Her first album "Pinwheels" was recorded shortly after her high school graduation. During a 1 1/2 year stint as a student at Ole Miss, Starr met and forged a friendship with fellow artist and producer Neilson Hubbard. To this day, Starr and Hubbard frequently collaborate. Her second release, the 7 track EP "Stupid Girl" references her experiences there which were not always pleasant.
Garrison was signed to Geffen Records who released her first major label album "18 Over Me" in 1997. "18 Over Me" includes the song "Superhero" which is her most well known song to date, it has appeared on several compilations including "Live at World Cafe" and CMJ magazine's sampler. Garrison re-recorded "Superhero" for her 3rd major release 2005's "Airstreams & Satellites". It also includes a faster version of "Molly" which originally appeared on the "Stupid Girl" EP. On both versions producer Neilson Hubbard sings back-up vocals. "18 Over Me" is currently out of print and can only be purchased used. Garrison occasionally has copies at her live performances, but currently Geffen owns the rights to it so she cannot re-release it.
On the moderate success of "18 Over Me" Garrison was invited to play on the highly successful all female festival tour Lilith Fair created by Sarah McLachlan. Starr left the deep south for Los Angeles in the mid 1990s. There was a huge gap between the release of "18 Over Me" (1997) and "Songs From Take-Off To Landing" (2004) because Garrison (along with many other artists) was dropped from the Geffen roster. Garrison recorded several demos of songs that would eventually become part of "Take-Off" those were never officially released and in the years between those recordings & the release of "Take-Off" the songs evolved and changed significantly. Between these releases Garrison released "24/7" an EP of live & acoustic versions of songs from "18 Over Me" as well as a cover of the Rolling Stone's "Taxman" and a previously unreleased song "Simple Theme". Also during this time Garrison released "Something To Hold You Over" for devoted fans who were asking for new recordings.
In Los Angeles she gained inspiration for two albums, "Songs From Take-Off To Landing" (which was finally released in February 2004) and "Airstreams and Satellites" (October 2005). "Airstreams" includes a hidden track in which Garrison makes her first definitive reference to being a lesbian. She has toured with the likes of Melissa Etheridge, Steve Earle, Melissa Ferrick and Mary Chapin-Carpenter.
In 2005, Starr returned to the south, more specifically, Nashville, Tenn., where she completed her most recent album, "The Sound of You and Me" (March 2006). Released by Vanguard Records it includes a fellow Vanguard artist Mindy Smith on background vocals for track "Kansas City, KS".
Starr's song "Superhero" was featured during ABC-TVs coverage of the Women's World Cup Soccer in 1999. More recently, Starr's "Beautiful in Los Angeles" was the featured song on the season one finale of MTVs original program "The Hills" (2006).
Starr is currently working on her next album, a greatest hits cd for which she asked fans to vote for their top 10 favorite songs. In early 2007 she released a statement that she is recording the songs that received the most votes and that the cd will be available at her Los Angeles shows in late January 2007. Garrison put that cd online for purchase on her official website www.garrisonstarr.com in March 2007.
Garrison's new album "The Girl That Killed September" will be released on October 18, 2007 on Media Creature. Available Online for $10 (CD) and $7.50 (DOWNLOAD) LISTEN | WATCH EPK http://www.mediacreature.com/playerpage/gstarr/blastplyr-lcns.html
I May Not Let Go
Garrison Starr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But the wind′s too heavy
Now I'm trying to find you
And the road is long
I′m on a dried up river
Beside a broke down levee
I've got nothing to give you
Just a little bit worn out
Just a little bit bitter
I gotta let my guard down
I gotta loosen my grip
I hear these voices
They don't sound familiar
Making all of these choices
Taking all these trips
If I hold you tonight
I may not let go
Now it′s come a long way
And my heart feels older
And I feel that shiver
Running down my spine
And the ground is frozen
And the air is colder
But my heart is open
Beating out of time
And if I hold you tonight
I may not let go
And if I hold you tonight
I may not let go
Show me the place I can hide
Tell me you′ll see me tonight
Old train keeps rolling
Nowhere bound
I hear the whistle blowing
Such a lonely sound
And if I hold you tonight
I may not let go
And if I hold you tonight
I may not let go
Oh and if I hold you tonight
I may not let go
The lyrics of Garrison Starr's song "I May Not Let Go" depict the character's journey of seeking for love and the struggle of the heart in letting go. The opening lines suggest the desire to be with someone, but the current circumstances prevent them from achieving that goal. The persona's journey seems to lead them through challenging and lonely terrains, represented by the "dried up river" and the "broke down levee." However, despite not having any material things to offer, the character is willing to give the person a lonesome song.
The next stanza reveals that the persona is struggling with letting go of their past hurt and is hesitant to open up to a new relationship. The voices in their head are making decisions, and they are taking trips to figure out what they want. However, these voices are not familiar, representing the difficulty of trusting new people after experiencing heartbreak. The chorus serves as a warning to the character and their fear of losing control. They are struggling with finding the balance between letting go and holding on. The song's ending implies that the character is still struggling to let go of their fears but is comforted with the idea of holding onto someone.
Line by Line Meaning
I want to walk beside you
I desire to be by your side.
But the wind's too heavy
The emotional and environmental obstacles are too high to handle.
Now I'm trying to find you
I'm making an effort to locate you despite the challenges.
And the road is long
The journey towards finding you is lengthy.
I'm on a dried up river
The passion and love that once existed between us has vanished.
Beside a broke down levee
The chances of rekindling our love are not hopeful.
I've got nothing to give you
There's nothing left to offer you except my sad loneliness and a melody.
But a lonesome song
All that remains is a haunting tune.
Just a little bit worn out
I'm a bit exhausted by the emotional journey and events that have occurred.
Just a little bit bitter
I'm a bit resentful of what happened between us.
I gotta let my guard down
I need to lower my defenses and be more vulnerable.
I gotta loosen my grip
I need to relieve some of the pressure and stop trying to control everything.
I hear these voices
I am hearing internal voices.
They don't sound familiar
The sounds are strange and unfamiliar to me.
Making all of these choices
The voices are forcing me to make difficult decisions.
Taking all these trips
My choices are resulting in extremely varied experiences.
If I hold you tonight
If I have the chance to embrace you tonight.
I may not let go
I may refuse to let go of this final chance to hold you.
Now it's come a long way
The relationship has been through a lot of ups and downs.
And my heart feels older
My heart has aged from the ordeals.
And I feel that shiver
It gives me a bone-chilling feeling.
Running down my spine
A wave of cold runs down my back.
And the ground is frozen
The world around me is cold and uninviting.
And the air is colder
The weather has become hostile and unwelcoming to me.
But my heart is open
My heart is without defenses and open to you.
Beating out of time
My heart is beating faster than ever before.
Show me the place I can hide
Protect me from the outside world.
Tell me you'll see me tonight
Assure me you'll return tonight.
Old train keeps rolling
I feel I'm powerless like a moving train with no brakes.
Nowhere bound
I'm clueless where I'm headed towards.
I hear the whistle blowing
I hear a distinct sound that makes me feel alone.
Such a lonely sound
A sound that echoes loneliness.
Oh and if I hold you tonight
If I can embrace you at all tonight.
I may not let go
I'll refuse to let you go for one more chance.
Writer(s): Julia Garrison Starr
Contributed by Asher G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sheri Wine
So haunting ...so beautiful.... thanks honey.....
Laura Commeree
❤️
Loren Penman
❤️
erosetol
Loved you in Hart of Dixie.