Dean Ray (born Dean Pritchard) is an Australian rock & pop musician from Na… Read Full Bio ↴Dean Ray (born Dean Pritchard) is an Australian rock & pop musician from Narromine, New South Wales.

In 2014, Dean successfully auditioned for the The X-Factor Australia. Out of all the contestants on the show, he had the highest number of singles on the iTunes charts including a no.1 with his performance of George Ezra's Budapest. Although ultimately coming second place to Marlisa, Dean was quickly offered a contract with Sony Music and released his debut single Coming Back on October 24, 2014.

Dean cites Airbourne, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, First Aid Kit, Joss Stone, Son House and Stevie Ray Vaughan as his musical influences.

I O U
Dean Ray Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Don′t say you're ready
To love me when you′re not
Cause people get hurt
Maybe you don't know
That I gave all I got
And watched it burn

I owe you, I owe you, I owe you

A heartache

Harts are weapons
So handle carefully
In war and peace
Guess I'm the lesson
Somebody had to be
I just wish it wasn′t me

I owe you, I owe you, I owe you
A heartache
A heartache
Woah woah woah

Girl you make me a knight in
Rusting armour
Girl you make me a knight in
Rusting armour
I′m gonna be a knight in
Rusting armour armour

Cause girl you made me a knight in
Rusting armour

I owe you, I owe you, I owe you

A heartache
A heartache

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Dean Ray's song "I O U" express the hurt and pain that can come from love when it is not reciprocated or respected. The singer addresses someone who has said they were ready to love, but it ended up hurting them. The singer gave all they had in the relationship, but it ultimately burned out. The phrase "I owe you" is used to highlight the debt of pain that the singer feels they owe to the other person. The heartache that the singer endures is not something that can be easily forgotten or dismissed, and the repetition of the phrase "I owe you" emphasizes its significant impact.

The second verse draws comparisons between love and war, emphasizing how the heart can be a dangerous weapon. The singer laments being the one who had to learn the lesson and be hurt in love. The chorus repeats emphasizing the debt of pain owed to the other person. The outro brings in the metaphor of the singer being a knight in rusting armor, showing how the singer had good intentions but ultimately ended up failing to protect his heart.

Line by Line Meaning

Don’t say you’re ready
Don't pretend to be ready to love me when you're not

To love me when you're not
To express love for me when you're not actually feeling it

Cause people get hurt
Because pretending to love someone when you don't can lead to emotional pain

Maybe you don’t know
You might not realize the impact your actions have on me

That I gave all I got
I have given my all to this relationship

And watched it burn
But it ended with me feeling hurt and disappointed

I owe you, I owe you, I owe you
I owe you the responsibility for causing this pain

A heartache
I have caused you emotional pain

Hearts are weapons
Emotions can be used as powerful tools

So handle carefully
So they need to be treated with care and respect

In war and peace
In both difficult and easy times