She overcomes him. You can see her in his eyes when he’s brave enough to open them. Eyes are the window to the soul you know, but the soul has many outlets. The soul can escape through song and sweat and melody. Words alone can be the vehicle. Rhythmic words, set to a stomping foot and a resonating chord, rhythmic words from a voice that shakes but stays strong, a voice that bursts from some hidden wound. His words do not open the window to the soul, nor the door....his words open the floodgates and the soul does not make a quiet escape.
Now we’re in a room of blacked out windows and locked doors. Rows of bottled-up emotions filed away neatly, not to be touched. Dust covered labels that read: Love, Loss, Heartbreak, Forgiveness, Redemption. Does this look familiar?
Erick Baker stomps his foot down hard with the strumming of the guitar and throws his head back as though possessed by some lost ghost. And now those bottles we try so hard to keep buried inside start shaking and rocking back and forth...
Will you steady them and quickly pack them away once more to hopefully be forgotten, or will you let them fall and feel something you haven’t felt in a long time?
Next To Me
Erick Baker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've had to live
The world I grew up for
I had to give
Lost in a routine
The sand in my shoes
Forgotten every night
That I lie by you
I am the man who's followed his dreams
Who's been all the places I've never seen
I am the man that I want to be
When you're lying next to me
Broken promises
I've had to take
And possibilities
I've had to fake
Choices that I've made
I can't undo
Forgotten every night
That I lie by you
That I lie by you
I am the man who's followed his dreams
Who's been all the places I've never seen
I am the man that I want to be
When you're lying next to me
I feel like I am finally someone
Who can do all the things I haven't done
I am the man that I want to be
When you're lying next to me
Hold on to me
I am the man who's followed his dreams
Who's been all the places I've never seen
I am the man that I want to be
When you're lying with me
I feel like I am finally someone
Who can do all the things I haven't done
I am the man that I want to be
When you're lying next to me
The lyrics of Erick Baker's song "Next to Me" tell a story of a man who has faced many letdowns and broken promises in his life. He has had to give up the world he grew up in and live in a routine that he is lost in. However, when he lies next to his significant other, he feels like he is finally the man that he wants to be. The man who has followed his dreams, been all the places he has never seen, and has the potential to do all the things he hasn't done yet. He feels empowered and fulfilled with her by his side.
The verse "Broken promises I've had to take, and possibilities I've had to fake" speaks to the man's struggles with false hope and disappointment. He has had to make choices that he cannot undo, but when he's lying next to his significant other, all of that fades away. He feels like he has finally found someone who accepts him for who he is, flaws and all, and helps him be the best version of himself.
Line by Line Meaning
A life of let me downs
I have experienced disappointments throughout my life
I've had to live
I was forced to endure such disappointments
The world I grew up for
The environment in which I grew up
I had to give
I had to abandon it
Lost in a routine
I am stuck in a mundane cycle of events
The sand in my shoes
The burden I carry with me
Forgotten every night
I often forget about the burdens when lying next to you
That I lie by you
That I am with you
I am the man who's followed his dreams
I have pursued my aspirations
Who's been all the places I've never seen
I have explored places I never had the opportunity to visit
I am the man that I want to be
I have become the person I desired to be
When you're lying next to me
When I am by your side
Broken promises
People have let me down by not following through with their word
I've had to take
I had to accept these letdowns
And possibilities
Opportunities presented to me
I've had to fake
I had to pretend to take advantage of such opportunities
Choices that I've made
Decisions that I've committed to
I can't undo
I cannot take back
Hold on to me
Please continue to be there for me
I feel like I am finally someone
I feel like I have finally accomplished something significant
Who can do all the things I haven't done
I can now attempt the things I previously couldn't
Contributed by Elena A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
vickala
Beautiful song, the violinist is awesome!
Jeff Potvin
Bought 2 tickets for your show in Atl a few years back but missed it. It was a small venue and I kick myself for missing such a great artist in such a small venue. However I'm glad you got a cut of my money! They don't have many "musicians" these days and I'm glad glad I got to support one of them! Idk why you didn't go mainstream but I'm glad you didn't. Your family deserves you more than your marriage to label!
C.W. Richardson 3
Killer jam