalist culture. Their words are honest, humble and "oh my god, I can't believe you said that in public!" (ex-girlfriend #4).
Andrea is an independent artist who has self-released four CDs, Bullets and Windchimes (2003), Swarm (2004), When The Bough Breaks (2006), and Yellowbird (2009).
They have also self published three books, Trees That Grow in Cemeteries, Yellow Bird, and What the Yarn Knows of Sweaters.
Write Bloody Publishing published their nationally distributed collection of poems in 2008, Pole Dancing To Gospel Hymns.
Andrea uses they/them pronouns.
from: http://www.andreagibson.org/
Photograph
Andrea Gibson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
tucked into the corners of your wallet
I wish I was a photograph
you carried like a future in your pocket
I wish I was that face you show to strangers
when they ask you where you come from
I wish I was that someone that you come from
every time you get there
I wish I was that someone who got phone calls
and postcards saying
wish you were here
I wish you were here
autumn is the hardest season
the leaves are all falling
and they're falling like they're falling in love with the ground
and the trees are naked and lonely
I keep trying to tell them
new leaves will come around in the spring
but you can't tell trees those things
they're like me they just stand there
and don't listen
I wish you were here
I've been missing you like crazy
I've been hazy eyed
staring at the bottom of my glass again
thinking of that time when it was so full
it was like we were tapping the moon for moonshine
or sticking straws into the center of the sun
and sipping like icarus would forever kiss
the bullets from our guns
I never meant to fire you know
I know you never meant to fire lover
I know we never meant to hurt each other
now the sky clicks from black to blue
and dusk looks like a bruise
I've been wrapping one night stands
around my body like wedding bands
but none of them fit in the morning
they just slip off my fingers and slip out the door
and all that lingers is the scent of you
I once swore if I threw that scent into a wishing well
all the wishes in the world would come true
do you remember
do you remember the night I told you
I've never seen anything more perfect than
than snow falling in the glow of a street light
electricity bowing to nature
mind bowing to heartbeat
this is gonna hurt bowing to I love you
I still love you like moons love the planets they circle around
like children love recess bells
I still hear the sound of you
and think of playgrounds
where outcasts who stutter
beneath braces and bruises and acne
are finally learning that their rich handsome bullies
are never gonna grow up to be happy
I think of happy when I think of you
so wherever you are I hope you're happy
I really do
I hope the stars are kissing your cheeks tonight
I hope you finally found a way to quit smoking
I hope your lungs are open and breathing your life
I hope there's a kite in your hand
that's flying all the way up to orion
and you still got a thousand yards of string to let out
I hope you're smiling
like god is pulling at the corners of your mouth
cause I might be naked and lonely
shaking branches for bones
but I'm still time zones away
from who I was the day before we met
you were the first mile
where my heart broke a sweat
and I wish you were here
I wish you'd never left
but mostly I wish you well
I wish you my very very best
In Andrea Gibson's song "Photograph," the singer expresses their desire to be remembered and cherished by the person they love. They wish they could be a photograph, something tangible and carried close like a future in their partner's pocket. The singer yearns to be the person that their lover thinks of when they think of home, and they wish to be the one receiving phone calls and postcards saying, "wish you were here."
"Photograph" addresses the pain of missing someone, particularly during the fall season when everything is changing and the world feels like it's in a constant state of transition. The singer's grief is palpable as they try to tell the naked and lonely trees that new life will come in the spring, yet they don't listen. The singer is also haunted by memories of the past they shared with their lover, reminiscing about a time when they were so full of life and love that it felt like they were "tapping the moon for moonshine." But now that their relationship has fallen apart, the singer finds themselves searching for something to fill the void. They've tried to replace their lover with temporary flings, but nothing ever fits quite right.
Ultimately, "Photograph" is a powerful exploration of love, loss, and the ways in which we hold onto memories. The singer's longing for their former partner is both heart-wrenching and relatable, as they struggle to come to terms with the fact that the person they once loved is no longer a part of their life.
Line by Line Meaning
I wish I was a photograph
The singer desires to exist in the form of a picture
tucked into the corners of your wallet
The singer wants to be kept safe and close to the person they care for
you carried like a future in your pocket
To be cherished and protected as if the singer is vital to the future of the person they care for
that face you show to strangers when they ask you where you come from
The artist wishes to be the representation of where the other person comes from
that someone that you come from every time you get there
The artist wants to be the source or foundation of the other person's homecoming and comfort
and when you get there
The singer refers to the moment when the other person returns home
I wish I was that someone who got phone calls and postcards saying wish you were here
The singer wants to be the one the other person misses and thinks of when they're away, the recipient of messages and reminders of their absence
autumn is the hardest season
Fall is difficult for the artist
the leaves are all falling and they're falling like they're falling in love with the ground
The artist sees the leaves as symbols of things falling and ending
and the trees are naked and lonely
The artist describes the trees as vulnerable and without decoration
I keep trying to tell them new leaves will come around in the spring
The singer tries to convince the trees that they'll grow new foliage when winter is over
but you can't tell trees those things they're like me they just stand there and don't listen
The artist sees herself in the trees, detached from the world and unmoving
I've been missing you like crazy
The singer admits she thinks of the other person frequently and deeply
I've been hazy eyed staring at the bottom of my glass again
The singer is lost in thought and drinking to numb her emotions
thinking of that time when it was so full it was like we were tapping the moon for moonshine or sticking straws into the center of the sun
The singer recalls a time when things were brighter and fuller, an idyllic memory
and sipping like Icarus would forever kiss the bullets from our guns
The artist describes the act of drinking as something that would lead them to their downfall like Icarus or Romeo and Juliet
I still love you like moons love the planets they circle around like children love recess bells
The artist still loves the other person with a sense of loyalty and admiration
I still hear the sound of you and think of playgrounds where outcasts who stutter beneath braces and bruises and acne are finally learning that their rich handsome bullies are never gonna grow up to be happy
A memory of the other person brings back the feeling of being an outcast and the realization that people who are unkind will not find happiness
so wherever you are I hope you're happy
The singer genuinely desires for the other person to be content
I'm still time zones away from who I was the day before we met, you were the first mile where my heart broke a sweat
The artist has gone through a transformation over time but still thinks fondly of the beginning of their relationship
but mostly I wish you well
Above all, the artist wishes for the other person's happiness and success
I wish you my very very best
The artist is sincere in her desire for the other person to have the best in life
Contributed by Jasmine K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Kutlwelo
Photograph
I wish I was a photograph
tucked into the corners of your wallet
I wish I was a photograph
you carried like a future in your back pocket
I wish I was that face you show to strangers
when they ask you where you come from
I wish I was that someone that you come from
every time you get there
And when you get there
I wish I was that someone who got phone calls
And postcards saying
Wish you were here
I wish you were here
Autumn is the hardest season
The leaves are all falling
And they’re falling like they’re falling in love with the ground
And the trees are naked and lonely
I keep trying to tell them
New leaves will come around in the spring
But you can’t tell trees those things
They’re like me they just stand there
And don’t listen
I wish you were here
I’ve been missing you like crazy
I’ve been hazy eyed
Staring at the bottom of my glass again
Thinking of that time when it was so full
It was like we were tapping the moon for moonshine
Or sticking straws into the center of the sun
And sipping like icarus would forever kiss
The bullets from our guns
I never meant to fire you know
I know you never meant to fire lover
I know we never meant to hurt each other
Now the sky clicks from black to blue
And dusk looks like a bruise
I’ve been wrapping one night stands
Around my body like wedding bands
But none of them fit in the morning
They just slip off my fingers and slip out the door
And all that lingers is the scent of you
I once swore if I threw that scent into a wishing well
All the wishes in the world would come true
Do you remember
Do you remember the night I told you
I’ve never seen anything more perfect than
Than snow falling in the glow of a street light
Electricity bowing to nature
Mind bowing to heartbeat
This is gonna hurt bowing to I love you
I still love you like moons love the planets they circle around
Like children love recess bells
I still hear the sound of you
And think of playgrounds
Where outcasts who stutter
Beneath braces and bruises and acne
Finally learning that their rich handsome bullies
Are never gonna grow up to be happy
I think of happy when I think of you
So wherever you are I hope you’re happy
I really do
I hope the stars are kissing your cheeks tonight
I hope you finally found a way to quit smoking
I hope your lungs are open and breathing this life
I hope there’s a kite in your hand
That’s flying all the way up to orion
And you still got a thousand yards of string to let out
I hope you’re smiling
Like God is pulling at the corners of your mouth
‘Cause I might be naked and lonely
Shaking branches for bones
But I’m still time zones away
From who I was the day before we met
You were the first mile
Where my heart broke a sweat
And I wish you were here
I wish you’d never left
But mostly I wish you well
I wish you my very very best
cbbred
I cant express how much this means to me... I showed my mom and she cried, and days later she bought your poem book. A used copy with a written script, even better, and I'm so thankful. My mom passes a few months later, and I think of her when I hear this. Thank you, I dont think I can say that enough. Thank you.
Melissa Keister
I have listened to this poem and watched this video at different points over the last 9 years, it never fails to break my heart. Every time is like ripping a scab off, but in a good way.
Carmina Rae
this has been my favourite poem for years and i don't think it'll ever get old. she is amazing.
Paris Coleman Jones
She is absolutely amazing. I wish I could see her, just once live. Her poems speak to me and make me wish I could feel this way about something, feeling this way for someone must be amazing if she puts this much emotion into her poems.
ambyyy1
If Andrea never wrote another piece of Poetry, this will live on, it's just beautiful!!!!
whirlsandcurls
I have watched this so many times in the last 4 years. I was just reading her Reddit AMA and had to watch this one plus so many others. She is an inspiration, her words live more in one sentence than most of society does in a lifetime. Off to watch Crap Apple Pirates and Yellowbird :)
Hannah Jay
What a wonderful poem. I had a pretty bad break up recently, not with my lover but with my best friend. She became vindictive; putting my toothbrush down the toilet, leaving nasty notes around the house, telling people how awful I am, she deleted and blocked me off of Facebook. I attempted suicide a few months earlier. I know it mustn't have been easy for her. I know I was not the best of friends, but I really do wish her the best in life. I will always remember her. I will always love her.
Tabi No-Ko
❤️Sending you love dear. I've been here before and it's hard but when it becomes toxic it doesn't benefit anyone anymore
Lorraine Gorman
She gave me goosebumps!
cat ross
an old lover sent this to me months ago, and well this might not mean much to some but it made me quit smoking. for the thousandth time in my life but this time i actually did.
i wanted to thank her, say how perfect this poem is for both of us, i know we both never meant to fire, i'm sorry i ever held the gun.
thank you.
i wish you my very very best.