Currently, the group comprises singer and harmonica player John Popper, guitarist Chan Kinchla, drummer Brendan Hill, bassist Tad Kinchla and keyboardist Ben Wilson. Tad Kinchla and Ben Wilson joined the band following the death of original bassist Bobby Sheehan in 1999.
While Blues Traveler is best known among fans for their improvisational live shows, the general public is most familiar with the group from their Top 40 singles "Run-Around" and "Hook". They gained mainstream popularity after their fourth studio album four, released in 1994. Sheehan's death and Popper's struggle with obesity put a damper on the group's success, and A&M dropped the band in 2002.
Battle of Someone
Blues Traveler Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't care if you're far away
Don't give a damn if you're close
I'm the vacant distraction of a broken old man
I lack shape or color
Not even gray or even tan
I'd hate all I see but it makes me too tired
I'm much more at home when left uninspired
But lower your eyes once and I'll emerge from the dust
For I am nothing
Yes I am nothing
Yes I am nothing
And I love no one
Well I love everyone I am filled with delight
I understand all your feelings I don't see from wrong or right
I'm the look in your eyes when you're telling the truth
I'm the wisdom of age and the beauty of youth
I am shape substance color darkest black palest white
Speckled gold ringing mirror sharp soft and bright
I'm rage passion laughter and the need to know why
Come sample all my riches I'm pure stimuli
For I am everything
Yes I am everything
Yes I am everything
And I love everyone
Well I can only love someone I am just a person
My father loved my mother and I am her son
The preceding verses are the halves of my soul
I'm just the battlefield and that is my role
There's a tug of war between what I can and can't feel
The inevitable compromise determines the real
The equation the reason for my being here
The struggle resulting in my invention of the tear
For I'm only something
Yes I'm only something
Yes I'm only something
And I can only love someone
And it's the best I can do
It's the very best I can do
You're probably someone too
So perhaps I love you
Perhaps you'll love me too
Perhaps you'll love me too
Perhaps you'll love me too
The song "Battle of Someone" by Blues Traveler is a portrayal of conflicting emotions of the singer. The lyrics are divided into three parts, each focusing on different emotions of the singer. In the first part, he expresses his apathy towards his surroundings and lack of interest in any relationships. He is just a "vacant distraction" and does not care about anyone. The second verse contrasts his earlier statement as he now claims to love everyone and understand their feelings. He feels like he is everything, encompassing all emotions, colors, and shapes. The last part is a realization that he is only human and can only love someone. There is an internal struggle inside him, which determines his identity and what he can and can't feel.
The song's overall message is to highlight the human condition of conflicting emotions and identity. It portrays how one can simultaneously experience opposite emotions and how they determine the person's identity. The singer's internal conflict is a reflection of the duality of human nature, where people experience various emotions, and those feelings can shape an individual's identity.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I love no one and I don't care who knows
I don't have any love in my heart and I don't care if anyone knows or not.
Don't care if you're far away
It doesn't matter to me if you are far away from me.
Don't give a damn if you're close
It doesn't matter to me if you're close to me either.
I'm the vacant distraction of a broken old man
I am a meaningless and empty distraction to others, and I feel broken like an old man.
I lack shape or color
I don't have any form or color, I am colorless and shapeless.
Not even gray or even tan
I'm not even gray or tan, I'm just devoid of anything.
I'd hate all I see but it makes me too tired
I would hate everything I see, but I am too tired to even do that.
I'm much more at home when left uninspired
I feel more comfortable and at home when I'm not inspired by anything.
So damn me to hell and resist if you must
You can damn me to hell or resist me if you want to.
But lower your eyes once and I'll emerge from the dust
Give me even a small amount of attention and I will try to come out of my shell.
For I am nothing
I am nothing, empty and void of anything significant.
Yes I am nothing
I am nothing and I accept that.
Yes I am nothing
I really am nothing, and it's okay.
And I love no one
I don't love anyone and I'm okay with that.
Well I love everyone I am filled with delight
Now I love everyone and it fills me with joy.
I understand all your feelings I don't see from wrong or right
I can empathize and understand all your emotions without judging them as right or wrong.
I'm the look in your eyes when you're telling the truth
I can see the truth in your eyes when you're telling it.
I'm the wisdom of age and the beauty of youth
I embody both the wisdom of age and the vibrant beauty of youth.
I am shape substance color darkest black palest white
I come in all shapes, sizes and colors from the darkest black to the palest white.
Speckled gold ringing mirror sharp soft and bright
I am also speckled with gold and offer a variety of qualities like a ringing sound, mirror-like shine and sharpness, softness and brightness.
I'm rage passion laughter and the need to know why
I embody rage, passion, laughter and an innate curiosity to know the reason why.
Come sample all my riches I'm pure stimuli
You can come and experience everything I have to offer since I am pure and strong stimuli.
For I am everything
I am everything one can imagine, and even more.
Yes I am everything
Indeed, I am everything there is and I embrace it.
Yes I am everything
I am everything and I cherish it.
And I love everyone
With everything that I am, I love every person out there.
Well I can only love someone I am just a person
But in reality, I am just a person, and there is only so much love that I can give to just one person.
My father loved my mother and I am her son
Just like how my father loved my mother, I am her son, and I can only love one person like that.
The preceding verses are the halves of my soul
The above two verses together represent the two halves of my soul.
I'm just the battlefield and that is my role
I'm just there to witness the battle of emotions within me and play the role of a bystander.
There's a tug of war between what I can and can't feel
There is an intense push and pull between what I can feel and what I can't.
The inevitable compromise determines the real
A compromise is inevitable to determine what is real and what is not.
The equation the reason for my being here
The equation that balances what I can and can't feel is the reason I exist here on this earth.
The struggle resulting in my invention of the tear
My internal struggle led to the invention of tears and the release of emotions that come with them.
For I'm only something
In the end, I am only something rather than everything or nothing.
Yes I'm only something
Indeed, I'm not just a blank void but something significant.
Yes I'm only something
I accept that I am not everything, but I'm not meaningless either.
And I can only love someone
I can only love one person and that is all.
And it's the best I can do
Loving just one person to the best of my abilities is the very best I can do.
You're probably someone too
You are also a person with your own struggles and emotions.
So perhaps I love you
Maybe I can love you.
Perhaps you'll love me too
Maybe you can also love me too.
Perhaps you'll love me too
Maybe you too can love me back with your whole heart.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, THE BICYCLE MUSIC COMPANY, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: JOHN C. POPPER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind