1999's Breathing Tornados marked a new direction for Lee as he introduced synths and increased instrumentation into his sound. The album was a huge success, with the first single, "Cigarettes Will Kill You", finishing second in that year's Triple J Hottest 100. Lee also enjoyed success with the single "Something Borrowed, Something Blue" - from the album hey you. yes you. - reaching no 22 in 2002's Triple J Hottest 100.
In 2001 he joined forces with Evan Dando, Tom Petersson of Cheap Trick and Jason Schwartzman of Phantom Planet and acting fame. Calling themselves Dando Lee Petersson Schwartzman, they recorded a single, "Dead or Anything", at Globe Studios, New York.
During 2003 he teamed up with Ben Kweller and Ben Folds for a side project entitled The Bens. They recorded four songs together in Nashville, resulting in a self-titled EP.
In late 2004, he left Steve Pavlovic's Modular Recordings and started up his own record label, Ten Fingers. The first release on the label was the single, "Gamble Everything For Love", followed by the album, Awake Is The New Sleep in February 2005. A defining release in his career, the album showcased a much brighter, positive side of Lee's personality, in contrast to his previous darker musings. Awake Is The New Sleep received several nominations for the 2005 Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) awards, and Lee won Best Male Artist, Best Independent Release, and Single Of The Year for "Catch My Disease". Catch My Disease was also number 2 on the 2005 Triple J Hottest 100.
In September 2007, Lee released his sixth solo album, named "Ripe" after the final song on the record. The album is somewhat controversial, with most songs relating in some way to sex, lust and love. Mandy Moore features on the album in the song "Birds and Bees", and Benji Madden plays electric guitar in "Sex Without Love". It also features Sara Watkins, Rachael Yamagata, Charlotte Martin, Ned Bower, Taylor Locke and Robert Schwatzman (who is also credited for co-writing 'Sex Without Love'). It was a big step away from the spiritual "Awake is the New Sleep", but shows Lee's need for change in songs. The album was produced by John Alagia and released under the Inertia/Ten Fingers label 'Awake is the New Sleep' was released under.
February 2009 brought the release of his latest LP entitled "The Rebirth of Venus." This release also includes a bonus disk that includes six cover songs that Ben has done including "Kids" by MGMT and "New Wave" by Against Me!.
Cigarettes Will Kill You
Ben Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You cook me in a can
You stretch me with your hands
You love to watch me bake
You serve me up with cake
And that's your big mistake
You offer a la carte
You didn't have the heart
And I want a TV embrace
And I, I'm getting off your boiling plate
They swore you'd steal my steam
To feed your dream
And then be gone
I wish I could say that everyone was wrong
You left me burned and seared
You left me ripped and teared
And older than my years
I should have know at first
That you would leave me hurt
You had to try dessert
No way to let off steam
Don't bother milk or cream
No way to let off steam
And I want a TV embrace
And I, I'm getting off this boiling plate
They swore you'd steal my steam
To feed your dream
And then be gone
I wish I could say that everyone was wrong
It must feel good to stand above me
While I make you so proud of me
It must feel good that I'm now gone
I wish I could say that everyone was wrong
I wish everyone was wrong
I wish everyone was wrong
I wish everyone was wrong
I wish everyone was wrong
I wish everyone was wrong
The song "Cigarettes Will Kill You" by Ben Lee is a metaphor for a toxic and manipulative relationship. The singer compares himself to food being cooked and served up by his partner, who is delighted to watch him suffer. The guest who comes in dressed smart represents society's expectations for the singer's success and happiness, which his partner is unable to live up to.
The chorus, "And I want a TV embrace / And I, I'm getting off your boiling plate / They swore you'd steal my steam / To feed your dream / And then be gone / I wish I could say that everyone was wrong," conveys the singer's desire for a relationship in which he is valued and loved for who he is, rather than being used for someone else's purposes. The metaphorical language of the song highlights the emotional distance and power imbalances that can occur in relationships, as well as the pain of being burned and seared by someone you trusted.
Overall, "Cigarettes Will Kill You" is a poignant and relatable reflection on the difficult process of leaving a toxic relationship and reclaiming one's identity and self-worth.
Line by Line Meaning
You throw me in a pan
You put me in a difficult situation
You cook me in a can
You try to control me
You stretch me with your hands
You manipulate me
You love to watch me bake
You enjoy seeing me struggle
You serve me up with cake
You take advantage of me
And that's your big mistake
Your actions will have consequences
Your guest comes in dressed smart
Someone new enters your life
You offer a la carte
You present a variety of options
You didn't have the heart
You didn't have the compassion
And I want a TV embrace
I want to escape reality
And I, I'm getting off your boiling plate
I am breaking free from your control
They swore you'd steal my steam
Others warned me about your intentions
To feed your dream
To fulfill your desires
And then be gone
And then leave me behind
I wish I could say that everyone was wrong
I wish I could deny the truth
You left me burned and seared
You hurt me deeply
You left me ripped and teared
You caused me great pain
And older than my years
And made me feel older than I am
I should have know at first
I should have seen the warning signs earlier
That you would leave me hurt
That you would cause me pain
You had to try dessert
You had to push me to my limit
No way to let off steam
No way to release my pent-up emotions
Don't bother milk or cream
Don't try to soothe me
It must feel good to stand above me
You enjoy having power over me
While I make you so proud of me
While I do everything to please you
It must feel good that I'm now gone
You are glad I am out of your life
I wish everyone was wrong
I wish the outcome was different
I wish everyone was wrong
I wish the outcome was different
I wish everyone was wrong
I wish the outcome was different
I wish everyone was wrong
I wish the outcome was different
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BENJAMIN MICHAEL LEE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheMobileGuitarist
You throw me in a pan
You cook me in a can
You stretch me with your hands
You love to watch me bake
You serve me up with cake
And that's your big mistake
Your guest comes in dressed smart
You offer a la carte
You didn't have the heart
And I want a TV embrace
And I, I'm getting off your boiling plate
They swore you'd steal my steam
To feed your dream
And then be gone
I wish I could say that everyone was wrong
You left me burned and seared
You left me ripped and teared
And older than my years
I should have know at first
That you would leave me hurt
You had to try dessert
No way to let off steam
Don't bother milk or cream
No way to let off steam
And I want a TV embrace
And I, I'm getting off this boiling plate
They swore you'd steal my steam
To feed your dream
And then be gone
I wish I could say that everyone was wrong
It must feel good to stand above me
While I make you so proud of me
It must feel good that I'm now gone
I wish I could say that everyone was wrong
I wish everyone was wrong
I wish everyone was wrong
I wish everyone was wrong
I wish everyone was wrong
I wish everyone was wrong
@jammypaddles6438
You throw me in a pan
You cook me in a can
You stretch me with your hands
You love to watch me bake
You serve me up with cake
And that's your big mistake
Your guest comes in dressed smart
You offer a la carte
You didn't have the heart
And I want a TV embrace
And I, I'm getting off your boiling plate
They swore you'd steal my steam to feed your dream
And then be gone
I wish I could say that everyone was wrong
You left me burned and seared
You left me ripped and teared
And older than my years
I should have know at first
That you would leave me hurt
You had to try dessert
No way to let off steam
Don't bother milk or cream
No way to let off steam
And I want a TV embrace
And I, I'm getting off this boiling plate
They swore you'd steal my steam to feed your dream
And then be gone
I wish I could say that everyone was wrong
It must feel good to stand above me
While I make you so proud of me
It must feel good that I'm now gone
I wish I could say that everyone was wrong
I wish everyone was wrong
I wish everyone was wrong
I wish everyone was wrong
I wish everyone was wrong
I wish everyone was wrong
@gameoverwehaveeverypixelco1258
A classic. I miss morning music video shows here in Australia. I used to get up early to watch Saturday Disney and video hits.
@warbrothers7745
I miss being in a young body and having rose coloured glasses of the world
@randomstuff797
Rage was on earlier than video hits remember getting up by 5 on the weekend to catch it
@celebritytributes
@@randomstuff797 that was me as a kid, 5am to watch rage 🤣🤣
5am rage, then switch over to video hits at 9am
@randomstuff797
@@celebritytributes yep 🤣 same here
@MsSpatchzrus
Video hits and agro
@marcussmith3037
Everyone was wroooong!
@Prismatic_Truth
The first Ben Lee song I ever heard, seems like a lifetime ago...💕
@ronjeremy6663
This song will always have a special place in my heart. Thank you Ben Lee, such a beautiful and heartfelt song. Thanks for the tunes mate ✌🏻🎶❤️😎
@vegemitesandwich81
Phenomenal song. This album got me through a LOT of shit..... Love Ben, and this song made me cry (in 2021, realising how far I've come).