Ambrosius is the songstress to Stewart's spoken word impresario or "floacist" role. The two met due to their love of basketball. Stewart, who hails from London, was a superstar on her court, while Ambrosius wowed fans in her local English neighborhood. They were competitive, but not rivals, so a friendship was formed. Music was also a passion. Ambrosius relished in her reggae roots while Stewart found herself grooving to funk and soul. While attending Brits Performing Arts School, Ambrosius studied business and finance, but made room for courses in voice, performance technique, and recording. Stewart split her time between acting and directing. Later, Ambrosius and Stewart headed to college.
Ambrosius planned to attend Georgia Tech University on a basketball scholarship, but injury forced her to bow out. Stewart headed for Middlesex University, eventually transferring to North London University. Still, they two kept in touch and raved about music. It wouldn't be until Stewart's girl group, 3 Plus 1, disbanded that Floetry would actually give music a serious shot.
In 1997, Ambrosius and Stewart began writing songs and playing shows in and around London. Three years later, they moved to America in search of something bigger. A brief stint in Atlanta didn't pan out, but their time spent in Philadelphia proved golden. Ambrosius and Stewart befriended Julius Erving III, basketball great Julius Erving's son, in mid-2000. Floetry and Erving clicked instantly. Erving signed on as their manager and hooked the ladies up with Jeff Townes, aka DJ Jazzy Jeff, for some recording. That's when the deals started trickling in -- Floetry were official and living out a dream. In 2002, they inked a deal with DreamWorks and touched up their own work for a debut album. Floetic appeared in October 2002, and its follow-up, Flo'Ology, reached the Top Ten upon release three years later.
MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide
Group Members:
Amanda Diva
Natalie Stewart
Marsha Ambrosius
I'll Die
Floetry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm responsible for me
If I stay right here I?ll die inside
Ran out of tears, I can barely get by
It?s fair to say that we tried
You know I wanna stay, if I do I?ll die
I?ll die, I?ll die, I?ll die, I?ll die
Coulda been another one of those
Coulda made it, coulda made it
Shoulda made it, had I gave it
Just a little bit more of my time
Just a little focus, coulda broke this
Woulda woke this, shoulda choked this
Had I chose bliss I?d have left this infatuation
Far behind, I?ll exchange my mind
No more wasting time, this process is mine
In your eyes, my reflection is blind
In your arms I decide, this is our last night
Goodbye
I have to leave you
So long for you and I
If I stay right here I?ll die inside
Ran out of tears, I can barely get by
It?s fair to say that we tried
You know I wanna stay, if I do I?ll die
I?ll die, I?ll die, I?ll die, I?ll die
Been addicted to the burden of the gifted
To the sermon of the shifted, always praying to be lifted
Always settling, never bettering
How am I gonna win, if I'm not listening
Always asking for never noticing
Every move I make, this game?s reacting in
Perfect symmetry, I'm my destiny, must invest in me
Or I'm just gonna be victim of circumstance
All is left to chance, how can I enhance?
I'm afraid to dance
I must break this trance, 'cause it?s deafening
So I'm breathing in, I'm breathing in, I'm breathing in
Breath to get control of me
I have to be
If I stay right here I?ll die inside
Ran out of tears, I can barely get by
It?s fair to say that we tried
You know I wanna stay, if I do I?ll die
I?ll die, I?ll die, I?ll die, I?ll die
what's the use in living here yeah
If I don't feel alive forenied mistakes
So much I've done, so much to cry
I cry, I got to
If I stay right here I?ll die inside
Ran out of tears, I can barely get by
It?s fair to say that we tried
You know I wanna stay, if I do I?ll die
I?ll die, I?ll die, I?ll die, I?ll die
I?ll die, I?ll die
The lyrics of Floetry's 'I'll Die' tell a story of self-awareness and self-preservation. The opening lines "We are who we choose to be, I'm responsible for me" set the tone for the rest of the song, emphasizing the importance of personal accountability in one's life, and the power of individual choice.
The chorus draws attention to the fact that staying in a stagnant place is detrimental to one's well-being, in this case, leading to emotional death. The lines "If I stay right here I'll die inside, Ran out of tears, I can barely get by" paint a picture of utter hopelessness, suggesting that the singer has reached a point of emotional exhaustion and that continuing to stay where they are will lead to their downfall.
The verse "Been addicted to the burden of the gifted, To the sermon of the shifted, always praying to be lifted, Always settling, never bettering" highlights the internal struggle the singer has been going through. They recognize that they have become complacent, accepting less than they deserve, and allowing themselves to remain stagnant and unchanging.
The song ultimately speaks to the importance of self-awareness, self-improvement, and taking responsibility for one's own life. The singer recognizes that they have to leave something behind - perhaps a troubled relationship or situation - to find a better life for themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
We are who we choose to be
Our lives are determined by the choices we make
I'm responsible for me
I am in control of my own life and my own actions
If I stay right here I'll die inside
Staying in this situation will lead to my emotional death
Ran out of tears, I can barely get by
I have cried so much that I can hardly function anymore
It's fair to say that we tried
We did our best, but it wasn't enough
You know I wanna stay, if I do I'll die
I want to stay, but if I do, it will be the death of me
I'll die, I'll die, I'll die, I'll die
Staying in this situation will lead to my ultimate demise
Coulda been another one of those
I could have made a different decision in the past
Coulda made it, coulda made it
I could have succeeded if I had tried harder
Shoulda made it, had I gave it
If only I had put in more effort, I would have succeeded
Just a little bit more of my time
I only needed to invest a little more of myself
Just a little focus, coulda broke this
I needed to focus better in order to overcome this problem
Woulda woke this, shoulda choked this
I should have addressed this issue sooner and more forcefully
Had I chose bliss I'd have left this infatuation
If I had chosen happiness, I would have ended this obsession
Far behind, I'll exchange my mind
I will leave this negative mindset behind me
No more wasting time, this process is mine
I will take control of my own life and make progress towards my goals
In your eyes, my reflection is blind
I cannot see myself clearly because of my emotional attachment to you
In your arms I decide, this is our last night
I am using this last night to say goodbye to you and move on
Goodbye
Farewell
I have to leave you
I must say goodbye and move on
So long for you and I
This is the end of our relationship
Been addicted to the burden of the gifted
I have become addicted to the responsibility that comes with my talent
To the sermon of the shifted, always praying to be lifted
I have been listening to the advice of others and hoping for a solution to my problems
Always settling, never bettering
I have been accepting mediocrity instead of striving for excellence
How am I gonna win, if I'm not listening
I cannot succeed if I am not open to the advice and opinions of others
Always asking for never noticing
I have been asking for help but not taking the time to appreciate the efforts of those around me
Every move I make, this game's reacting in
Every decision I make has consequences that affect my life
Perfect symmetry, I'm my destiny, must invest in me
I am in control of my own future and must focus on improving myself
Or I'm just gonna be victim of circumstance
If I do not take control of my life, I will be at the mercy of fate
All is left to chance, how can I enhance?
My future is not predetermined, and I must work to improve it
I'm afraid to dance
I am afraid to take risks and make changes in my life
I must break this trance, 'cause it's deafening
I must overcome my fear and make changes in my life to avoid being stuck in this rut
So I'm breathing in, I'm breathing in, I'm breathing in
I am taking deep breaths to calm myself and find the strength to make changes in my life
Breath to get control of me
I am taking deep breaths to regain control over my emotions and my life
I have to be
I must take control of my own life and my own future
what's the use in living here yeah
What is the point of living if I am not truly alive?
If I don't feel alive forenied mistakes
If I do not feel fully alive, my life will have been a mistake
So much I've done, so much to cry
I have made many mistakes and have much to regret
I cry, I got to
I am crying because I am overwhelmed with regret and sadness
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, THE ROYALTY NETWORK INC., CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Royalty Network, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: ERIC JACKSON, JARED LEE GOSSELIN, MARSHA AMBROSIUS, NATALIE STEWART, PHILLIP A. WHITE, PHILLIP ANTHONY WHITE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind