Jake Owen is an American country music singer-songwriter. His debut album, … Read Full Bio ↴Jake Owen is an American country music singer-songwriter. His debut album, Startin' With Me, was released on July 25, 2006. Owen had planned to be a professional golfer and walked on to the Florida State University team before suffering a career-ending injury. Before long he was singing at a campus bar and soon left to pursue a music career in Nashville, Tennessee. His first single, "Yee Haw", has reached #16 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and #83 on the Hot 100, while the album has peaked to #31 on the Billboard 200 and #8 on Top Country Albums.

-- from wikipedia.

Life of the Party
Jake Owen Lyrics

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Swore I was gonna tell em the truth
That was til everybody started asking 'bout you
And I didn't know what to say
Came up with some lame excuse
Why you were gone
Said you were gonna come later on
Planted a smile on my face
Like everything was okay

I was hanging around, walk in the crowd
Everybody singing along to my songs
Taking my shots, throwing them back
Acting like you ain't gone
But I don't want em to know I'm all alone
And I ain't got nobody
I don't want em to see I'm dying inside
So I guess I'll be the life
Life of the party

And then one of your friends
Came up and gave me a hug and asked me how we've been
I smiled and said we're better than we've ever been
Well I don't know why I had to lie
Guess I didn't wanna tell er that you said goodbye
I couldn't even look er in the eye
So I kept on...

Hanging around, walk in the crowd
Everybody singing along to my songs
Taking my shots, throwing them back
Acting like you ain't gone
But I don't want em to know I'm all alone
And I ain't got nobody
I don't want em to see I'm dying inside
So I guess I'll be the life
Life of the party

Everybody thinkin I'm feelin good
Everybody thinkin I'm havin a real good time
Don't know the truth about you and I

So I'm hanging around, walk in the crowd
Everybody singing along to my songs
Taking my shots, throwing them back
Acting like you ain't gone
But I don't want em to know I'm all alone
And I ain't got nobody
I don't want em to see I'm dying inside
So I guess I'll be the life
Life of the party

Life of the party
Life of the party
So I guess I'll be the life
Life of the party

Swear I was gonna tell em the truth
But I didn't know what to say

Overall Meaning

The song "Life of the Party" by Jake Owen is an emotional ballad about a man who is trying to put on a brave face and pretend that everything is okay, even though his heart is broken. The song opens with the singer swearing that he was going to tell his friends the truth about why his partner is not with him, but then gets overwhelmed and comes up with a lame excuse to buy more time. He tells himself he doesn't want anyone to see him "dying inside," and so he puts on a smile and carries on with his day. He takes shots, throws them back, and continues to walk in the crowd as people sing along to his songs, pretending that he is the "life of the party," but deep down, he knows that he is heartbroken and the pain is too much to bear.

Later on in the song, one of his friends comes up to him to ask how he and his partner are doing, and the singer forces a smile and lies, saying that they are doing better than ever. He doesn't want to tell the truth about why his partner walked away from him because he couldn't bear the thought of looking his friend in the eyes and admitting that he was alone. The chorus repeats, and the singer continues to struggle to keep up the facade of being the life of the party, all while desperately trying to hide his pain.

The song truly captures the emotional turmoil of someone trying to navigate the end of a relationship while also holding onto their personal sense of identity. The singer is trying to put on a brave face and pretend that he is okay, but the truth is, he is not. The chorus of the song repeatedly mentions that he is the "life of the party," which creates a stark contrast to the lyrics that describe how he feels on the inside - alone and brokenhearted. This juxtaposition is what makes the song so powerful and relatable to anyone who has ever gone through a difficult breakup.

Line by Line Meaning

Swore I was gonna tell em the truth
I intended to tell the truth

That was til everybody started asking 'bout you
Changed my mind after everyone asked about you

And I didn't know what to say
I didn't have a response

Came up with some lame excuse
Gave a fake reason

Why you were gone
For your absence

Said you were gonna come later on
Lied that you were coming back

Planted a smile on my face
Put on a phony smile

Like everything was okay
Faked that everything was fine

I was hanging around, walk in the crowd
I was still going out in public

Everybody singing along to my songs
Fans continued supporting me

Taking my shots, throwing them back
Drinking and partying hard

Acting like you ain't gone
Acting like you never left

But I don't want em to know I'm all alone
Hiding that I'm lonely

And I ain't got nobody
Being alone without you

I don't want em to see I'm dying inside
Not wanting to show my pain

So I guess I'll be the life
Being the center of attention

Life of the party
Being the life of the party

And then one of your friends
One of your pals

Came up and gave me a hug and asked me how we've been
Hugged me and inquired about our relationship

I smiled and said we're better than we've ever been
Lied that we were doing well

Well I don't know why I had to lie
Unaware why I lied

Guess I didn't wanna tell er that you said goodbye
Probably didn't want to discuss that you left

I couldn't even look er in the eye
Couldn't face the truth

So I kept on...
Continued hiding my feelings

Everybody thinkin I'm feelin good
Everyone believing I'm happy

Everybody thinkin I'm havin a real good time
Everyone assuming I'm having a great time

Don't know the truth about you and I
Unaware of our problems

So I guess I'll be the life
Choosing to be the life of the party

Life of the party
Being the party's center of attraction

Life of the party
Being the party's center of attention

So I guess I'll be the life
Continuing to be the party's focus

Life of the party
Still being the party's center of attraction

Swear I was gonna tell em the truth
I had intended to tell the truth earlier

But I didn't know what to say
Failed to find the right words

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ASHLEY GORLEY, DALLAS DAVIDSON, CHRISTOPHER MICHAEL DE STEFANO

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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