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".
What Can I Say
Brandi Carlile Lyrics
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The hands hardly moving at all
I can't stand the state that I'm in
Sometimes it feels like the wall's closing in
Oh, Lord, what can I say?
I'm so sad since you went away
Time, time, ticking on me
Lord, what can I say?
Trap all my troubles away
I drown my sorrow the same way
It seems no matter how hard I try
It feels like there's something just missing inside
Oh, Lord, what can I say?
I'm so sad since you went away
Time, time, ticking on me
Alone is the last place I wanted to be
Lord, what can I say?
Oh, Lord, what can I say?
How many rules can I break?
How many lies can I make?
And how many roads must I turn
To find me a place where the bridge hasn't burned?
Oh, Lord, what can I say?
I'm so sad since you went away
Time, time, ticking on me
Alone is the last place I wanted to be
Oh, Lord, what can I say?
I'm so sad since you went away
Time, time, ticking on me
Alone is the last place I wanted to be
Lord, what can I say?
Oh, Lord, what can I say?
In Brandi Carlile's song "What Can I Say," the lyrics express the pain and sadness of losing someone important. The singer is stuck in a state of sorrow and despair, feeling like time is moving slowly while they are plagued with loneliness. The lyrics in the chorus show that the singer wants to express their emotions but can't find the words to do so. They are stuck in a state of melancholy and grief, with no clear sense of how to move on.
In the second verse, the singer turns to destructive coping mechanisms, trying to drown their sorrows and escape from the pain of loss. However, no matter how hard they try, they cannot shake off the feeling of emptiness and loss. They reflect on how many rules they can break, lies they can tell, or roles they can take on to distract themselves from the pain.
Overall, the lyrics in "What Can I Say" capture the overwhelming feelings of grief and loss that come with losing someone important. The singer is stuck in a state of sadness and loneliness, unable to find solace or articulate their emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Look to the clock on the wall
I am feeling lost and time is moving impossibly slow, as I stare at the clock on the wall
Hands hardly moving at all
The hands on the clock seem to have stopped, amplifying the unbearable feeling of loneliness I am experiencing
I can't stand the state that I'm in
I am in a state of complete despair and cannot bear to continue living in this way
Sometimes it feels like the wall's closing in
The loneliness and sadness I feel is so overwhelming that it feels like the very walls around me are closing in and suffocating me
Oh, Lord, what can I say?
I am completely lost and don't know what to do or say to change the situation
I'm so sad since you went away
I am consumed by sadness and despair because the person I love left me
Time, time, ticking on me
Time feels like an enemy, constantly reminding me of how alone I am and how much I am struggling to move on
Alone is the last place I wanted to be
Being alone was never something I desired or thought would happen to me, and yet here I am
Trap all my troubles away
I want to escape my problems and sadness by trapping them away or ignoring them
Drown my sorrow the same way
I am trying to numb the pain of my loss by drowning it out with alcohol or other distractions
Seems no matter how hard I try
Despite my best efforts, I cannot seem to escape the pain or find happiness again
It seems like there's something just missing inside
There is a void inside me that cannot be filled, making me feel incomplete and constantly longing for something more
How many rules can I break?
I am willing to do whatever it takes to escape the pain, even if it means breaking societal norms or my own moral code
How many lies can I make?
I am so desperate for a way out that I am willing to lie to myself and others in order to justify my actions or ignore reality
How many roles must I turn
I feel like I am constantly playing different roles or putting on a facade to get through the day, but it is exhausting and unsustainable
To find me a place where the bridge hasn't burned?
I am searching for a place or person where I can start anew and leave the pain and heartbreak behind, but it seems like everywhere I turn, the bridges have already been burned
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Timothy Jay Hanseroth, Brandi M Carlile, Phillip John Hanseroth
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind