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.
FEVER
Erin McCarley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I feel very naked
Like a wolf in a cage
I start to celebrate
The one thing I can't taste
I can't taste anymore
Planning how to rise
But I'm heavy
I'm no phoenix
I'm tide up with sadness
It's a game with a ghost
A ghost that won't go away
Fever
Light me up
Your way
Panic
Rushes out my veins
What can I do about it?
I just can't live without it
What can I do about it?
I just can't live without it
Ah ah ah
With my legs off the edge
And underneath I'm glowing
Feel the force
I'm alive
Can't say I'm undergoing
All the classic signs
To make a better place
Eyes forgot me
It plays out in this lullaby-ize
In the tides is the winds
And that's what lives inside
All the magic and beauty
Can't put out the fire
Fever
Light me up
Your way
Panic
Rushes out my veins
What can I do about it?
I just can't live without it
What can I do about it?
I just can't live without it
No wonder, where you round it
I just can't live without it
What can I do about it?
I just can't live without it
La la la woah woah
La la la woah woah
La la la woah woah
La la la woah woah
La la la woah woah
La la la woah woah
Fever
Light me up
Your way
Panic
Rushes out my veins
What can I do about it?
I just can't live without it
What can I do about it?
I just can't live without it
No wonder, where you round it
I just can't live without it
What can I do about it?
I just can't live without it
What can I do about it?
What can I do about it?
In "Fever," Erin McCarley sings about feeling trapped and hopeless, unable to escape from the pressure and pain of her emotions. The lyrics begin with a metaphor of being lost in a maze, feeling exposed and vulnerable like a wolf in a cage. Despite her attempts to move forward and rise from the ashes, she is weighed down by sadness and haunted by a ghost that won't leave her alone.
As the song progresses, McCarley's tone shifts from hopeless to desperate. She sings about the need for the fever to light her up, to provide her with a rush of energy and excitement that she can't find anywhere else. Even as she acknowledges the danger and panic of this feeling, she can't imagine living without it. The bridge of the song seems to offer a glimmer of hope, as McCarley sings about feeling alive and connected to a deeper magic and beauty that can't be extinguished.
Overall, "Fever" portrays the complexities of intense emotion, exploring the ways in which we can feel both trapped and empowered by our feelings. The lyrics suggest that this balance is difficult to achieve, but that there may be moments of light and beauty even within the darkness.
Line by Line Meaning
I use to stand in this maze
I used to feel lost and trapped
I feel very naked
I feel exposed and vulnerable
Like a wolf in a cage
Like I am being held captive with no way out
I start to celebrate
I start to find hope and joy despite feeling trapped
The one thing I can't taste
The one thing I can't experience or enjoy anymore
I can't taste anymore
I have lost the ability to feel pleasure or happiness
Planning how to rise
Thinking about ways to escape my situation
Out of this pile of ashes
Out of the ruins of my life
But I'm heavy
But I feel weighed down
I'm no phoenix
I can't rise from the ashes and be reborn
I'm tide up with sadness
I am overwhelmed by sadness and can't escape it
It's a game with a ghost
It's a struggle with something that's not really there
A ghost that won't go away
A persistent feeling or memory that I can't shake
Fever
Intense desire or passion
Light me up
Ignite my passion or desire
Your way
In a way that is true to myself
Panic
Fear and anxiety
Rushes out my veins
Overwhelms me and takes over my body
What can I do about it?
What actions can I take to change my situation?
I just can't live without it
I can't imagine my life without this passion or desire
With my legs off the edge
In a precarious or dangerous position
And underneath I'm glowing
Despite the danger, I feel alive and vibrant
Feel the force
Feel the power of something greater than myself
I'm alive
I am present and engaged in the world around me
Can't say I'm undergoing
Can't say I am experiencing or going through something in particular
All the classic signs
All the expected indicators
To make a better place
To create a more positive and fulfilling life
Eyes forgot me
I feel unseen or overlooked
It plays out in this lullaby-ize
It seems to be happening in slow motion or a dream-like state
In the tides is the winds
In the uncertainty is the potential for change
And that's what lives inside
That's where my hope and potential resides
All the magic and beauty
All the wonder and enchantment of life
Can't put out the fire
Can't extinguish the passion or desire burning inside me
No wonder, where you round it
It's no surprise that I am drawn to this passion or desire
La la la woah woah
Vocalization of emotion or feeling
Fever
Intense desire or passion
Light me up
Ignite my passion or desire
Your way
In a way that is true to myself
Panic
Fear and anxiety
Rushes out my veins
Overwhelms me and takes over my body
What can I do about it?
What actions can I take to change my situation?
I just can't live without it
I can't imagine my life without this passion or desire
No wonder, where you round it
It's no surprise that I am drawn to this passion or desire
What can I do about it?
What actions can I take to change my situation?
What can I do about it?
What actions can I take to change my situation?
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Erin McCarley, Sacha Skarbek
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind