Austin is the director of ‘Til Dawn, Youth in Arts’ award-winning teen a cappella group and has facilitated over 30 youth retreats. He also donates his time and musical talent to a wide range of educational, social and environmental organizations (including The Freight & Salvage and Bread & Roses). He has co-facilitated three of YES!’s Leveraging Privilege for Social Change Jams and recently retired from the board of Rainforest Action Network where he served for 3 years.
Austin’s music has been featured on TV (NBC’s The Sing Off and MTV’s Road Rules) and on the soundtrack of two indie documentaries, (“Word Wars,” and “A Lawyer Walks into a Bar…”). He was hired to co-write the theme song to THRIVE!,a feature-length film slated for wide release in Spring 2011.
Austin loves many different types of music and has been able to use that love (and his wide-ranging vocal ability) to help recreate dozens of rock and pop classics for Guitar Hero (Queen, Wolfmother, Sum 41 & Incubus) and Karaoke Revolution (Jay-Z, Billy Joel, Boy George, Stevie Wonder, The Bee Gees, Maroon 5, Michael Jackson and many more!).
At present, Austin is hard at work on the 7th House Jacks CD (due Summer 2010) his 3rd solo EP (due Summer 2010) and his 4th solo CD (due Spring 2011).
Away
Austin Willacy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
i seem to need you here to absolve my fear
fade away i can't let you fade away
but i can't cope anymore it's hard to ignore
i'm on my knees and i can't breathe today
tried to play but something died anyway
it was leavin' all along
cried today but i knew why today
a rusty blade cuts the chaff
you had the last laugh
i'm on my knees and i can't breathe today
every time i feel okay
you just shout and shake your finger
every time i feel okay
you've been beatin' on my heart
you never miss your mark
bangin' me around like a captive in the dark
i can't go on like it's any other day
stowed away i got so far away
but still i run back to you it's the easy thing to do
night and day i really really tried to pray
now i'm bloody and confused
perhaps you've heard the news
been on my knees
i still can't breathe
i'm back to say i can't stay away
The song "Away" by Austin Willacy is a melancholic ballad about a person trying to let go of a toxic relationship but finding it difficult to completely move on. The lyrics are rich with emotion and vivid descriptions of the internal struggle the person is facing. The opening lines "Go away you can't just go away, I seem to need you here to absolve my fear" speak of the person's conflicting feelings - on one hand they know that they need to get away from this person, but on the other hand they are scared of what will happen when they do.
The songwriter then goes on to describe how they have tried to ignore the feelings, but the pain keeps coming back - "tried to play but something died anyway, now it's shriveled and gone, it was leavin' all along". The lyrics suggest that the person has been trying to hold on to something that has been dying for a while, and now the pain has become unbearable. The chorus "I'm on my knees and I can't breathe today" conveys the sense of overwhelming emotion and despair that the person is feeling.
The second verse speaks of the way the toxic relationship has been a constant source of pain, even when the person feels like they are starting to heal - "every time I feel okay, you just shout and shake your finger, every time I feel okay, you've been beatin' on my heart, you never miss your mark". The ending lines "I'm back to say I can't stay away" suggest that the person has given in to their feelings and is going back to the toxic relationship, despite knowing that it will only lead to pain.
Line by Line Meaning
go away you can't just go away
I cannot bear the thought of you leaving me, though I know it may be necessary.
i seem to need you here to absolve my fear
I feel like I need you here to help me overcome my deepest fears.
fade away i can't let you fade away
I do not want to lose you, but I am struggling to cope with our relationship.
but i can't cope anymore it's hard to ignore
I am finding it increasingly difficult to handle our relationship and cannot simply ignore my feelings anymore.
i'm on my knees and i can't breathe today
I feel overwhelmed and distressed, and am struggling to catch my breath.
tried to play but something died anyway
I tried to maintain our relationship, but it seems like something essential has been lost.
now it's shriveled and gone
Our relationship has withered away, and there is nothing left to hold onto.
it was leavin' all along
It seems like our relationship was doomed from the start, and was always going to end badly.
cried today but i knew why today
I have been crying today, and I know exactly why: our relationship is falling apart.
a rusty blade cuts the chaff
The pain of our relationship ending is like a harsh, rusty blade cutting through the excess and revealing the truth.
you had the last laugh
You seem to have won in our relationship, despite my own best efforts.
every time i feel okay
Whenever I think things might be improving, something always brings me crashing back down.
you just shout and shake your finger
You seem to take pleasure in taunting me and pointing out my flaws.
you've been beatin' on my heart
You have been hurting me emotionally, and it is taking its toll on me.
you never miss your mark
You know exactly how to hurt me and always manage to do so effectively.
bangin' me around like a captive in the dark
I feel helpless and trapped in this relationship, unable to escape the pain and turmoil it causes me.
i can't go on like it's any other day
I can no longer pretend that everything is okay and continue on as usual, as our relationship is too broken for that.
stowed away i got so far away
I have tried to distance myself from you, but I keep getting drawn back in to this painful relationship.
but still i run back to you it's the easy thing to do
I know that leaving you is the right thing to do, but I keep coming back because it is easier than facing my fears of the unknown.
night and day i really really tried to pray
I have been praying and hoping for a resolution to our relationship issues, day and night, but have yet to find one.
now i'm bloody and confused
The pain and uncertainty of our relationship has left me feeling battered and lost.
perhaps you've heard the news
You may have already heard that I am struggling with our relationship, and may be aware of how much it is hurting me.
been on my knees
I have been praying and begging for a resolution to our relationship problems.
i still can't breathe
I am still feeling suffocated and overwhelmed by my feelings and the pain our relationship is causing me.
i'm back to say i can't stay away
Despite everything, I cannot stay away from this relationship, even if it is causing me pain and distress.
Contributed by Mila K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.