By breaking through heartache, Ramirez has gone on a search for understanding. The Austin, TX, resident and frequent traveler to clubs, theaters and listening rooms all over the country, has come to a phase in his creative life where the tears have dried and moving on looks like the best option.
That change in perspective hasn’t erased the weary searching that has characterized Ramirez’s sparse Americana songwriting for more than a decade. It just means the questions he’s asking on his new album Apologies have changed. “There’s less to do with heartache and a lot more to do with personal struggles, and hope. I see a lot of hope in these songs,” Ramirez, 29, says. "I've been working on these and many other songs for a couple years but I didn't know what I wanted this album to say until right before going into the studio. Once I finished 'An Introduction' I knew this was going to be a very personal album."
That song finds Ramirez standing in a Roman cathedral looking for God – singing atop a simple but driving shuffle – while the sparse acoustic guitar-and-voice number “Goodbye” shows him closing the book (and setting it ablaze) on a relationship that seems to have left him permanently unsettled.
Whether solo or with accompaniment, Ramirez and his characters make an impression, which is why Paste magazine called him, "The best damn songwriter you don't know yet" and folk stars The Civil Wars praised him as "Soulful, stirring, heartbreaking.”
With Apologies Ramirez has widened his view but is looking outward as intensely as ever. The answers might elude him – as they do all of us – but the questions he’s asking ring honest and true.
Paper Thin
David Ramirez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Miss Milwaukee
I would take you to a late night place
To get drunk on whiskey
And as we stumble back through the cold
I will hold and keep you from the rain
I want to hold your hand like children do
With no agenda or motivation my hands
And don't you worry your pretty face off
I'll sleep on the couch and see you in the afternoon
I often think about that night
I've never felt so calm
We were strangers at first sight
We were lovers by the dawn
It was
Bone to Bone
Mouth to Mouth
Skin to Skin
I was... Paper Thin
The opening lyrics of David Ramirez's "Paper Thin" express the singer's longing for a woman named Miss Milwaukee to truly know him. He imagines taking her to a late night place to get drunk on whiskey, then walking her home in the rain, holding her hand like children with no ulterior motives. The singer then assures Miss Milwaukee that he will sleep on the couch, so she shouldn't worry about him trying to make a move on her. As the song progresses, the singer reflects on a past night spent with Miss Milwaukee. Despite having just met, they quickly became lovers. The intimacy they shared is described using the evocative imagery of "bone to bone, mouth to mouth, skin to skin." The singer feels exposed and vulnerable, like he is "paper thin."
Through these lyrics, Ramirez explores the themes of vulnerability and intimacy. The singer's desire for Miss Milwaukee to know him speaks to the human need for connection and understanding. The image of holding hands with no agenda or motivation highlights the purity of a connection free from ulterior motives. Meanwhile, the intimate language used to describe their encounter emphasizes the intensity of the emotional bond they shared, despite how brief it was.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh how I wish that you would know me
The singer desires to be known by the person he is addressing.
Miss Milwaukee
A name or title of the person the singer is addressing.
I would take you to a late night place
The singer expresses his willingness to take the person to a location at night.
To get drunk on whiskey
The artist suggests they will consume alcohol together.
And as we stumble back through the cold
The artist imagines they will walk back home in the winter weather when finished drinking.
I will hold and keep you from the rain
The singer says he will shield his companion during the rainy weather.
I want to hold your hand like children do
The singer seeks to hold hands in simple, genuine manner.
With no agenda or motivation my hands are true
The artist intends to touch without any other intention.
And don't you worry your pretty face off
The artist assures that his companion's beauty is not a concern.
I'll sleep on the couch and see you in the afternoon
The artist will entertain non-sexual intentions with their companion after the night out.
I often think about that night
The singer frequently reflects on an unspecified past event.
I've never felt so calm
The artist felt an overwhelming sense of peace at this moment.
We were strangers at first sight
Initially strangers, the two developed a bond during this moment.
We were lovers by the dawn
The two developed an intimate relationship at the end of the night.
It was Bone to Bone
The singer is referring to an intimate moment between him and the person he is addressing.
Mouth to Mouth
The artist is referring to kissing with the person he is addressing.
Skin to Skin
The artist is referring to touching skin during intimacy.
I was... Paper Thin
The singer felt emotionally transparent and vulnerable during this event.
Writer(s): Rene Ramirez
Contributed by Alaina A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.