The sisters grew up in a musical family, and began playing instruments from an early age in the cover band Rockinhaim, fronted by their parents, Moti and Donna. The two elder sisters, Este and Danielle, began performing with the pop group "Valli Girls" in 2005. They released a few songs on soundtrack and compilation albums under that name, but left the group shortly after an appearance at the 2005 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. They formed Haim with younger sister Alana in 2007, but did not seriously consider it a professional career for some years. After Danielle became a successful touring guitarist, first with Jenny Lewis and later with Julian Casablancas, Haim reformed as a full-time operation in 2012.
The group's first release, Forever EP (an EP released as a limited-time download), combined with positive reception at the South by Southwest festival, led to a deal with Polydor Records and a management deal with Jay-Z's Roc Nation group in mid-2012. The band began recording material for their first album, Days Are Gone, in sessions between touring dates, including appearances at the Glastonbury Festival. The album charted in the top ten in several countries, including the number-one spot in the UK, and the group had won several "best of" awards by the end of 2013. The group was nominated for Best New Artist at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards. Their second album, Something to Tell You, was released in July 2017. Their third album, titled Women in Music Pt. III, was released on June 26, 2020. The group received nominations at the 63rd Grammy awards for Album of the Year and Best Rock Performance (for "The Steps").
In 2024, the sisters blacked out the band's Instagram, seemingly teasing new music by putting "writing... writing... writing..." in the account's bio.
I've Been Down
HAIM Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Feeling up and down
Taped up the windows at the house
But I ain't dead yet
Would you even pick me out in the crowd?
'Cause I can't recognize myself now
And I'm turning away help
Can you pull me out?
I've been down
I've been down
You say there's no stupid questions
Only stupid people
Well, I've been feeling pretty foolish
Tryin' to get myself through this
And I've been watching too much TV
Looking up at the ceiling
It's been making me feel creepy
I'm just tryna shake this feeling
I've been down
I've been down
I've been down (come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, baby)
I've been down
Can you help me out?
(Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, honey)
I'm wakin' up at night
Tick-tock killing time
A little moonlight comin' through the blinds
The love of my life
Sleepin' by my side
But I'm still down
But I think that we need to come together
I think that we need to come together (you know I'm down)
I think that we need to come together
I think that we need to come together (you know I'm down)
I've been down
I've been down
I've been down
Can you help me out?
I've been down (come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, baby)
I've been down (come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, honey)
I've been down (come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, baby)
Can you help me out?
(Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, honey)
In "I've Been Down," HAIM explores the uncertainties that arise when one is lost in their own emotions. The lyrics describe a feeling of confusion and an inability to recognize oneself, as well as a desire for help and companionship. The verses detail the singer's metaphorical isolation wherein the singer feels like they don't belong to the world anymore. However, the majority of the song's narrative is about the singer who is asking for help to get out from this situation. The singer reflects on her feelings of foolishness and her attempts to get out of her own feelings, while the chorus emphasizes the repetition of the phrase 'I've been down' and the refrain “can you help me out?" emphasizes the need for someone to lend a hand.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been running around town
I've been aimlessly wandering around the city
Feeling up and down
My emotions have been fluctuating
Taped up the windows at the house
I've been trying to protect myself from something, maybe emotionally or physically
But I ain't dead yet
Despite my struggles, I'm still alive and fighting
Would you even pick me out in the crowd?
I feel so lost and disconnected that I wouldn't even recognize myself
'Cause I can't recognize myself now
I'm struggling with my identity and don't know who I am anymore
And I'm turning away help
I'm pushing people away even when I know I need their help
Can you pull me out?
Can you help me get out of this situation?
You say there's no stupid questions
You believe that all questions are valid
Only stupid people
But you think some people are foolish
Well, I've been feeling pretty foolish
I've been feeling stupid and inadequate
Tryin' to get myself through this
I'm trying to navigate through my struggles on my own
And I've been watching too much TV
I'm distracting myself with mindless activities
Looking up at the ceiling
My mind has been racing and I can't sleep
It's been making me feel creepy
I'm feeling uneasy and uncomfortable
I'm just tryna shake this feeling
I'm trying to get rid of this negative feeling
I'm wakin' up at night
I'm unable to sleep through the night
Tick-tock killing time
Watching the clock tick away time is making things worse
A little moonlight comin' through the blinds
There's a small amount of light in my dark situation
The love of my life
My partner is by my side
Sleepin' by my side
My partner is asleep next to me
But I'm still down
But I'm still struggling
But I think that we need to come together
I believe that we need to unite and support each other
I think that we need to come together (you know I'm down)
We need to come together and help each other through our struggles
Can you help me out?
Can you offer me support?
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Alana Mychal Haim, Ariel Rechstaid, Danielle Sari Haim, Este Arielle Haim, Rostam Batmanglij
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@awrn.5597
I've been running around town
Feeling up and down
Taped up the windows at the house
But I ain't dead yet
Would you even pick me out in the crowd?
'Cause I can't recognize myself now
And I'm turning away help
Can you pull me out?
I've been down
I've been down
You say there's no stupid questions
Only stupid people
Well, I've been feeling pretty foolish
Tryin' to get myself through this
And I've been watching too much TV
Looking up at the ceiling
It's been making me feel creepy
I'm just tryna shake this feeling
I've been down
I've been down
I've been down (come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, baby)
I've been down
Can you help me out?
(Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, honey)
I'm wakin' up at night
Tick-tock killing time
A little moonlight comin' through the blinds
The love of my life
Sleepin' by my side
But I'm still down
But I think that we need to come together
I think that we need to come together (you know I'm down)
I think that we need to come together
I think that we need to come together (you know I'm down)
I've been down
I've been down
I've been down
Can you help me out?
I've been down (come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, baby)
I've been down (come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, honey)
I've been down (come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, baby)
Can you help me out?
(Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, honey)
@mayankbansal8479
Underrated album. Thanks Taylor for introducing me to haim. I wish them success. In this time of bad generic yummy pop. This kind of music stands out
@enriqueflorendo
The production is unreal. Sounds so good.
@warrenhair1740
Damn...her voice just keeps getting better on each track....loving wimp3 xoxo
@livslovelylife3712
MY FAV TRACK FROM THIS ALBUM!!!!! It’s so so so so groovy and cool i love it so much
@mranleecala7215
I've been down, but these three gals made me feel up and going. 😍
@gearlord1968
Genuinely genuine genius
@ashleypg1708
Goddamnit, I LOVE this album.
@isabellarose8219
Wow, Haim is just releasing all their audios rn. Love it 🥰
@alexramirez7506
I need a "I've been down" and "This is me trying" mashup.
@awrn.5597
I've been running around town
Feeling up and down
Taped up the windows at the house
But I ain't dead yet
Would you even pick me out in the crowd?
'Cause I can't recognize myself now
And I'm turning away help
Can you pull me out?
I've been down
I've been down
You say there's no stupid questions
Only stupid people
Well, I've been feeling pretty foolish
Tryin' to get myself through this
And I've been watching too much TV
Looking up at the ceiling
It's been making me feel creepy
I'm just tryna shake this feeling
I've been down
I've been down
I've been down (come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, baby)
I've been down
Can you help me out?
(Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, honey)
I'm wakin' up at night
Tick-tock killing time
A little moonlight comin' through the blinds
The love of my life
Sleepin' by my side
But I'm still down
But I think that we need to come together
I think that we need to come together (you know I'm down)
I think that we need to come together
I think that we need to come together (you know I'm down)
I've been down
I've been down
I've been down
Can you help me out?
I've been down (come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, baby)
I've been down (come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, honey)
I've been down (come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, baby)
Can you help me out?
(Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, honey)