At the young age of 17, Ellise graduated from high school two years early and moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dreams of becoming a professional singer and recording artist. The process, however, was not an easy one. In order to graduate at the end of her sophomore year, Ellise was required to double up on classes for two years, and complete a lengthy exam which determined whether she would be able to continue on with her dream, or spend another year in high school before being able to graduate. Once she got the positive test results back over the summer, she was beyond excited to start her transition to Los Angeles.
Once in LA, Ellise decided to start posting covers on her YouTube channel in order to utilize her voice and have it out in the open for people to hear. Her first cover, “Hello” by Adele, gained immediate attention, as did her weekly covers following which included covers of Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself”, Zayn Malik’s “Pillow Talk”, Adele’s “Hello” and more. Her Youtube channel quickly began to grow, bringing her fans who loved her purely for her voice. She created her YouTube channel in November of 2015, and quickly reached over 9,000 subscribers, and is grateful for each and every one.
Since moving in October, Ellise has been solely focused on one thing: music. She began the year writing with Grammy Award Winning Producer, Chris Seefried (Lana Del Rey, Andra Day and Fitz & the Tantrums) for Uproxx & Honda Stage’s “Uncharted”. The duo wrote and produced her first original single, “Breakdown”, which can be seen on the Uproxx website as well as sites such as Complex.com, Honda’s Facebook page and more. She spent the next 6 months in the studio recording her now scrapped EP release, before releasing the first single from the EP, titled “Dominoes”, in June 2016.
Following this, starting in 2018, she independently released music, releasing a string of single, each with music videos, showing her creative drive and talent, leading up to her debut extended play, "Can You Keep a Secret?" The opening track from the Halloween EP, "911", trended, become Ellise's biggest song. After this, she continued to release independently with her new darker pop sound, releasing another few singles before in October of 2019, releasing her sophomore Halloween extended play, "Under My Bed".
Through all of 2020, she spent lockdown productively working on her debut studio album, "Chaotic", releasing the first single - "Bubblegum Brain", a punchy vibrant pop song with contrastingly dark lyrics - early 2021, followed by the next single, "Feeling Something Bad...", taking a more experimental tone as Ellise (and the album's executive producer, Micah Gordon) experiment with pitched vocals and a stranger sound. It was followed by the album's last single, "Over Breakfast", an introspective sad song, stripped back to just Ellise calling for one last night with her soon-to-be-ex, accompanied by only an acoustic guitar. After this, "Chaotic" was released, with a live show to accompany it, and a deluxe edition planned, along with a video for one of the album's standout tracks, "Bruises".
Ghost
Ellise Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Would it open my eyes?
Would it pick at my mind?
Would it kill me at night?
If I told you I love you
Cause baby
I know that you never really felt that way
You turned to a shadow, put me in the shade
Nothing left to say
With restraints on me, oh
Tell me if we're burning down
Cause I keep seeing ashes all around me now
Can't sleep in a burning house
Chain me to the bed and you won't let me out
Packed bags, you're gone without a sound
Leaving me to feel the pain all by myself
Oh well, I could always tell
You're nothing but a ghost to me now
I could tell you I loved you
But you wouldn't reply
Wouldn't look at my eyes
Wouldn't care when I cried
Why would I tell you I love you?
Cause baby
I know that you never really felt that way
Day by day
You turned to a shadow, put me in the shade
Nothing left to say
With restraints on me, oh
Tell me if we're burning down
Cause I keep seeing ashes all around me now
Can't sleep in a burning house
Chain me to the bed and you won't let me out
Packed bags, you're gone without a sound
Leaving me to feel the pain all by myself
Oh well, I could always tell
You're nothing but a ghost to me now
Tell me if we're burning down
Cause I keep seeing ashes all around me now
Can't sleep in a burning house
Chain me to the bed and you won't let me out
Packed bags, you're gone without a sound
Leaving me to feel the pain all by myself
Oh well, I could always tell
You're nothing but a ghost to me now
In Ellise's song "Ghost," the lyrics explore the emotions and aftermath of a one-sided love. The singer contemplates the consequences of confessing their love to someone who may not reciprocate the same feelings. They wonder if expressing their love will bring clarity or merely torture them further. The repetition of the line "If I told you I loved you" highlights their hesitation and uncertainty.
The chorus reveals the singer's realization that the person they love never truly felt the same way. Each day, the object of their affection becomes more distant, transforming into a "shadow" that puts them in the shade. The lack of communication leads to frustration, with the singer feeling restrained and silenced.
The imagery of a burning house metaphorically represents the crumbling state of the relationship. The singer notices ashes all around them, symbolizing the remnants of a once passionate love that has now turned to destruction. They express the feeling of being trapped, chained to a bed, and unable to escape the painful reality. The departure of their lover without a sound leaves them alone to bear the pain.
The lyrics convey a sense of resignation and acceptance in the final lines. The singer acknowledges that their former love interest has become nothing more than a ghost to them. This suggests that they have finally let go and moved on, recognizing the unrequited love for what it is, a haunting memory.
Line by Line Meaning
If I told you I loved you
If I expressed my love for you openly
Would it open my eyes?
Would it make me see the truth?
Would it pick at my mind?
Would it constantly haunt and disturb my thoughts?
Would it kill me at night?
Would it cause me immense pain and sorrow?
If I told you I love you
If I revealed my feelings for you
Cause baby
Because, my dear
I know that you never really felt that way
I understand that you never truly reciprocated those feelings
Day by day
As time went on
You turned to a shadow, put me in the shade
You slowly became a mere presence, overshadowing and neglecting me
Nothing left to say
There is no more to discuss
With restraints on me, oh
Feeling restricted and trapped
Tell me if we're burning down
Inform me if our relationship is falling apart
Cause I keep seeing ashes all around me now
Because all I see now are the remnants of what was once meaningful
Can't sleep in a burning house
Unable to find peace and rest in a deteriorating situation
Chain me to the bed and you won't let me out
Restraining and controlling me, not allowing me to escape
Packed bags, you're gone without a sound
You left abruptly and silently, without any explanation
Leaving me to feel the pain all by myself
Abandoning me to suffer alone
Oh well, I could always tell
Well, deep down I always knew
You're nothing but a ghost to me now
You are now a mere apparition, no longer a significant presence
I could tell you I loved you
I could express my love for you
But you wouldn't reply
But you would not respond
Wouldn't look at my eyes
Would not make eye contact with me
Wouldn't care when I cried
Would not show any concern when I was in tears
Why would I tell you I love you?
Why would I bother confessing my love to you?
Tell me if we're burning down
Inform me if our relationship is falling apart
Can't sleep in a burning house
Unable to find peace and rest in a deteriorating situation
Chain me to the bed and you won't let me out
Restraining and controlling me, not allowing me to escape
Packed bags, you're gone without a sound
You left abruptly and silently, without any explanation
Leaving me to feel the pain all by myself
Abandoning me to suffer alone
Oh well, I could always tell
Well, deep down I always knew
You're nothing but a ghost to me now
You are now a mere apparition, no longer a significant presence
Tell me if we're burning down
Inform me if our relationship is falling apart
Can't sleep in a burning house
Unable to find peace and rest in a deteriorating situation
Chain me to the bed and you won't let me out
Restraining and controlling me, not allowing me to escape
Packed bags, you're gone without a sound
You left abruptly and silently, without any explanation
Leaving me to feel the pain all by myself
Abandoning me to suffer alone
Oh well, I could always tell
Well, deep down I always knew
You're nothing but a ghost to me now
You are now a mere apparition, no longer a significant presence
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind