Born and raised in the foothills of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains, Chris Merritt began experimenting with songwriting at age 7. Support and encouragement from family, friends, and even an influential babysitter helped Chris have the confidence to further pursue his passion for composition. Piano happened to be the first available means for Chris' creative expression and his talent and technical ability were quickly evident on the instrument. Chris, however, was equally intrigued by percussion, guitar, saxophone, and his own voice. He toyed with as many sounds as were available to him and constantly searched for more sonic possibilities.
During his impressionable teenage years, Chris became heavily influenced by rock and jazz artists alike. The sounds of Weezer, Nirvana, Ben Folds, and Billy Joel were mixed with artists such as Marcus Roberts and Dave Brubeck. Drawing from his musical influences and his own original compositions and ideas, Chris founded the band Paperface in the late 90s, performing often throughout high school and into college. His obvious choice to study music at the university level was complimented with a major in sound recording and engineering which seemed to be the natural next step to pursue as Chris desired to have more creative control over the expression of his musical ideas.
Upon graduation from college, Chris and Paperface made the move to Southern California to more closely collaborate with Takeover Records, to which the band signed in early 2005. Touring throughout the US, Paperface quickly gained a loyal following and hoped to make their mark in the rock world. Their plans were cut short, however, after musical differences and band member disputes broke up the group in 2006. Shortly after the breakup, Chris and original Paperface member Roland Osborne started the band Upperville, named after Chris' home town in Virginia. Conflicting life plans soon ended Upperville as well and Chris made the decision to begin writing and performing under his own name backed by bassist Dave Fujinami and drummer Chris Walvoord. With this trio, Chris recorded his latest album, "Hello, Little Captain."
2007 was a year of more decisions and changes as Chris realized that the atmosphere of Southern California was not for him and made the ten hour drive to Utah reconnecting with childhood friend and drummer, Tim Fellow. Chris quickly found an ideal fit for a bassist in Provo native Dustin Hofheins, and thus formed Chris' current group. The natural beauty and enthusiastic fans of Utah were reason enough for Chris to trade the Blue Ridge for the Rockies as the mountains have once again proved fertile for Chris Merritt's obsessive yet sincere songwriting talent.
Chris and band have toured throughout the nation over the past year hitting both coasts and several markets in-between.
Chris, Dustin and Tim toured Japan in June for a 10-show headlining tour and returned home to release the much album, "Pixie and the Bear" on June 21.
North
Chris Merritt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah, there's lovin' in my system.
But now my money is all gone.
Right on, right on!
Drive up North to get some.
I need you here beside me.
I know I lied straight-faced when you lied to me,
All right, all right!
But I need you here beside me.
Mmm, will you wait for me, for this to start?
Yeah, when you stay with me it hurts my heart.
I'm calling you back to me and I'm down here by the door.
Come and let me in, I can't wait no more can we begin?
Driving through the city makes me nervous like a baby-
My piano in a backpack.
I need you hold you in my arms tonight.
Flying over cities, I can take it from up here-
With my baby in a backpack.
Say "hello" to mom and dad for me.
Yeah, it takes away, takes away.
Move so fast I can't see.
You're on the edge of spiral galaxies.
But by the time I can focus on,
You're gone, you're gone.
Move so fast I can't see.
Mmm, will you wait for me or will we part?
Yeah, when you stay with me I hurt your heart.
I'm calling you back to me and I'm down here by the door.
Come and let me in, I can't wait no more can we begin?
Flying through the city makes me nervous like a baby-
My piano in a backpack.
I need you hold you in my arms tonight.
Flying over cities, I can take it from up here-
With my baby in a backpack.
Say "hello" to mom and dad for me.
Super-karaoke like we never used to do-
With my baby in a backpack.
Say "hello" to mom and dad for me.
Super-karaoke like we never used to do-
With my baby in a backpack.
Say "hello" to mom and dad for me.
Drive up North to get some.
Yeah, there's lovin' in my system.
But now my money is all gone.
Right on, right on!
Drive up North to get some!
The song "North" by Chris Merritt is about a person who is driving up north to find love and ease the pain of a broken heart. The singer is aware that he has lied to his love interest, and though he needs her by his side, he knows that staying together will only hurt both of them. He is trying to convince her to give their love another chance, and he is impatiently waiting for her to come back to him. The lyrics reveal the singer's vulnerability and desperation to make things right, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to win back the love of his life.
The song begins with the singer longing for love, and he drives up north to find it. He sings about having lovin' in his system, but his money is all gone. As the chorus repeats, the singer is trying to convince his love interest to stay with him and give him another chance. He admits that he lied to her, but he is still racking his brains trying to figure out how to make their relationship work. The second verse reveals that traveling through the city makes him nervous, but he can handle it as long as he has his love interest by his side. He needs her to hold him in his arms and ease his anxiety while they travel together.
Overall, the song "North" is about the struggle of finding love and making it work. The singer is trying to convince his love interest to come back to him, and he is willing to put in the work to make their love last. The lyrics are poignant and reveal the vulnerability of the singer's heart.
Line by Line Meaning
Drive up North to get some.
The singer is going up North to find love or excitement.
Yeah, there's lovin' in my system.
The singer has love in his heart, which motivates him to go on this journey.
But now my money is all gone.
The singer has run out of money and may face obstacles on his quest.
Right on, right on!
The singer is affirming his determination, despite potential challenges.
I need you here beside me.
The singer wants someone he cares about to join him on his journey.
I know I lied straight-faced when you lied to me,
The singer acknowledges that he has been dishonest in the past, perhaps to the person he is asking to join him on this journey.
But still I'm racking my brains all night.
The singer is obsessed with this person and cannot stop thinking about them.
All right, all right!
The singer is trying to convince the person to give him another chance and is determined to make things right.
Mmm, will you wait for me, for this to start?
The singer is asking the person to wait for him to start the journey together.
Yeah, when you stay with me it hurts my heart.
The singer is aware that his actions may cause pain to the person he cares about.
I'm calling you back to me and I'm down here by the door.
The singer is trying to get the person's attention and call them back to him.
Come and let me in, I can't wait no more can we begin?
The singer is eager to start the journey with the person he cares about.
Driving through the city makes me nervous like a baby-
The singer is anxious when he drives through the city and is comparing himself to a helpless baby.
My piano in a backpack.
The singer is carrying his musical instrument with him on his journey.
Flying over cities, I can take it from up here-
The singer is using a different perspective - that of flying over the city - to cope with his anxiety.
Say 'hello' to mom and dad for me.
The singer is sending his regards to his family while he is away on his journey.
Move so fast I can't see.
The singer is moving quickly and is struggling to keep up with the pace.
You're on the edge of spiral galaxies.
The person the singer is interested in is full of energy and life, like a galaxy spiraling at the edge of the universe.
But by the time I can focus on,
The singer is having difficulty keeping up with this person because they move too quickly for him to focus on.
You're gone, you're gone.
The person moves on too quickly and is out of reach for the singer.
Super-karaoke like we never used to do-
The singer is remembering the fun times he had with the person and is suggesting they should continue making fun memories.
Drive up North to get some!
The singer is still determined to go up North and find love or adventure, despite setbacks.
Contributed by Brody I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.