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.
Oh What A Foolish Me
Jamie Lawson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everything will fade accordingly
I thought you and I were an exception to the rules
I thought you and I would always be a waterfall is me
Every star will burn it self out in the end
Every shore line returns to the sea
I thought you and I were made to withstand any fate
I thought you and I would always be a waterfall is me
What is it that I have failed to see
I can't believe the feelings like this would
Just let you slip away so easily
Oh but wasn't I the one that set you free
Oh a waterfall is me
Everyone is bound to bleed a little bit
Everyone is bound to disagree
I thought you and I were an exception to the rules
I thought you and I would always be a waterfall is me
A waterfall is me
A waterfall is me
End
The lyrics of Jamie Lawson's song "Oh What A Foolish Me" convey a sense of realization and acceptance of the transience of all things in life, even a seemingly unbreakable bond between two people. The opening lines "Everything is bound to fade if you give it time/Everything will fade accordingly" sets the tone for the rest of the song that speaks to the inevitability of change.
The singer then goes on to reflect on his previous belief that he and his partner were exempt from the rules of life's impermanence, that they would "always be a waterfall is me." But in the end, even the brightest star burns out and the most solid shorelines give in to the pull of the sea. This disillusionment prompts the singer to question what he failed to see and understand, leading to the realization that he himself was the one who pushed his partner away, like a waterfall that cannot stop its own flow.
The phrase "a waterfall is me" is repeated throughout the song, serving as a metaphor for the singer's tendency to let his emotions and actions flow without restraint or logic. The final line "Everyone is bound to bleed a little bit/Everyone is bound to disagree" acknowledges the universal nature of pain and conflict in relationships, and the humility and acceptance that must come with it. Overall, the lyrics of "Oh What A Foolish Me" convey a message of acceptance and understanding towards the inevitability of change and the consequences of our own actions.
Line by Line Meaning
Everthing is bound to fade if you give it time
Everything will eventually come to an end with time.
I thought you and I were an exception to the rules
I believed that our bond was unique and not subject to the same outcome as others.
Every star will burn it self out in the end
Even something as powerful as a star will eventually exhaust its energy and cease to exist.
I thought you and I were made to withstand any fate
I believed that we were strong enough to handle whatever challenges came our way.
What is it that I have not understood
I am confused and do not know what I missed or failed to comprehend.
I can't believe the feelings like this would
I am in disbelief that my emotions led to losing you so easily.
Just let you slip away so easily
I allowed you to leave me without putting up a fight or trying hard to keep you.
Oh but wasn't I the one that set you free
I realize that I am partly responsible for your departure since I let go of you.
Everyone is bound to bleed a little bit
Everyone experiences pain and heartache at some point in their lives.
A waterfall is me
I am overflowing with emotions and feelings, similar to a waterfall.
Contributed by Mason D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Witchy Woman
I love this song. One of my favorites from Jamie. ❤️