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.
Gotta Figure This Out
Erin McCarley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To feel out whats inside
I don't like what I see
So I say good night
Don't wake me cause I;m dreaming in color
Black and white is not my friend
Candy-coated figures hold me in my bed
I've never been so deep inside a shadow
I've never been so insecure of what I know
I've gotta figure it out
I need a story to tell
Where's the feeling I long for
I've gotta figure it out
Before I lose you, love
Big city streets are calling me loud
Their busy keeps me high
This quiet town is wearing me down tonight
I know that I should stay here for awhile
Listen to the sound of my shaky heart
Looking for gold in the ground
I've never been so deep inside a shadow
I've never been so insecure of what I know
I've gotta figure it out
I need a story to tell
Where's the feeling I long for
I've gotta figure it out
Before I lose you
Before I lose you, love
It's not OK to make you wait
To make you wonder why I
Can't hold you close, can't give you hope
That this will be alright
I wanna make it right
I've gotta figure it out
I need a story to tell
Where's the feeling I long for
I've gotta figure this out
I need a story to tell
Where's the feeling I long for
I've gotta figure this out
Before I lose you
Before I lose you
Before I lose you, love
The lyrics of Erin McCarley's song Gotta Figure This Out express the struggles of the singer to understand her own emotions and feelings. She admits to having separated her heart from her head to uncover what's inside and has realized that she doesn't like what she sees. At the same time, she seems to be holding back from all the colors of life and dreaming only in black and white. She finds solace in candy-coated figures holding her in bed, possibly indicating that the comfort of something that brings her happiness distracts her from confronting her problems.
Moreover, the singer admits to being blindly lost in her thoughts, never having been so deep inside a shadow and feeling insecure of what she knows. She recognizes that she has to figure things out, as she desperately needs a story to tell and a purpose that gives her meaning and fulfillment. The chorus shows her urgency to figure out her emotions before she loses love, implying that the song is possibly about her romantic relationship.
In conclusion, the lyrics of the song showcase the struggles of the singer to understand her own feelings, as she searches for the feeling she longs for by separating her heart from her head. The song may be an ode to the complexities of relationships, personal struggles, or searching for one's purpose in life.
Line by Line Meaning
I separated my heart from my head
I disconnected my emotions from my thoughts
To feel out whats inside
To figure out what is causing my inner turmoil
I don't like what I see
I am not happy with what I discover about myself
So I say good night
I try to ignore my problems and go to sleep
Don't wake me cause I'm dreaming in color
I prefer my colorful delusions to reality
Black and white is not my friend
Clear-cut answers do not satisfy me
Candy-coated figures hold me in my bed
I am trapped by my comforting illusions
I've never been so deep inside a shadow
I have never been so lost and uncertain
I've never been so insecure of what I know
I doubt my own knowledge and judgment
I've gotta figure it out
I need to find a solution to my problems
I need a story to tell
I want to understand my own narrative
Where's the feeling I long for
I am searching for a sense of fulfillment
Before I lose you, love
Before I lose the person I love due to my own issues
Big city streets are calling me loud
I am tempted by the excitement of urban life
Their busy keeps me high
The constant activity masks my own anxiety
This quiet town is wearing me down tonight
The calm surroundings are amplifying my troubles
I know that I should stay here for awhile
I understand that running away is not the solution
Listen to the sound of my shaky heart
I need to pay attention to my own emotions and fears
Looking for gold in the ground
I am searching for something valuable within myself
It's not OK to make you wait
I should not make you suffer because of my problems
To make you wonder why I
To cause you to question my commitment and love
Can't hold you close, can't give you hope
I am unable to provide you with the affection and encouragement you deserve
That this will be alright
That everything will work out in the end
I wanna make it right
I am determined to fix our relationship
Before I lose you
Before my own issues become too much for you to bear
Before I lose you, love
Before I lose the most important person in my life
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ERIN MCCARLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind