Growing up, her parents played songs by the Eagles and Lynyrd Skynyrd, so her country rock roots started early, and she was already taking piano lesson before she turned seven. At age 11, she won a talent contest in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee (home of Dolly Parton's resort "Dollywood"), singing "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart." She subsequently found steady work performing in a theater in Pigeon Forge. A couple year later, her father gave Monroe her first guitar, and she began writing her own songs. But tragedy struck when her father died from cancer in 2000. While still grieving over their loss, Monroe and her mother continued on with their lives and moved to Nashville so she could pursue her career in music.
After a year in Nashville, she gained a publishing deal as a songwriter, which led to a record contract with Columbia Records' Nashville division. Working with producer Mark Wright, she recorded her debut album, Satisfied. In 2006, the title track to the album was released as the first single to country radio, but failed to crack the top 40 on the Hot Country Songs chart. A second single, "I Don't Want To" featuring Ronnie Dunn of Brooks & Dunn, followed shortly after. Initially it did well on the charts, charting to #37, but following the merger of Columbia and Sony, the label decided not to release the album until Monroe charted a top 20 single. No follow-up singles were ever released. iTunes briefly made the album available for download in July 2006 but it was removed from the online store by mid-August.
In late 2007, Monroe and Columbia Records parted ways, and Satisfied was shelved (it was eventually released digitally in May of 2009). In addition to her own material, she co-wrote Katrina Elam's 2007 single "Flat on the Floor" (which was also recorded by Carrie Underwood on her 2007 album Carnival Ride), as well as Jason Aldean's 2009 single, "The Truth", and Miranda Lambert's 2011 single, "Heart Like Mine."
Monroe continued collaborating with Lambert, forming Pistol Annies with Lambert and Angaleena Presley in 2011. They released the single "Hell on Heels" in May of that year, following up with an album of the same name in August. Hell on Heels debuted at number 1 on Billboard's Country Album Chart and reached number 5 on the Billboard 200 Chart.
Monroe next teamed up with producer Vince Gill, and on March 5, 2013, Warner Nashville released Monroe's second studio album, Like A Rose.
Satisfied
Ashley Monroe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He wants somebody else that I cant be
And she's got a man that she wants to leave
Cause he cant seem to make her happy
Does it have to be wrong to make it feel right
Tell me why ain't nobody satisfied
Old man looking at a photograph of a love
That's long gone from his past
From a boy who never came back from the sea
All the secret of lives that we keep deep inside
Does it have to be wrong to make it feel right
Tell me why ain't nobody satisfied
See that man walking down the street
Yeah what are the odds he's the one for me
And what if I pass him by and
He's got the love i need
Tell me why ain't nobody satisfied
I want him but he don't want me
He wants somebody else that I cant be
And she's got a man that she wants to leave
Cause he cant seem to make her happy
See that man walking down the street
Yeah what are the odds he's the one for me
What if I pass him by and he's got the love I need
The song "Satisfied" by Ashley Monroe is a poignant ballad about the pain and confusion we experience in love when we can't seem to find the right person. The lyrics describe the frustration of being attracted to someone who is not interested in us, or being with someone who is not right for us, while the person we truly desire is out of reach. The singer wonders why it always seems like nobody is ever satisfied in love, and why we can't seem to find the right person to make us happy.
The song begins by describing the singer's desire for a man who doesn't want her, but instead wants someone else who she can never be. Similarly, the woman he desires is with a man who can't seem to make her happy. The second verse introduces the story of an old man looking at a photograph of a love that is long gone, and his wife who receives a letter from a boy who never returned from the sea. These scenes depict the secret lives people keep hidden inside, and the complex emotions that come with love and loss. In the final verse, the singer sees a man on the street and wonders if he could be the one for her, and if she will miss out on the love she truly needs if she passes him by.
Overall, the song speaks to the universal experience of longing for someone or something we can't have, and the constant search for fulfillment in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
I want him but he don't want me
Ashley desires a man who does not reciprocate her feelings.
He wants somebody else that I can't be
The man she wants prefers another type of person that she is not.
And she's got a man that she wants to leave
Another woman is in a dissatisfied relationship and wants to break free.
Cause he can't seem to make her happy
The man in the unsatisfactory relationship is unable to bring joy to his partner.
Does it have to be wrong to make it feel right
Ashley wonders if it is necessary to engage in immoral actions to find happiness.
Tell me why ain't nobody satisfied
Despite everyone's desires for contentment, no one seems to have found it yet.
Old man looking at a photograph of a love
An elderly man reminisces about a past relationship while observing a picture.
That's long gone from his past
The love he recalls is from a distant, bygone era.
And his wife's got a letter that she can't read
The man's spouse has received a note that she is unable to decipher.
From a boy who never came back from the sea
The mysterious letter is from a son who never returned from his naval duties.
All the secrets of lives that we keep deep inside
The enigmatic experiences that individuals harbor within them are rarely exposed.
See that man walking down the street
Ashley spots a man strolling on the boulevard.
Yeah what are the odds he's the one for me
She imagines the possibility that the man she has encountered could be her ideal partner.
And what if I pass him by and he's got the love I need
Ashley wonders what fate would hold if she missed her chance with the ideal man.
Contributed by Henry F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.