McCarley currently calls Nashville home, but she cut her musical teeth in San Diego, where she’d moved after college to pursue a life that did not feature music at its center. It was during this bout that McCarley met producer/writer/keyboardist Jamie Kenney (the rare partner she felt 100 percent comfortable with), and the two began honing the songs that would make up Love, Save the Empty.
During 2008, she was part of the "Hotel Café Tour" playing across the United States, and also performed at the 2008 SxSW festival. She was also part of the "Ten Out of Tenn" tour in Winter 2008/2009. Erin spent 2009 on the road with various musicians including Brett Dennen, James Morrison, Paolo Nutini and Mat Kearney.
In 2008, McCarley traveled the annual SXSW Music Festival where she was discovered by her label Universal Republic Records. Love, Save the Empty, was released digitally on December 30, 2008 via iTunes debuting #86 on the Billboard Top 200 Album.Chart. A physical album followed on January 6, 2009. The first single from the album, "Pony (It's OK)" was the iTunes Single of the Week for the first week of 2009.
Blue Suitcase
Erin McCarley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh wise one
If you knew the answer why'd you ask the question?
Oh wise one
If you're such a someone
Why do you give nothing to anyone
You wiggle your way into me time and again
You love to speak your mind
To have my heart twisted
Your blue suitcase is empty hey
Its your way [Repeat: x2]
Oh wise man
How do you get high man
You must be absorbing
Oh wise man save me from your high man
I came for another of your stuck up drugs
My confidence says I am worth it today so try and change its mind
Kiss your sweet girl away
You've found your bay
Now you will know what lonely pays
Your blue suitcase is empty hey it's your way [Repeat: x2]
So tell me how does it feel to be so high above the clouds [Repeat: x2]
And tell me how will it feel when no one cares what you're made around
Your blue suitcase is empty hey it's your way [Repeat: x2]
Your blue suitcase is empty hey what's your way
Wish one if you knew the answer why'd you ask the question
Erin McCarley's song "Blue Suitcase" is a complex song with deep lyrics that can be interpreted in a multitude of ways. The song is likely about a manipulative person who constantly tries to take advantage of the singer, pretending to be wise and offering her advice, but ultimately giving her nothing. The title of the song, "Blue Suitcase", is a metaphor for this manipulative person's empty promises and the baggage that they carry with them.
The lyrics start by questioning the wisdom of this manipulative person, asking "Oh wise one, if you knew the answer why'd you ask the question?" This person claims to be someone important and wise, but in reality, they are just a user who takes advantage of others. The singer goes on to express her frustration, saying "You love to speak your mind, but now it's fair to say I'm not open today, to have my heart twisted."
The second verse of the song continues in a similar vein, with the singer confronting this manipulative person and questioning how they can feel so above it all. This can be interpreted as a critique of people who become too self-involved and believe that they are better than others. Throughout the song, Erin McCarley uses metaphor and powerful imagery to express her emotions and explore the complex nature of manipulative relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Blue suitcase
The blue suitcase is a symbol of emptiness, possibly representing the person's lack of fulfillment or direction in life.
Oh wise one
The singer is addressing someone who is supposed to be wise, but questions their actual wisdom in subsequent lines.
If you knew the answer why'd you ask the question?
The singer is questioning the supposed wisdom of the 'wise one', implying that they don't actually have all the answers.
If you're such a someone / Why do you give nothing to anyone
The artist is questioning the value of the 'wise one', who may claim to be important but doesn't actually help others or make a difference in the world.
You wiggle your way into me time and again / You love to speak your mind / But now it's fair to say im not open today / To have my heart twisted
The artist is possibly addressing a manipulative person who tries to influence them, but they are no longer receptive or willing to be hurt by their actions.
Oh wise man / How do you get high man / You must be absorbing / Oh wise man save me from your high man / I came for another of your stuck up drugs
The singer is possibly calling out someone who boasts about their superiority or knowledge, but doesn't actually provide real help or comfort.
My confidence says I am worth it today so try and change its mind / Kiss your sweet girl away / You've found your bay / Now you will know what lonely pays
The singer is asserting their self-worth, possibly to counteract the influence of the 'wise man', who may have made them doubt themselves. They also reference someone finding a companion, but insinuate that they will eventually understand what it's like to be lonely.
So tell me how does it feel to be so high above the clouds
The artist is asking a rhetorical question to someone who thinks very highly of themselves.
And tell me how will it feel when no one cares what you're made around
The artist is asking a rhetorical question to someone who may feel important or accomplished, but may eventually be forgotten or disregarded by others.
Your blue suitcase is empty hey it's your way
The line is repeated several times, possibly representing the cyclical and unchanging nature of the person's emptiness or lack of direction.
Your blue suitcase is empty hey what's your way
The singer poses a final question, reiterating the motif of the blue suitcase and questioning what the person's true intentions or goals are.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ERIN MCCARLEY, JAMIE KENNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind