As of fall 2006, Ben Folds has released five solo LPs. His first album, Fear of Pop: Volume 1, an album of spoken word and instrumental compositions, was recorded and released while Ben Folds Five was still together. Since it was an uncharacteristic release, and officially released under the moniker of 'Fear of Pop', it is widely considered that his first "proper" solo album was Rockin' the Suburbs (2001), on which he played all the instruments by himself. A year later, in 2002, he released Ben Folds Live, a collection of live solo recordings. In late 2003, two solo EPs, Speed Graphic and Sunny 16, were released, with a third entitled Super D released in mid-2004. In 2005, Folds released a second studio album called Songs for Silverman. Most recently Folds has released the album "Supersunnyspeedgraphic, the lp" a compliation of his EPs, a The Bens track called "Bruised," "Still" from the motion picture of 2006 "Over the Hedge" for which Folds wrote all the songs, his cover of the Dr. Dre song "Bitches Ain't Shit", and, with the kind permission of his good friend Neil Hannon, a cover of The Divine Comedy song "Songs of Love". "Supersunnyspeedgraphic, the lp" otherwise includes remastered takes from the three internet EPs from 2002-2004. Ben claims that he wanted to have the CD in hard format so he could "put it past him."
Ben resides in Nashville. He often tours the United States, the United Kingdom, other countries in Europe, Japan, and Australia.
Folds' tours are famous for his solo act as "Ben Folds and a piano", often having the audience become involved by "playing" the accompanying instruments (such as the trumpet and saxophone harmonies in "Army") and singing choir-like backing vocals on "Not the Same". His concerts are charismatic, yet calm - an enjoyable experience for most. And although Folds is constantly putting out new songs, his concerts rarely omit classic fan favorites such as "Philosophy," "One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces," and "Army." Also, a seemingly fan favorite that started in Chicago, IL was "Rock this Bitch," a song where Folds has to come up an impromptu new tune with the words "Rock this Bitch" in it; though the song seems to be phasing out, it still makes appearances on tours, such as the November 2006 tour and the Spring US College tour of 2007 and 2008.
Folds also produced and arranged the William Shatner album, Has Been (2004); he previously worked with Shatner on the songs "In Love" and "Still in Love" for Fear of Pop.
Folds described his former band, Ben Folds Five, as "punk rock for sissies," and his oddball lyrics often contain nuances of depression, melancholy and self-conflict. Folds also provided a number of songs for film soundtracks. Some of these include "Lonely Christmas Eve" for the Jim Carrey film How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (2000), and a rendition of the Beatles' "Golden Slumbers" for the film I Am Sam (2001). He (as The Bens) has also done charity compilations, from singing "Wicked Little Town" (from film and stage show Hedwig and the Angry Inch) on the benefit album "Wig in a Box" (2003) to appearing on No Boundaries, a benefit album for Kosovo refugees, with the song "Leather Jacket." (written by Darren Jessee)
On a planned tour of Australia, Folds teamed up with solo artists Ben Kweller and Ben Lee to travel the country together as The Bens, at the suggestion of a fan on Ben Kweller's official website. The trio also went on to record a four-track EP together, entitled The Bens.
In summer of 2004, Folds co-headlined an American tour with fellow rockers Rufus Wainwright and Guster. His second solo studio album, entitled Songs for Silverman, was released in the U.S. on April 26, 2005, featuring Jared Reynolds on bass, and Lindsay Jamieson on the drums, thus returning to the trio format, which had been so successful earlier, in earnest. This album includes the track "Late," a tribute to the late singer-songwriter Elliott Smith, and also features backing vocals from "Weird Al" Yankovic on "Time." (Folds had played piano for Yankovic's song "Why Does This Always Happen to Me?" and "Weird Al" directed Folds' music video for Rockin' the Suburbs). In January of 2007 Lindsay Jamieson left the band and was replaced by Sam Smith, of The Comfies on drums.
Folds performed with Rufus Wainwright and Ben Lee in the summer of 2005 as part of the "Odd Men Out" tour. In addition, Folds has performed with many other famous musical names, including Weezer. Folds has also shown the complexity behind his authentic sound by performing with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, in March 2005, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, in November 2005. A DVD recording of Folds playing with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra was released in December, 2005.
Folds was the first artist to do a "Live at Myspace" concert, held on October 24, 2006 in his recording studio in Nashville, the show was an hour long and had requests from the internet submitted via Myspace's Messenger. It also entailed several stunts, including a suicide attempt, and a falling audience member during "Jesusland". The DVD of the broadcast (almost whole) was released in February of 2007.
Folds supports the independent music scene, creating his own record label (Attacked By Plastic) and doing promotional work for independent record stores across the country.
In 2008, September 16 marked the release of Amanda Palmer's solo album which was produced by Folds. Two days following that release, Ben Folds Five had a one-time reunion concert held in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the same place the band was formed. Weeks later, he released his third solo album entitled Way To Normal, released on September 30. Folds also recorded a fake album that was leaked intentionally during the summer to please fans and in an attempt to stop the real album from leaking. The fake tracks were recorded and mixed over a period of only several days. The leak contained 6 fake songs with names similar to the real songs or the album, and three songs from the actual release (except the song Cologne, which was an orchestral version of a song by the same name on the final album).
Since December 2008, Folds has been collaborating with English novelist Nick Hornby, writing the music while Hornby writes the lyrics. This album was originally planned to be recorded over a course of 3 days, the same amount of time in which the fake album was recorded, but Folds has since been recording the album in a more standard format, albeit attempting to retain the live recording format. He has also played several songs from the upcoming album at live shows since mid-2009, and the album is slated to be released on September 27th of 2010.
From December 14 through 21, 2009, Folds was featured as a judge on NBC's a cappella competition The Sing Off alongside Nicole Scherzinger and Shawn Stockman and offered insightful, constructive comments and criticisms to the contestants. On the final show, in a departure from his a cappella purism, showcased his talents and played the roaring, riffing piano background on "Why Can't We Be Friends?" sung by the two finalist groups, Tufts Beelzebubs from Tufts University near Boston and Nota, from San Juan, Puerto Rico. He again returned for the show's second season, and has been confirmed to return for the third season in September 2011 alongside Stockman and new judge Sara Bareilles.
Recently Ben Folds was assumed to be the anonymous pianist playing songs to random ChatRoulette users, named "Merton." Although Ben Folds has admitted to NOT being Merton, he paid tribute to the YouTube star at a concert in Charlotte in "Ode To Merton."
Ben Folds recently released his first album since So There, What Matters Most in June of 2023 after a 12 year hiatus.
Learn To Live With What You Are
Ben Folds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can see you.
You're sayin' you're okay,
I don't believe you.
And now that the gig, is up the spell is broken,
The fat lady sung, the president has spoken,
These days that you were waiting for will come and go,
Chorus:
There's never gonna be a moment of truth for you,
While the world is watchin'.
All you needed is the thing you've forgotten,
and that's to learn to live with what you are.
So freak out if you wanna,
And I'll still be here.
Don't call me for years and when you do,
ya I'll still be here.
I'm not saying the effort is a waste of time,
but I just love you for the things you couldn't change though you've tried.
These hours of confusion they will soon expire,
like everything... does.
Chorus
Sometimes everything you've ever wanted floats above,
Stickin' out it's tongue and laughin'.
While everything that anyone could ever need is down below,
Waiting for you to know this.
Chorus
You've got to learn to live with what you are (x2)
The song "Learn to Live with What You Are" by Ben Folds centers on the theme of self-acceptance. In the first stanza, Ben Folds points out that he can see through the façade of the person he is talking to, even if they claim that they are "ok." The spell has been broken, and it is time for the person in question to face reality. The chorus confirms this by stating that there will never be a "moment of truth" for this person, which implies that they are hiding something from the world and, more importantly, themselves. The focus is not on the world judging them but on their own self-perception.
In the second stanza, Ben Folds states that he is not going anywhere, and he will still be around even if the person in question freaks out or is not in touch for years. He stresses that the effort put into trying to change oneself is not a waste of time, but there are some things that cannot be changed no matter how hard we try. The last line "like everything...does" emphasizes that nothing lasts forever.
The final stanza has a more optimistic tone. Ben Folds points out that what one needs is already within oneself - to learn to live with who they are. This acceptance is essential for happiness and fulfillment. The song ends with a repeated call to learn to live with who they are.
Line by Line Meaning
I know that you're in there,
I'm aware that you're struggling with something internally.
I can see you.
Your pain is visible and it's not your fault.
You're sayin' you're okay,
You're putting on a façade and pretending to be okay.
I don't believe you.
I see past the façade and know you're not okay.
And now that the gig, is up the spell is broken,
The situation that you've been trying to ignore is now being brought to light.
The fat lady sung, the president has spoken,
The situation is now inescapable and there's no way to avoid it.
These days that you were waiting for will come and go,
This situation is temporary and will pass with time.
Like anyday, it's just another day.
Even though this is a difficult time, it's still just a regular day like any other.
There's never gonna be a moment of truth for you,
There will never be a single moment where everything will be okay.
While the world is watchin'.
The world isn't waiting for you to have this moment of truth.
All you needed is the thing you've forgotten,
All you need to do is learn to accept yourself as you are.
and that's to learn to live with what you are.
You need to learn to accept and love yourself for who you are, instead of trying to change yourself.
So freak out if you wanna,
You're allowed to be upset about your situation.
And I'll still be here.
I'll still be here for you, even if you push me away.
Don't call me for years and when you do,
If you need space, take it, but I'll still be here when you're ready.
ya I'll still be here.
I'll always support and care for you, no matter what.
I'm not saying the effort is a waste of time,
Self-improvement is important, but don't try to change things about yourself that cannot be changed.
but I just love you for the things you couldn't change though you've tried.
I love you for who you are, not for what you could change about yourself.
These hours of confusion they will soon expire,
This difficult time will eventually end.
like everything... does.
Just like everything else in life, this situation will pass.
Sometimes everything you've ever wanted floats above,
The things that you think will make you happy may not be what's best for you.
Stickin' out it's tongue and laughin'.
These things may feel out of reach or unattainable.
While everything that anyone could ever need is down below,
The things that will truly make you happy and fulfilled are right in front of you.
Waiting for you to know this.
You need to learn to prioritize these things and accept them into your life.
You've got to learn to live with what you are (x2)
Once again, you need to learn to accept and love yourself for who you are.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
john ironmonger
I know that you're in there
I can see you
You're saying you're okay
I don't believe you
And now that the gig is up, the spell is broken
The fat lady's sung, the president has spoken
These days that you were waiting for will come and go
Like any day, just another day
There's never gonna be a moment of truth for you
While the world is watching, ohh ohh
Ohh, all you need is the thing you've forgotten
And that's to learn to live with what you are
So freak out if you wanna
And I'll still be here
Don't call me for years and when you do
Yeah, I'll still be here
And I'm not saying that the effort is a waste of time, but I
Just want you for the things you couldn't change, but you tried
These hours of confusion they will soon expire like
Everything does
There's never gonna be a moment of truth for you
While the world is watching, ohh ohh
Ohh, all you need is the thing you've forgotten
And that's to learn to live with what you are
Sometimes everything you've ever wanted floats above
It's stickin' out its tongue and laughing while
Everything that anyone could ever need is down below
Waiting for you, know this
There's never gonna be a moment of truth for you
While the world is watching, ohh ohh
'Cause all you need is the thing you've forgotten
And that's to learn to live with what you are
You've got to learn to live with what you are
You've got to learn to live with what you...
Are
Tracy Blanchard
I know that you're in there,
I can see you.
You're saying you're okay,
but don't believe you.
And now that the game is up,
the spell is broken.
The fat lady sung,
the president has spoken.
These days that you were waiting for
will come and go like any day
- just another day.
Chorus:
There's never gonna be a
moment of truth for you,
while the world is watchin'.
(Ah-ah-ah)
All you need is
a thing you've forgotten,
and that's to learn to live with what you are.
So freak out if you wanna
and I'll still be here.
Don't call me for years and when you do,
yeah I'll still be here.
Now I'm not saying
the effort is a waste of time, but I
just love you for
the things you couldn't change
though you've tried.
These hours of confusion,
they will soon expire like everything
does.
There's never gonna be a
moment of truth for you,
while the world is watchin'.
(Ah-ah-ah)
All you need is
a thing you've forgotten,
and that's to learn to live with what you are.
Sometimes,
everything you've ever wanted
floats above,
stickin' out its tongue and laughin', while everything
that anyone could ever need is
down below,
waiting for you to notice.
There's never gonna be a
moment of truth for you,
while the world is watchin'.
(Ah-ah-ah)
All you need is
a thing you've forgotten,
you've got to learn to live with what you...
are.
jmcieslak0
This man is a national (buried) treasure
Robbie McNeish
@David Perrins Smoothest plug ever
SirenHound
I get that this is a pirate pun, but it kind of sounds like a threat.
Captain Abazor
I love this song! You truly haven't heard excellence in songwriting until you've heard Ben Folds!
Sam Ravenoak
been listening to this song every time I feel like I'm not good enough. Ben makes his songs full of meaning and humour. I love his music
Painmix King
Tell your friends about this song and video. Deserves more than 250,000 hits and Ben Folds deserves a lot more recognition than what he gets
TateKnowledge
Back when people still called it hits lol. True tho.
Sam Ravenoak
THIS SONG IS SO INSPIRATIONAL!! It's so true too. 'never gonna be a moment of truth for you, while the world is watching. All you need is the thing that you're missing. and that's to learn to live with what you are~!' The world isn't going to give you a break. There will be haters and trolls; but you just got to learn to do what you love DESPITE what everyone else says. YOU ARE SPECIAL!!!
Sameer Ghavale
Sam Ravenoak jesuewaa
John Tyerman
be yourself and be happy, its the only way