The trio is currently ranked as the highest-selling female musical group in the USA, according to RIAA Gold & Platinum album certifications. As of 2012, The Chicks had won 13 Grammy Awards. While The Chicks continues, Maguire and Robison are writing and recording as Court Yard Hounds as of Feb 2010. The Dixie Chicks renamed the band in 2020 to The Chicks dropping Dixie from the official name as the name had the word 'Dixie' referencing the American Mason–Dixon line, which separated the free and slave-owning southern states.
Robin Lynn Macy was an original bandmember, as was Laura Lynch. Macy left the group in 1992, while Lynch was replaced by Natalie Maines in 1995.
The group aroused considerable controversy for publicly denouncing President George W. Bush and the imminent invasion of Iraq during the European leg of their Top of the World tour supporting Home. Many country music stations immediately pulled their music from the air, and the band received criticism from many corners of the media.
Everybody Knows
Dixie Chicks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Would you know me and see behind the smile
I can change like colors on a wall
Hoping no one else will find what lies beneath it all
I think I hide it all so well
Stepping out, everyone can see my face
All the things I can't erase from my life
Standing out so you won't forget my name
That's the way we play this game of life
Everybody knows
Looking through the crowd
I search for something else
But every time I turn around
I run into myself
Here I stand
Consumed with my surroundings
Just another day
Of everybody looking
I swore they'd never see me cry
You'll never see me cry
Stepping out, everyone can see my face
All the things I can't erase from my life
Everybody knows
Standing out so you won't forget my name
That's the way we play this game of life
Everybody knows
You say I'll pay the price
That's the chance that I'll take
Though you may think I'm telling lies
But I just call it getting by
Stepping out, everyone can see my face
All the things I can't erase from my life
Everybody knows
Standing out so you won't forget my name
That's the way we play this game of life
Everybody knows I am just barely getting by
The song "Everybody Knows" by Dixie Chicks is a powerful ballad that highlights the pressure to keep up appearances, and the strain it can have on a person. The lyrics paint a picture of someone struggling to maintain a facade of happiness and security, while hiding the pain and fear that lies beneath. The chorus, "Everybody knows," is a refrain that emphasizes the ubiquity of this struggle, and how it can affect anyone.
The opening lines, "Tell me now if you came sneaking up behind, Would you know me and see behind the smile," create a sense of vulnerability and fear. The singer is afraid of being discovered and exposed, even as they are surrounded by others. The second stanza, "Looking through the crowd, I search for something else, But every time I turn around, I run into myself," further underscores this sense of isolation and self-doubt. Despite the singer's attempts to hide their true feelings, they can't escape themselves and their own pain.
The song's bridge, "You say I'll pay the price, That's the chance that I'll take, Though you may think I'm telling lies, But I just call it getting by," is a defiant statement that acknowledges the cost of keeping up appearances, but also the importance of survival. By the end of the song, the chorus, "Everybody knows I am just barely getting by," rings out with a feeling of sadness and frustration. The singer is tired of pretending, but doesn't see a way out.
Overall, "Everybody Knows" is a poignant reflection on the struggle to maintain an image of strength and happiness, even in the face of personal despair. It's a reminder that we never truly know what someone else is going through, and that the pressure to appear perfect can be overwhelming.
Line by Line Meaning
Tell me now if you came sneaking up behind
If you saw who I truly am, would you still accept me?
Would you know me and see behind the smile
Can you see the pain that I am hiding behind my mask of happiness?
I can change like colors on a wall
I am adaptable and can blend in with any environment
Hoping no one else will find what lies beneath it all
I am afraid that people will discover my true self
I think I hide it all so well
I am convinced that no one sees through my facade
Looking through the crowd I search for something else
I am searching for something to distract me from my own troubles
But every time I turn around I run into myself
I am forced to face my own reality each time I try to escape it
Here I stand consumed with my surroundings
I am overwhelmed by the world around me
Just another day of everybody looking
Every day I feel like I am on display for the world to see
I swore they'd never see me cry, you'll never see me cry
I am determined to never let anyone see my vulnerable side
You say I'll pay the price, that's the chance that I'll take
I am willing to face the consequences of being true to myself
Though you may think I'm telling lies, but I just call it getting by
Even though others may think I am not being honest, I am merely surviving
Stepping out, everyone can see my face
Whenever I try to be noticed, I am exposing myself to others
All the things I can't erase from my life
I am burdened by my past and the things that I cannot change
Standing out so you won't forget my name, that's the way we play this game of life
We all strive for recognition and a place in the world.
Everybody knows I am just barely getting by
Despite my best efforts to hide it, everyone can see that I am struggling just to make it through each day.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MARTHA MAGUIRE, NATALIE MAINES, EMILY ROBISON, GARY LOURIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@angepangemanan7130
Tell me now, if you came sneaking up behind
Would you know me and see behind the smile?
I can change like colors on a wall
Hoping no one else will find what lies beneath it all
I think I hide it all so well
Stepping out, everyone can see my face
All the things I can't erase from my life
Everybody knows
Standing out so you won't forget my name
That's the way we play this game of life
Everybody knows
Looking through the crowd , I search for something else
But every time I turn around , I run into myself
Here I stand, consumed with my surroundings
Just another day of everybody looking
I swore they'd never see me cry
You'll never see me cry
Stepping out, everyone can see my face
All the things I can't erase from my life
Everybody knows
Standing out so you won't forget my name
That's the way we play this game of life
Everybody knows
You say I'll pay the price
That's a chance that I'll take
Though you may think I'm telling lies
But I just call it getting by
Stepping out, everyone can see my face
All the things I can't erase from my life
Everybody knows
Standing out so you won't forget my name
That's the way we play this game of life
Everybody knows
Everybody knows
(Everybody knows)
(I'm just barely getting by)
Everybody knows
(Everybody knows)
(I'm just barely getting by)
Everybody knows
(Everybody knows)
(I'm just barely getting by)
Everybody knows
(Everybody knows)
Everybody knows
@16scsmark
Tell me now if you came sneaking up behind
Would you know me and see behind the smile
I can change like colors on a wall
Hoping no one else will find what lies beneath it all
I think I hide it all so well
Stepping out, everyone can see my face
All the things I can't erase from my life
Everybody knows
Standing out so you won't forget my name
That's the way we play this game of life
Everybody knows
Looking through the crowd
I search for something else
But every time I turn around
I run into myself
Here I stand
Consumed with my surroundings
Just another day
Of everybody looking
I swore they'd never see me cry
You'll never see me cry
Stepping out, everyone can see my face
All the things I can't erase from my life
Everybody knows
Standing out so you won't forget my name
That's the way we play this game of life
Everybody knows
You say I'll pay the price
That's the chance that I'll take
Though you may think I'm telling lies
But I just call it getting by
Stepping out, everyone can see my face
All the things I can't erase from my life
Everybody knows
Standing out so you won't forget my name
That's the way we play this game of life
Everybody knows I am just barely getting by
@HWhite-hc5ge
I sang this song at an open mic in this huge barn when I was seven. I'll never forget the feeling of moving into the centre of the stage as the chorus began and the light reflecting off the glasses of people in the audience, or the smile on my dad's face at the back of the room. Things might have changed since then, but you've created such amazing memories with your songs. Thank you x
@kknigh13
Please don't stop making music. You are loved by so many!
@cobainlives69
Favorite Dixie Chicks song! I’m an inner city kid who grew up on wu tang in the mid 90s and this song means more so much to me! I’m a man in my early 30s and it just hits home in so many ways!
@chesterhawkins4187
Glad y’all are making a comeback. Y’all have been missed!!
@drakependragon8439
No their America hating crew has not been missed.
@user-ot4cw6iv3f
I am really loving this new album. Listening to all the words in each song very closely and they ALL have meaning and heartfelt emotion behind them. I'm so happy you ladies are back. I have and ALWAYS will be a true fan of y'all's❤
@wolverine1212
Three most beautiful women I have ever seen. Pure talent. Such a beautiful music.
@ComradeHB
I forget too often how great this album is.
@krystalbarsalona7406
Love their 🎵 music
@carlybearhead7330
I love this ❤❤❤❤