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.
But Love Me
Jamie Lawson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's driving me crazy
It's tiring daily
And though she tries her best to stay strong
I'm feeling so guilty
Just wanna be guilt free
You can brave the doubt
You can pull me out
'Cos darling I have been
Crying on my bedroom floor,
Wishing I was still in your arms
There I always seemed so sure
That you love me, that you love me so
Hey hey hey hey hey
That you love me so
Oh oh oh oh oh
Will love heal all of this pain
Maybe the scars but
Not a broken heart 'cos
A heart in pieces ain't the same
I told you, you have the ability to save
To save me now
If you can brave the doubt
You can pull me out
'Cos darling I have been
Crying on my bedroom floor
Wishing I was still in your arms
There I always seemed so sure
That you love me, that you love me so
Hey hey hey hey hey
That you love me so
Oh oh oh oh oh
I tried my best to understand
What makes a man
Is it the path where he began
Or the one where he stands now, now
'Cos I've been crying on my bedroom floor
Wishing I was still in your arms
Cos there I always seemed so sure
That you love me
That you love me so
Crying on my bedroom floor
Wishing I was still in your arms
There I always seemed so sure
That you love me, that you love me so
Hey hey hey hey hey
That you love me so
Oh oh oh oh oh
That you love me so
Hey hey hey hey hey
That you love me so
Oh oh oh oh oh
The song "But Love Me" by Jamie Lawson depicts the emotional turmoil that the singer is going through after ending a relationship. The first stanza talks about the singer's regret and the exhaustion they feel trying to move on from the relationship that ended. The singer tries to identify the point where the relationship ended and why it did. They feel guilty and want to be free from it. The chorus talks about the pain and loneliness that the singer feels after the breakup. The singer is crying on the floor and wishing to be in their partner's arms. They used to be filled with certainty that their partner loves them.
The second stanza questions if love can heal the pain that the singer is feeling. They talk about how scars can be healed but not a broken heart. The singer believes that their partner has the power and ability to save them. The third stanza reflects on the idea of what defines a man. The singer tries to understand if it is the past or the present that defines a person. The last chorus repeats the same as the previous chorus. The singer is crying on the floor and wishing to be back with their partner.
Overall, "But Love Me" is a heartfelt song that perfectly captures the emotions of someone who is going through the aftermath of a breakup. It's a plea for their partner to come back and save them from the pain of being alone.
Line by Line Meaning
Can we locate where we went wrong?
Can we identify the point at which our relationship started to break down?
It's driving me crazy
It's causing me a lot of emotional distress
It's tiring daily
Dealing with this situation every day is exhausting
And though she tries her best to stay strong
Even though my partner is doing her best to remain resilient
I'm feeling so guilty
I'm overwhelmed by a sense of remorse
Just wanna be guilt free
I wish I could alleviate my feelings of guilt
But, if you save me now
If you come to my rescue at this moment
You can brave the doubt
You can overcome any apprehension or uncertainty
You can pull me out
You can help me escape from this emotional turmoil
'Cos darling I have been
Because I've been
Crying on my bedroom floor,
Weeping in despair on the floor of my room
Wishing I was still in your arms
Longing to be held by you again
There I always seemed so sure
In that embrace, I felt a sense of assurance
That you love me, that you love me so
That you truly love me
Will love heal all of this pain
Is love enough to alleviate this suffering
Maybe the scars but
Perhaps it can heal the wounds, but not completely
Not a broken heart 'cos
But it can't mend a broken heart
A heart in pieces ain't the same
A shattered heart is never the same
I told you, you have the ability to save
I've said that you are capable of rescuing me from this pain
I tried my best to understand
I made an effort to comprehend
What makes a man
What defines a man
Is it the path where he began
Is it the journey he started on
Or the one where he stands now, now
Or is it the present moment that matters
Crying on my bedroom floor
Weeping in despair on the floor of my room
Wishing I was still in your arms
Longing to be held by you again
Cos there I always seemed so sure
Because in that embrace, I felt a sense of assurance
That you love me,
That you truly love me
Hey hey hey hey hey
That you love me so
That you truly love me
Oh oh oh oh oh
Hey hey hey hey hey
That you love me so
That you truly love me
Oh oh oh oh oh
Contributed by Aaliyah O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Becky Millington
on I'm Gonna Love You
Marriage not memories