… Read Full Bio ↴Charlie Cunningham is an English singer-songwriter based in Oxford.
Cunningham is a fresh talent, proving to be more than just a man with a guitar and a voice; a regularity that we have become all too familiar with. His new and ambitious EP Outside Things combines beautiful, yet honest song-writing with such percussive guitar playing that he truly stands out from the crowd.
Title track “Outside Things’” premièred on Best Fit; the lyrics are from the perspective of a newly-born baby. It’s a time that occurs in everyone’s life that cannot be remembered or recalled, this therefore, explorative aspect to his song-writing shows the depth Cunningham has to offer, unlike so many artists of his type. The song manages to convey an impression of diving in and out from the confusion of that foreign experience in such a compelling nature, accompanied by intense vocals playing on the track’s intimacy. “Outside Things’” carries with it a strange sense of longing, which is continuous throughout the EP.
“In One Out” is the first track to be heard on the record; it’s melodic, but profoundly sombre and relatively dark sounding. The finger-picked guitar behind the vocals is hypnotic. There’s a slight step away from this intensity of the opening track and that of the title track in “Lights Off” and “Plans” - the second and fourth tracks on the EP. With far less movement there’s time to breathe between songs, it really helps to make each one stand out in their own right. During both of these tracks Cunningham creates moments of silence, with constant breaks where everything comes to a brief halt – if you heard these tracks live you’d want to be situated in an intimate and silent setting.
The Outside Things EP not only demonstrates Cunningham’s impeccable writing ability, but his intricate and skilful playing technique, developed and picked up from his time spent in Seville, along with showing off his individual voice. Through the EP Cunningham’s percussive, yet flexible guitars playing technique is something to be whole heartedly admired.
I Can Be
Charlie Cunningham Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I want you to know who I am
Hear the voice from my shoulder
And it′s one that I can't understand
And it hurt
When you tripped and fell
But you held your ground
We won′t talk about that now
Be the best I can be
Eyes to the floor
Silent and barely seen
Step carefully
Be the best I can be
Wise to it all in spite of how it seems
You went first
And it still runs through
And it starts with you
And ends how you want it to
The lyrics of Charlie Cunningham's "I Can Be" is a reflection of a personal struggle to be seen and understood by someone. The lyrics suggest that the person who wants to be known is not completely sure of who they are themselves, and the voice that they hear from their shoulder is one that they cannot comprehend. The person is cautious and does not want to be hurt again, as indicated in the lines "And it hurt when you tripped and fell, but you held your ground, we won't talk about that now." The person is asking the other to tread carefully, and they will be the best they can be, even if they are silent and barely seen.
The chorus of the song further emphasizes the desire to be the best version of oneself, as the person sings, "Tread carefully, be the best I can be, eyes to the floor, silent and barely seen. Step carefully, be the best I can be, wise to it all in spite of how it seems." The lyrics show a person who is self-aware and wants to grow, but at the same time, they are also cautious and hesitant. They are aware that they have to be careful to avoid getting hurt again, but it is also essential to let their guard down to allow the relationship to grow.
Line by Line Meaning
Before you come any closer
I need you to understand something about me before we become closer.
I want you to know who I am
I want to be transparent about my true self with you.
Hear the voice from my shoulder
I have a nagging voice within me that I cannot comprehend.
And it’s one that I can't understand
I don't know why this voice is there or what it wants from me.
And it hurt
When you stumbled and fell, it was painful to me.
But you held your ground
You stood up bravely for yourself, despite the pain.
We won't talk about that now
Let's not dwell on the past, for now.
Tread carefully
Be cautious as you interact with me.
Be the best I can be
I want to be the best version of myself.
Eyes to the floor
I am keeping my head down and not being conspicuous.
Silent and barely seen
I am being quiet and trying to keep out of sight.
Step carefully
Please be cautious as you interact with me.
Wise to it all in spite of how it seems
I am aware of what's going on, even though it might not appear that way.
You went first
You took the first step, and that means a lot to me.
And it still runs through
I am still affected by what you did.
And it starts with you
The impact of what happened began with you.
And ends how you want it to
The outcome of the situation will depend on the choices you make.
Writer(s): charlie cunningham
Contributed by Alex N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
m s
Before you come any closer
I want you to know who I am
Hear the voice from my shoulder
And it's one that I can't understand
And it hurt
When you tripped and fell
But you held your ground
We won't talk about that now
Tread carefully
Be the best I can be
Eyes to the floor
Silent and barely seen
Step carefully
Be the best I can be
Wise to it all in spite of how it seems
You went first
And it still runs through
And it starts with you
And ends how you want it to
m s
Before you come any closer
I want you to know who I am
Hear the voice from my shoulder
And it's one that I can't understand
And it hurt
When you tripped and fell
But you held your ground
We won't talk about that now
Tread carefully
Be the best I can be
Eyes to the floor
Silent and barely seen
Step carefully
Be the best I can be
Wise to it all in spite of how it seems
You went first
And it still runs through
And it starts with you
And ends how you want it to
mfancyketchup
this song is beautiful! i've been looking for lyrics on the internet but can't seem to find them anywhere, glad i found this video
SoulFuL🌇
This really is incredible.. Found you on Spotify
rhys-jasper
Charlie, I am in love with your music! You are so talented and every single one of your songs are so beautiful, both lyrically and musically. I always look at your tour dates hoping to see that you'll be coming to southern California so I could go see you live. Hopefully someday soon :)
Márcio Lima
Perfect song... Thank you for creating and sharing this...
Moudi Noun
Love from lebanon , your music are awesome, WONDERFUL !!!
Ariadna Fortuny
This is so beautiful. Can't wait for your concert in Barcelona!
Wandermind
Wow, so beautiful.
Crystal. J
This is beautiful omg
Suzie
Now, I can say that I know what heaven is <3