A musician and lyricist of uncommon and mature gift, and one blessed with a gloriously fluid and expressive voice, Lawson was born and raised in Plymouth in what was he says a resolutely non-musical household. “No-one sang or played anything. We didn’t have any records. My dad would listen to Radio 2 a bit but that was the extent of it. And this was back in the days before the station got really good. There was nothing in what I heard that spoke directly to me.” Then the elder of his two brothers hit adolescence and things began to change: “He got me into The Smiths, The Housemartins, the Jackson 5 ...” A disparate trio of early influences, you might think, but Jamie says not really. “They’re all very big on melody. And Morrissey and the young Michael Jackson both have a real passion to the way they sing.”
Aged eight, he asked for and received his first guitar. Early on in secondary school, he was invited to join his first band. “We were quite a dedicated little bunch, rehearsing every lunchtime when the rest of the class was out playing football. It was pretty much all covers, of course ... R.E.M., the Chilli Peppers, some Hendrix. By the time I was 15 we had quite a wide repertoire of other people’s badly-done songs.” He was writing material of his own too, “all of it terrible to start with, of course. I’d be 17 at least before I came up with anything good.” And he was singing, though mainly in unconscious impersonation of Michael Stipe. “My own voice took a while to find. I had to stop trying to replicate someone else’s tricks.”
When he did properly uncover it, that voice proved to be something very special indeed. No one who has heard him sing live would disagree (and in addition to his own regular schedule of gigging, he has played with artists including The Frames, Martha Wainwright and Damien Rice, as well as having been chosen as opening act for outdoor gigs by both Van Morrison and Katie Melua). Even-keeled, even undemonstrative offstage, he comes alive in front of an audience and in the service of his songs. “American Music Club’s Mark Eitzel has been a big influence, in the sense that he sings with his whole body and puts so much into his performance. The difference is that my voice is sweeter and more pure.”
There was a brief and half-hearted attempt at following a different career path. But unhappy and unfulfilled in his earliest weeks at Art College, Lawson sought the advice of a counsellor who then asked him, ‘So what do you want to do with your life?’ “And when I said that I wanted to be a singer she told me, ‘Then go and do it!’ which totally surprised me but which was absolutely the right thing to say. I met that woman just once and for five minutes. I don’t even know her name. But she showed me what I had to do.” And via a geographically circuitous route that has taken in Dublin, Cornwall and now London and during which both his song writing skills and stagecraft have increased by leaps and bounds, he has done it.
Lawson is not just a singer but also an exceptionally blessed and affecting one. His voice and songs have proven to work equally beautifully and well whether in a tiny indoor venue like London’s 12 Bar Club or outdoors before 10,000 people. “And the simple fact is that I love to sing,” he says. “I love the intimacy of live performance. I love drawing people into my mood. I love bringing them to where I am.”
Alan Jackson.
The Times
London.
Brave
Jamie Lawson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If she were mine to miss, Jesus, would I miss her more?
Jesus, have you seen her, everlasting like a sundown?
Doesn't burn at all.
She is kindness to my skin, forgiveness through my sin.
She knows everyone I've been and has not loved them all.
She set my heart on fire.
She knows I am a lion.
Well I don't know.
Jesus, do I miss her.
If she were mine to miss, Jesus, would I miss her more?
Jesus, have you seen her, everlasting like a sundown.
Doesn't burn at all.
She is kindness to my skin, forgiveness through my sin.
She knows everyone I've been and has not loved them all.
She set my heart on fire.
She knows I am a lion.
Will it only burn for her?
Well I don't know.
She is burning for me now and I feel the sun on me shining down.
I know that I am awake.
And sometime soon I guess we'll crash.
We have love that wasn't meant to last, better to burn out and fade away.
Or maybe for once in my life, maybe for once in my life I'll be brave.
It's all I ever wanted.
Love can be held and I'm going to need your love.
I need your love.
I need your love to keep me warm.
Come on, keep me warm.
And hold on to me now, hold on.
Baby we can find a way to make this stay and keep it here.
The song “Brave” by Jamie Lawson is a poignant expression of love and loss. The opening line, “Jesus, do I miss her,” sets the tone for the rest of the song as the singer grapples with the painful emotions of longing and regret. He wonders if he would miss his love even more if she were his to miss. The use of “Jesus” in the refrain adds an element of spiritual longing, seeking a higher power to help ease his pain.
The singer describes his love as “everlasting like a sundown”. The imagery here suggests a sense of timelessness and beauty. She is kind and forgiving to him, and yet she does not love everyone he has been in the past. Perhaps she is the only one who truly knows him for who he is, and loves him regardless. The line “she set my heart on fire” speaks to her ability to ignite passion and inspire him to be his best self.
Despite their deep love, there is a sense of impermanence as they acknowledge that their love may not last. The lyric “better to burn out and fade away” denotes a sense of resignation, as if they have accepted their fate. Yet, the singer still holds out hope that they can “find a way to make this stay and keep it here.”
Overall, “Brave” is a powerful and emotionally charged song that captures the complex nature of love and loss. It’s a song for anyone who has loved and lost, and who may still be holding onto hope for a second chance at love.
Line by Line Meaning
Jesus, do I miss her.
Expressing the deep sense of loss and sadness after a breakup.
If she were mine to miss, Jesus, would I miss her more?
Wondering if he is capable of missing her even more if they were still together.
Jesus, have you seen her, everlasting like a sundown?
Doesn't burn at all.
Praising her timeless beauty and the fact that she does not cause any harm to anyone.
She is kindness to my skin, forgiveness through my sin.
She makes him feel comfortable in his own skin and forgives him for his mistakes.
She knows everyone I've been and has not loved them all.
Acknowledging that he has a past and that she accepts him for who he is, but not everyone he has been in a relationship with before.
She set my heart on fire.
She makes him feel alive and passionate.
She knows I am a lion.
She understands and appreciates his strength and courage.
Will it only burn for her?
Well I don't know.
Questioning whether his passion and love will only be reserved for her, but not being sure.
She is burning for me now and I feel the sun on me shining down.
I know that I am awake.
Feeling her love and warmth, and realizing that he is truly alive and present in the moment.
And sometime soon I guess we'll crash.
We have love that wasn't meant to last, better to burn out and fade away.
Acknowledging that their love may not last forever, and it might be better to enjoy it while it still burns bright.
Or maybe for once in my life, maybe for once in my life I'll be brave.
Considering the possibility of being brave and taking a chance on love, regardless of the risk of getting hurt.
It's all I ever wanted.
Love and a chance to be brave is all he has ever wanted.
Love can be held and I'm going to need your love.
I need your love.
I need your love to keep me warm.
Expressing his need and desire for her love and warmth.
Come on, keep me warm.
And hold on to me now, hold on.
Asking her to hold on to him and keep him close, to make their love last.
Baby we can find a way to make this stay and keep it here.
Expressing hope that they can make their love last and stay together.
Contributed by Olivia R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
$200 Marketing
Just discovered you Jamie and loving it.
Tammy Forrett
unique voice. love it
awakeningcry
i CAN'T not cry everytime i listen to this.
I saw him live back in 2004 but the only song I remember from that set was one that repeated one particular line over and over again. It must have been this one.
I went up to him afterwards and said "that just about hit the spot". SO glad he finally came good after all these years.
ElizabethRoisin
My ALL TIME favourite :D
Mary Hallissey Sullivan
legend
Lisa McGrath Photography
💖
MiisterrMurray
fuuuuuck mee this is unbelievable