She released her début album Somebody Outside in 2004. The Swedish Grammy jury awarded her as Best Newcomer of the year, and was nominated for Best Female Artist, Best Lyricist and Best Songwriter of 2005. She also won the P3 Gold award for Best Newcomer 2004.
For her second album, Separation Road released on September 27, 2006, she was awarded Best Female Artist and Best Lyricist of the Swedish Grammy jury, again she was nominated for Best Songwriter and Best Album. She received the award for Best Female Artist at the Swedish National Radio's P3 Gold Awards the same year.
Her début US album, Halfway to Fivepoints, was released on April 22, 2008.
"To Be Gone", "My Secret", "Girl Laying Down", "Today is A Good Day", and "Shoreline" (a Broder Daniel cover) remain her most popular songs.
Her song, "Quiet Night" was used in the second series of the Swedish version of Wallander starring Krister Henriksson.
''Words of Love'' featured in gameplay Silent hill:Downpour.
On December 18, 2009, her song "No, I Don't Remember" was featured on an episode of Dollhouse entitled "The Attic." This song was featured in July 2010 on a new DLC episode, for the Xbox 360 videogame Alan Wake, entitled "The Signal".
Her latest album, Leaving on a Mayday, was released on August 11, 2009. The album won Album of the Year at the 2009 Swedish Grammy Awards along with the award for Best Female Artist.
All for Me
Anna Ternheim Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And it's causing confusion
Across the borders of my mind
Across the borders of sadness
Please someone help me out today
I don't think I handle my friends too well
Please someone try to understand
It's all for me
Nothing left for you
Nothing left for anyone
It's all for me
There's nothing left for you
Bad conscience striking hard tonight
And it's wounding me badly
I need a safer place to hide
I need new friends to forgive me
Please someone try to understand
I never meant to fail anyone
It's all for me
There's nothing left for you
Nothing left for anyone
It's all for me
There's nothing left for you
The moon might blind us
It's time to care
Well I'm so sorry
I'm not yet there
All for me
It's all for me
It's all for me
And nothing left for anyone
It's all for me
All for me
It's all for me
And nothing left for anyone
Anna Ternheim's song "All for Me" is a poignant expression of self-reflection and remorse. The lyrics depict the singer experiencing turmoil within herself, causing confusion and sadness that permeate beyond the borders of her mind. She pleads for someone to help her understand the situation, acknowledging her inability to handle her friends well and unintentional harm she has caused. Despite this, she affirms that she is ultimately motivated by self-interest, and there is nothing left for anyone. In the second verse, she expresses a "bad conscience striking hard" and the need for a safer place to hide and new friends to forgive her. The song concludes with the acknowledgement that she has yet to fully overcome her struggles and an admission that it is all for her, with nothing left for anyone else.
The song addresses themes of self-absorption, remorse, and the difficulty of reconciling personal conflicts with external relationships. Through the conversation between the singer and her unnamed confidant, the lyrics appear to portray a journey of introspection and honesty in the face of personal shortcomings. The repetition of "it's all for me" reinforces the idea that the singer's motivations are self-involved, while the repeated reference to nothing left for anyone else may suggest feelings of isolation and emotional disconnection.
Line by Line Meaning
Something striking hard tonight
I am feeling very agitated and restless tonight, as if something big is going to happen.
And it's causing confusion
This feeling of restlessness and agitation is causing me confusion and disturbance.
Across the borders of my mind
This confusion and restlessness is not confined to any single area in my mind, but is spreading throughout my thoughts and emotions.
Across the borders of sadness
This conflict and turmoil is also spreading to my emotions, specifically to my feelings of sadness and despair.
Please someone help me out today
I am feeling overwhelmed and I am reaching out for someone to lend their support and help me through this difficult time.
I don't think I handle my friends too well
I am aware that I may not be treating my friends and loved ones in the best way possible, as I am experiencing this internal turmoil.
Please someone try to understand
I am asking for understanding and empathy from others.
I never meant to hurt anyone
My actions and words were not intended to harm anyone, but rather a manifestation of my own struggles.
It's all for me
Ultimately, my decisions and actions are selfish, serving only my own needs and desires.
Nothing left for you
In my current state, I am unable to provide anything or contribute to anyone else's life, as I am consumed by my own struggles.
Bad conscience striking hard tonight
I am plagued by a guilty conscience, which is making me feel even more uneasy and restless tonight.
And it's wounding me badly
This guilty conscience is causing me great emotional pain and distress.
I need a safer place to hide
I am seeking a safe space, physically or emotionally, where I can retreat from this internal conflict.
I need new friends to forgive me
I am hoping to seek forgiveness and support from new friends, as I feel incapable of facing my current friends and loved ones in my current state.
The moon might blind us
This line seems to be a more abstract metaphor, possibly suggesting that the illuminating presence of the moon can sometimes blind us from seeing our true selves or reality.
It's time to care
The metaphorical moon is signaling that it is time to pay attention to what is happening, to begin to care and tend to our emotional wellbeing.
Well I'm so sorry
I am expressing remorse and regret for my actions and the pain I may have caused others.
I'm not yet there
Despite my remorse, I am still in the midst of my internal struggle and have not yet been able to fully move past it.
It's all for me
This final line reinforces the idea that, despite my remorse and desire to change, my current focus and actions are still primarily self-serving.
And nothing left for anyone
As I am still consumed by my own internal turmoil, there is still nothing left for anyone else in my life.
Contributed by Jacob I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.