Briston Maroney largely grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee. In August 2013, at age 15, Maroney tried out for the 13th season of American Idol at one of its audition bus stops in Knoxville. He was then selected to audition in front of the American Idol judges in Salt Lake City. There, he sang a version of The Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want" on an episode that aired in January 2014. The judges voted to advance him to Hollywood, where he became one of 30 semi-finalists. Maroney did not advance beyond that point.
Deep Sea Diver
Briston Maroney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Skin was clammy, I was short of breath
Shirt smelled like all my regrets
Shouldn't have had that seventh cigarette
It's a job seven days a week
To make things harder than they have to be
Making drama, my new nicotine
Sick and tired of this old routine
It's enough, the joke, that I, don't get
I'm a deep sea diver, holding my breath
But it's plain, to see
If you, know me
I'm a deep sea diver
And I'm in, too deep
Met a kid down in Bowling Green
Of course he tried to sell me ketamine
Didn't tell him it was not my scene
And promised him I'd try it next week
Why are we scared to say what's on our minds?
Through a rejection and some selfish pride
Make things harder than they have to be
Easier said than done for me
It's enough, the joke, that I, don't get
I'm a deep sea diver, holding my breath
But it's plain, to see
If you, know me
I'm a deep sea diver
And I'm in, too deep
It's enough, the joke, that I, don't get
I'm a deep sea diver, don't know how to swim
But it's plain, to see
If you, know me
I'm a deep sea diver
And I'm in, too deep
The lyrics of Briston Maroney's song "Deep Sea Diver" convey a sense of anxiety and feeling overwhelmed. The first lines describe physical symptoms of nervousness, such as shaking hands, clammy skin, and shortness of breath. The references to regrets and cigarettes suggest that the singer might be aware of some unhealthy habits or choices. The song then goes on to reflect on the difficulty of dealing with everyday life, both in relationships ("Making drama, my new nicotine") and in general ("It's a job seven days a week/ To make things harder than they have to be").
The metaphor of the deep sea diver is introduced in the chorus, conveying a feeling of being submerged in a situation that is difficult to navigate. The imagery of holding one's breath and being in too deep is both literal and figurative, as the singer describes feeling overwhelmed and out of their depth. In the second verse, a chance encounter with someone selling drugs leads to introspection about why people are afraid to express themselves honestly, and how pride and fear of rejection can make things harder than they need to be.
Overall, the lyrics of "Deep Sea Diver" suggest an awareness of personal struggles and a desire to navigate them honestly, despite the challenges. The singer recognizes that they might be in over their head, but chooses to face their difficulties head-on rather than retreat or avoid them.
Line by Line Meaning
Hands were shaking, I was scared to death
I was feeling terrified and anxious, which caused my hands to shake
Skin was clammy, I was short of breath
My skin was damp and sticky, and I had trouble taking deep breaths
Shirt smelled like all my regrets
My shirt carried the scent of all the things I regret and feel guilty about
Shouldn't have had that seventh cigarette
I shouldn't have smoked so much, as it only added to my anxiety and troubles
It's a job seven days a week
To make things harder than they have to be
Making drama, my new nicotine
Sick and tired of this old routine
I've made it my habit to make simple things difficult and complicated by creating unnecessary drama, and I'm now exhausted with this repeated pattern
It's enough, the joke, that I, don't get
I'm a deep sea diver, holding my breath
I feel like I'm in a tricky situation or relationship where I'm expected to hold my breath and dive deep into the unknown, despite not understanding the joke or the circumstance
Met a kid down in Bowling Green
Of course he tried to sell me ketamine
Didn't tell him it was not my scene
And promised him I'd try it next week
I met a person who offered me a drug, but I didn't want to admit that it wasn't my thing, so I lied and promised to give it a try later
Why are we scared to say what's on our minds?
Through a rejection and some selfish pride
Make things harder than they have to be
Easier said than done for me
It's hard for me to speak my mind truthfully because I'm afraid of rejection and have a selfish pride that gets in the way, and this causes my life to be more complicated than it has to be
I'm a deep sea diver, don't know how to swim
But it's plain, to see
If you, know me
I'm a deep sea diver
And I'm in, too deep
I'm in a situation where I feel like I'm diving into unknown territory without knowing how to swim initially, and if you know me, you know that I'm always diving deeper, which is causing me trouble and anxiety
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Briston Maroney, Dan Wilson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jas
i got these lyrics from listening so they may be a bit wrong but i tried 💙
hands were shaking i was scared to death,
skin was clammy i was short of breath,
shirt smelled like all my regrets,
shouldn’t have had that seventh cigarette,
it’s a job seven days a week,
to make things harder than they have to be,
making drama, my new nicotine,
sick and tired of this old routine
it’s enough, the joke, that i, don’t get
i’m a deep sea diver, holding my breath
but it’s plain, to see,
if you, know me,
i’m a deep sea diver,
and i’m in, too deep
met a kid down in (place name couldn’t catch it),
of course he tried to sell me ketamine,
didn’t tell him it was not my scene,
and promised him i’d try it next week,
why are we scared to say what’s on our minds?,
through a rejection and some selfish pride,
make things harder than they have to be,
easier said than done for me,
it’s enough, the joke, that i, don’t get
i’m a deep sea diver, holding my breath
but it’s plain, to see,
if you, know me,
i’m a deep sea diver,
and i’m in, too deep,
it’s enough, the joke, that i, don’t get
i’m a deep sea diver, don’t know how to swim,
but it’s plain, to see,
if you, know me,
i’m a deep sea diver,
and i’m in, too deep
Ella Dungey
confirmed: it is fully impossible for this dude to produce a bad song
blues713317
I always make the joke that I'm waiting for them to put out at least just one bad song, so that I know they're real... honestly, I've grown tired of waiting.
lindsay fowler
PREACH
Mako
Read possible on the first go and got mad. All good now.
frančeska krence
Have played your songs on repeat ever since I discovered you months ago. Absolutely obsessed. Please never stop creating!
Justin Perretta
This gives me vibes of best friends spending the last few nights of summer together before they go off to college !
ShainaM
Randomly found him on Spotify last year now I'm stuck with his music forever.
P.S. I'm not complaining
Sarah
I’m obsessed with everything he makes!
Renaethefae
I’ve been listening to this for weeks now; I love it so much!!! Bristol Maroney is so underrated. My fav song by him so far 😩 besides “freaking out on the interstate”
Haley Sams
I found you through an ad, and I instantly fell in love with your sound, your voice, and your words. Not a single song I’ve found since then has been anything shy of an inspiration to me, and I’m so grateful for you. Never stop sharing your gift and doing what makes YOU happy❤️