Hailing from Hitchin, Hertfordshire, Bay gained a reputation thanks to stints at Communion's monthly night at Notting Hill Arts Club in London and a successful run of support slots with Tom Odell, John Newman and Kodaline. He issued his debut EP, The Dark of the Morning, in 2013, with a second extended player, Let It Go, and a third extended player, Hold Back the River, arriving the following year.
In May 2018, Bay released his second studio album, Electric Light.
Incomplete
James Bay Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But the bleeding heart I left on the shelf
Started speeding round, beating half to death
'Cause you're here and you're all mine
So I press my lips down into your neck
And I stay there and I reconnect
Bravery I've been trying to be perfect
Scared of hope in my head it's been making me sweat but it turns out
You're here with your head on my chest
I should've guessed
The world will turn and we'll grow, we'll learn how to be
To be incomplete
I breathe out now and we fall back in
Just like before we can re-begin
Let your lungs push slow against my skin
Let it all feel just fine
Gone is the emptiness
We just take what's best and we move on
All that the hurt gets left
I should've guessed
The world will turn and we'll grow, we'll learn how to be
To be incomplete
This here now, it's where we touch down
You and me let's be incomplete
How'd we go without
I don't know it's look like we've made it again
Tell me you'll never look down, down
And the world will turn and we'll grow, we'll learn how to be
To be incom
I don't wanna look down
I don't want us to break up in the cloud
All I want is to stay us, to stay with you now
I don't wanna look down
I don't want us to break up in the clouds
All I want is to stay us, to stay with you now
And the world will turn and we'll grow, we'll learn how to be
To be incomplete
This here now it's where we touch down
You and me let's be incomplete
James Bay's "Incomplete" is a song that portrays the complexities of love and relationships. In the first verse, the singer is trying to calm themselves down, but their heart cannot help but beat faster because the person they love is with them. The second verse shows the singer's vulnerability, as they admit to their fear of hope and the pressure to be perfect. However, being with the person they love is giving them the bravery to let go of that pressure for a while.
The chorus is a reflection of the reality of relationships - nobody is perfect, and there will always be parts of us that are incomplete. The singer acknowledges that they will grow and learn together, accepting the imperfections of each other. The line "Let your lungs push slow against my skin" implies physical intimacy and trust, representing a deeper level of connection.
The lyrics "All I want is to stay us, to stay with you now" in the bridge symbolize the singer's desire to stay in the moment and not worry about the future or the past. They want to hold onto the present and enjoy the love and connection they have with their partner.
Overall, "Incomplete" is a song that talks about the beauty in imperfection and learning to appreciate what we have in the present rather than worrying about what's next.
Line by Line Meaning
I breathe in slow to compose myself
I take a deep breath to calm myself down
But the bleeding heart I left on the shelf
My vulnerable heart that I hid away is starting to feel exposed
Started speeding round, beating half to death
It's beating really fast and I feel like I'm going to die
'Cause you're here and you're all mine
But you're here with me, and that makes me feel alive
So I press my lips down into your neck
I kiss you on the neck to feel close to you
And I stay there and I reconnect
I stay there to feel connected with you
Bravery I've been trying to be perfect
I've been trying to be brave and perfect for you
It can wait for a while
But I realize that it's okay to be imperfect and that can wait for now
Scared of hope in my head it's been making me sweat but it turns out
I've been scared of hoping for the future and it's been stressing me out, but it turns out
You're here with your head on my chest
You're here with me and your head is resting on my chest
I should've guessed
I should have known that you would be here with me
The world will turn and we'll grow, we'll learn how to be
We'll experience life and learn how to live
To be incomplete
To be imperfect and that's okay
I breathe out now and we fall back in
I release my breath and we fall back into each other
Just like before we can re-begin
We can start anew just like we did before
Let your lungs push slow against my skin
Let our breathing synchronize and feel each other's presence
Let it all feel just fine
Let everything feel okay and perfect in the moment
Gone is the emptiness
The feeling of emptiness is gone
We just take what's best and we move on
We take the best of what we have and keep moving forward
All that the hurt gets left
We leave all the hurt behind us
I should've guessed
I should have known we would be okay
This here now, it's where we touch down
This moment is where we truly connect
You and me let's be incomplete
Let's be imperfect beings together
How'd we go without
How did we manage without each other
I don't know it's look like we've made it again
I don't know how, but it seems like we've made it through another obstacle
Tell me you'll never look down, down
Promise me you won't give up on us
And the world will turn and we'll grow, we'll learn how to be
We'll experience life and learn how to live
To be incomplete
To be imperfect and that's okay
I don't wanna look down
I don't want to feel let down
I don't want us to break up in the cloud
I don't want our relationship to fail
All I want is to stay us, to stay with you now
All I want is to stay together and enjoy the moment
And the world will turn and we'll grow, we'll learn how to be
We'll experience life and learn how to live
To be incomplete
To be imperfect and that's okay
This here now it's where we touch down
This moment is where we truly connect
You and me let's be incomplete
Let's be imperfect beings together
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Spirit Music Group, BDI Music Limited, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: James Michael Bay, Jake Nathan Gosling, Christopher William Leonard, Chris Leonard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Alivia Csrro
on Get Out While You Can
I thought it was about 9/11