In the beginning, Columbia Records signed Carlile in late 2004 on the strength of songs she'd been recording periodically at home. Released in 2005, Brandi Carlile showcased those early songs along with several newly recorded tracks. Shortly after the release of Brandi Carlile, she left her home in Seattle and set out with the Hanseroth brothers, with whom she'd worked on her earliest recordings and independent regional tours. The tightly knit trio, which forms the core of her band today, spent the better part of two years on the road honing the songs that would later become part of her album "The Story".
In 2005, she was featured on Rolling Stone's "10 Artists to Watch in 2005" list. By the end of 2006, Carlile had embarked on several headlining tours and supported a variety of artists including Ray LaMontagne, The Fray, Chris Isaak, Tori Amos, and Shawn Colvin.
Her second album, The Story, was released in April 2007. It was produced by T Bone Burnett and includes a collaboration with the Indigo Girls on "Cannonball." The album was recorded in an eleven-day-long session with Carlile , the twins (Tim and Phil Hanseroth) and drummer Matt Chamberlain to capture the raw intensity of Carlile's live performances. The crack in Carlile's vocals during the title track, "The Story", came out by accident and was a direct result of the way the album was recorded. Carlile herself describes the vocals as "technically wrong but emotionally right."
Carlile was exposed to a wider audience when ABC's Grey's Anatomy showcased three of her songs: "Tragedy," "What Can I Say," and "Throw It All Away". In April 2007, Grey's Anatomy debuted a version of the video for the single The Story interspersed with footage from the show. On May 3, 2007, a special two-hour episode of "Grey's Anatomy" featured Carlile's song "Turpentine" during footage of the "Grey's Anatomy" spin-off, "Private Practice".
If There Was No You
Brandi Carlile Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As long as I remember and I'm feeling like I knew
That my jokes aren't funny the truth isn't true
If there was no you
If you were my boat in the deep blue sea
I'd probably sink you down
I know I should have thanked you for carrying me
All along your way, the darkest night, the longest day
I know what to say to make you laugh
And nothing you could do
Could make me turn my back on you
When you're looking for a fight, I'm your man
When you need a friend, you got my hand
What I really mean, what I'm trying hard to say
Is that I'm counting on you and you got me too
Our secrets aren't safe, I'm singing out of tune
If there was no you, if there was no you
All along your way, the darkest night, the longest day
I know what to say to make you laugh
And nothing you could do
Could make me turn my back on you
When you're looking for a fight, I'm your man
When you need a friend, you got my hand
When you need a friend, you got my hand
You got my hand
Brandi Carlile's "If There Was No You" is a beautiful ode to the importance of love, friendship, and connection in life. The lyrics express gratitude for the existence of someone who is so intertwined with the singer's own identity that it's hard to separate the two. The opening lines, "When I see myself I'm seeing you too / As long as I remember and I'm feeling like I knew," suggest that the singer and who they're addressing have become so close that they view themselves as one entity.
The song talks about the idea of how life would be utterly different - "my jokes aren't funny, the truth isn't true," - if this person had never existed in the singer's life. Continuing with the metaphor of the sea, the lyrics say that if the person being addressed was a boat, the singer would likely sink them down. This again demonstrates how the person is someone that is involved in everything the singer is, and their existence is just as important as their own.
The chorus repeatedly emphasizes the idea that the singer wouldn't be able to function without the person being addressed, and that they're each other's support system - "When you're looking for a fight / I'm your man / When you need a friend / You got my hand." The final lines resonate with the continued metaphor of the ocean, saying that even though the secrets the singer and this person share "aren't safe," they're still in this together, standing strong through good times and bad.
Line by Line Meaning
When I see myself I'm seeing you too
I am so dependent on you that I consider you as an integral part of myself.
As long as I remember and I'm feeling like I knew
I have known you for so long that it feels like I have always known you.
That my jokes aren't funny the truth isn't true
You are the only one who understands my sense of humor and the truth about me.
If there was no you
Without you, I would be incomplete and lost.
If you were my boat in the deep blue sea
You are the one who carries me through the hardships of life.
I probably sink you down
I rely on you so much that I fear I would drown you with my problems.
I know I should have thanked you for carrying me
I am aware of how much I owe you for all the times you have helped me.
But for you I would happily drown
I care so much about you that I would be willing to sacrifice myself for you.
Out on your way the darkest night the longest day
No matter what challenges you face, I will always be there for you.
I know what to say to make you laugh
I understand you so well that I know how to bring joy into your life.
And nothing you could do
There is nothing you could say or do that would make me abandon you.
Could make me turn my back on you
I am committed to you for life, no matter what life throws our way.
When you're looking for a fight I'm your man
I will always stand up for you, even if it means going against others.
When you need a friend you got my hand
I am always here to support and help you, as a true friend should.
And what I really mean what Iâ??m trying hard to say
I struggle to express how much you mean to me and how grateful I am for you.
Is that I'm counting on you and you got me too
We are both each other's support system, and we rely on one another.
Our secrets aren't safe I'm singing out of tune
I trust you enough to share my deepest secrets and flaws with you.
If there was no you if there was no you
My life would be empty and meaningless without you in it.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Brandi M. Carlile, Phillip John Hanseroth, Timothy Jay Hanseroth
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind