Although Dwele has had somewhat of a short career as a commercially avaliable artist, he has a vast catalogue of material currently unreleased that die-hard fans revere as some of his best work, considerably superior to his material released as a signed artist that showcases the true depth of his artistic and diverse talent, displayed without constraint.
Gardner was raised on the west side of Detroit in a musical family. He played piano from the age of six, later taking up trumpet, bass and guitar. He was deeply affected by the fatal shooting of his father outside his home when he was age ten, later stating "I learned to put my emotions into music; it was my therapy."
He cites Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, Roy Ayers, Miles Davis, and Freddie Hubbard as favorite artists, and took inspiration from hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest, becoming an MC, and working with Slum Village. Gardner recorded a demo in his bedroom, called, The Rize, and sold it out of the trunk of his car. He had about 100 copies, which sold out within a week. He caught the ears of local heroes Slum Village and more specifically their world-renowned producer J Dilla. Slum Village invited Dwele to sing the hook of the song "Tainted" for their album Trinity (Past, Present and Future). It became an instant classic and led to more high profile work with female rapper Bahamadia, the all-star group Lucy Pearl and London's New Sector Movement. Dwele signed to Virgin Records in 2003, who released his debut album, Subject, which mixed neo soul and hip hop. In a 2005 review in The Independent, his style was summed up: "Dwele's rooted in vintage soul but isn't stuck in the past, overly reverential or an exercise in pastiche - there's a major hip-hop edge which betrays his original incarnation as a rapper." A second album, Some Kinda..., followed in 2005. He then later signed with RT Music Group and KOCH records in March, 2008. He is coming out with his fourth album titled, W.W.W. (W.ants. W.orld. W.omen) coming out June 29, 2010. Dwele was recently featured on the first single off of Kanye West's fifth studio album, Good Ass Job. The song was entitled "Power" and was leaked on May 28, 2010.
Lay It Down
Dwele Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
[hook:]
Lay it down (down) on me (down) on me, (down) on me [x2]
[verse 1]
I find it hard to believe someone as beautiful (as beautiful)
Inside, as well as physical, would hold back something so emotional (so emotional)
And enjoy yourself if only for the night
Just leave it because a new day tomorrow will bring
We will leave no void this moment can't replace
So just,
[hook:]
Lay it down (down) on me (down) on me, (down) on me [x2]
[verse 2:]
If I had one wish, it would be that I could spend more time with you
And live in your aphrodisiality, so that we could do things lovers do (lovers do)
If I could, you know I, give my love
No need to worry about what time it is (worries none)
You'll find my-self to be available, so that I could know exactly what it is
[hook:]
Lay it down (down) on me (down) on me, (down) on me [x4]
[bridge:]
Lay it down,
You should never ever, let lost love get the best of you, just (lay it down)
One man's loss is this mans gain
Won't you lay down your pain and breath (lay it down)
I- I got what you need
If you ever feel the need to (lay it down)
It's your world if only for one night, it's for you so baby won't you...
[Vamp:]
Come here lady lay it down, let your soul be down,
I-I-I'm gonna give you peace of mind [repeat to fade]
The song "Lay It Down" by Dwele captures the emotions of a man who wishes to spend time with a lady he admires. The opening lyrics which are “Doo dooOoo Doo dooOoo Doo dooOoo Doo dooOoo” set a somber and calm tone, preparing the listener for the emotions that'll be conveyed. In the first verse, Dwele expresses his admiration for the lady and urges her not to hold back her emotions. He invites her to enjoy the moment and forget about everything else. The second verse continues with his expression of desire for the lady, saying that he'd spend more time with her if he had one wish. It's a plea for her to lay down her guards and be with him. The chorus has the words “Lay it down on me” and “on me,” repeated four times. The repetition emphasizes the need for the lady to let go of her emotions, thus bringing out Dwele's desire to know her deeply and intimately.
The bridge emphasizes the need for the lady to let go of any past hurt and pain caused by lost love. Dwele affirms that he is the man who can heal her, urging her to lay down her pain and breathe. The lyrics in the bridge bring a touch of empathy, showing that Dwele is not just interested in satisfying his desires but also wants to help the lady heal from any past hurts. The song's vamp (repeated chorus) combines Dwele's desire with the lady's need for intimacy, culminating in a plea from Dwele for the lady to lay down her soul and let him give her peace of mind.
Line by Line Meaning
Doo dooOoo Doo dooOoo Doo dooOoo Doo dooOoo [x2]
Instrumental
[hook:]
This is the chorus of the song which will be repeated many times throughout the song.
Lay it down (down) on me (down) on me, (down) on me [x2]
The singer is asking someone to lay everything down on him and enjoy the moment.
[verse 1]
The first verse describes how someone beautiful, inside and out, is holding back some strong emotions but they should let them out for a night to enjoy themselves with no worries about tomorrow.
I find it hard to believe someone as beautiful (as beautiful)
The singer is talking about someone who is both beautiful inside and out.
Inside, as well as physical, would hold back something so emotional (so emotional)
The singer thinks that the person is also holding back some strong emotions that they should let out.
Just let it go, and lay it down
The singer is telling the person to let go of their emotions and enjoy the moment.
And enjoy yourself if only for the night
The singer wants the person to enjoy themselves for the night only.
Just leave it because a new day tomorrow will bring
We will leave no void this moment can't replace
The singer is telling the person to leave their worries behind because tomorrow is a new day and this moment can not be replaced with anything else.
So just,
This leads into the chorus again.
[verse 2:]
The second verse describes the singer's wish to spend more time with the person and do things that lovers do.
If I had one wish, it would be that I could spend more time with you
The singer wishes that they could spend more time with the person.
And live in your aphrodisiality, so that we could do things lovers do (lovers do)
The singer wants to live in the person's beauty and do things that lovers do.
If I could, you know I, give my love
No need to worry about what time it is (worries none)
You'll find my-self to be available, so that I could know exactly what it is
The singer assures the person that he would give his love and they don't need to worry about time. He will also make himself available for them.
[hook:]
This is the chorus repeated again.
[bridge:]
The bridge reminds the person not to hold onto lost love and to let it go. The singer is also saying that he is available for them and can give them peace of mind.
Lay it down,
You should never ever, let lost love get the best of you, just (lay it down)
The singer wants the person to let go of their lost love and lay it down.
One man's loss is this mans gain
The singer is saying that if the person lets go of their lost love, he could be the one to gain from it.
Won't you lay down your pain and breath (lay it down)
The singer is asking the person to let go of their pain and breathe while laying everything down.
I- I got what you need
If you ever feel the need to (lay it down)
The singer is saying that he has what the person needs and that they can come to him to lay everything down.
It's your world if only for one night, it's for you so baby won't you...
The singer is telling the person that it's their world for tonight and it's all for them, so they should enjoy themselves.
[Vamp:]
This is the vamp which leads into the chorus one more time before the end of the song.
Come here lady lay it down, let your soul be down,
I-I-I'm gonna give you peace of mind [repeat to fade]
The singer is telling the person to come to him and lay everything down so that he can give them peace of mind while they let their soul be down.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind