At the age of sixteen, Esthero moved from small town Harriston, Ontario on her own to Toronto, where she began singing at open-mic nights, a journey that in 1997 led to a meeting with the president of EMI Publishing Canada, whom she charmed so well during their first meeting that without hearing her sing a single note he was moved to set up and finance recording sessions with Doc, a guitarist and studio engineer. Their debut album, Breath from Another, was released to critical acclaim in 1998 and is widely seen as one of the more accessible albums of the trip-hop genre.
Though she remained active following the moderate success of the debut album, featuring on tracks by such artists as Nelly Furtado and The Black Eyed Peas, it would take over 7 years for a proper follow-up to be released (due to a confluence of factors that included a lengthy creative process, the closure of the WORK record label and marketing delays) in the form of 2005's Wikked Lil Grrrls, an album that crossed genre boundaries with its heavy debt to jazz and hip-hop. The album was preceded in 2004 by a pair of EPs, The O.G. Bitch Remixes (with the title song reaching Number 1 on the Billboard Dance Chart) and We R In Need of a Musical Revolution, which served as a preview of the full length album.
After the release of Wikked Lil Grrrls, Esthero devoted an increasing amount of time to songwriting and production, with her work featuring on albums by Brandy and Kanye West (most prominently on West's single Love Lockdown).
2012 saw the release of Esthero's third full-length album, Everything is Expensive (Universal Music Canada), preceded by the release of Never Gonna Let You Go as the lead single and video. The album was partially funded through a campaign on PledgeMusic in which backers could choose from exclusives such as artwork by the singer. Everything is Expensive debuted on Billboard's Heatseeker chart at #13.
Official Websites
www.esthero.net
I Drive Alone
Esthero Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I can't go home
And I'm not so strong
But I make my way
To the place I know
Inside my heart
Where I used to go
To get brave and
Can't move on
But I can't go home
And I'm not so strong
But I make my way
To the place I know
Inside my heart
Where I used to go
To get brave and
I don't want to be lost anymore
Gotta find my, gotta find my, gonna find my way back home
Gotta find my, gotta find my, gonna find my way back home
Gotta find my, gotta find my, gonna find my way back home
Gotta find my, gotta find my, gonna find my way back home
Gotta find my, gotta find my, gonna find my way back home
Gotta find my, gotta find my, gonna find my way back home
Gotta find my, gotta find my, gonna find my way back home
I don't know where I go
But I know I drive alone
I terribly miss you
More than you'll ever know
You've gotta come back somehow
You've gotta come back somehow
Can't move on
But I can't go home
And I'm not so strong
But I gave my way
To the place I know
Inside my heart
Where I used to go
To get brave and
"I Drive Alone" is a heartbreaking song by Esthero, where the artist is struggling to move forward from a difficult situation, yet she knows that she can't go back to where she came from. The song starts with the repetition of the same lines, "Can't move on, but I can't go home, and I'm not so strong, but I make my way to the place I know inside my heart where I used to go to get brave." These lines show the contradiction of the artist's emotions, where she is unable to move on from her situation, but at the same time, she can't go back to where she came from. The line "Where I used to go to get brave" indicates that the artist is trying to find comfort in a familiar place.
The repeated lines, "Gotta find my way back home" emphasize the struggle of the artist to find a way back to where she belongs. She mentions that she doesn't know where she is going, but she knows that she drives alone. This line suggests that she is lost and in search of something or someone that could help her find her way back home. The artist confesses that she terribly misses someone and hopes that this person could come back to her somehow.
Overall, "I Drive Alone" is a song that perfectly captures the feeling of being lost and directionless while seeking to find one's way back home. The lyrics are powerful, and Esthero's haunting vocals add to the emotional depth of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Can't move on
I am struggling to move forward and overcome my challenges
But I can't go home
I am unable to return to a place of safety and comfort
And I'm not so strong
I do not feel strong enough to face my difficulties
But I make my way
Despite my weakness, I am pushing forward and making progress
To the place I know
I am returning to a familiar and comforting place in my heart
Inside my heart
This place is deep within me, and only I can access it
Where I used to go
I have visited this place before when I needed to be brave
To get brave and
This place gives me the courage I need to face my fears
I don't want to be lost anymore
I am determined to find my way back to a place of safety and comfort
Gotta find my, gotta find my, gonna find my way back home
I am on a determined search to return to a place of safety and comfort
I don't know where I go
I am feeling lost and disoriented
But I know I drive alone
Despite my confusion, I am determined to keep going and find my way
I terribly miss you
I am consumed by a deep longing for your company
More than you'll ever know
My feelings of longing and loss are intense and emotional
You've gotta come back somehow
I am desperate for your return, no matter how impossible it may seem
But I gave my way
I am making progress, despite my feelings of weakness
To get brave and face my fears
I am using my inner strength to overcome my fears and challenges
This journey feels overwhelming and daunting
The struggles I am facing seem insurmountable
But I keep pushing forward, one step at a time
I am determined to persevere, no matter how difficult the journey
It's not easy, but I have to try
I am willing to face the challenges and difficulties in order to find my way back home
Together, we can brave any challenge
I am hopeful that we can overcome any obstacles if we work together
And find our way back home, where we belong.
I am determined to find my way back to a place of safety and comfort, where I belong.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ESTHERO, JAMES ROBERTSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind