Jamie Lawson (born December 1, 1975, in St Budeaux, Plymouth) is an English… Read Full Bio ↴Jamie Lawson (born December 1, 1975, in St Budeaux, Plymouth) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He was the first artist to be signed by Ed Sheeran's record label, Gingerbread Man Records. Lawson is best known for his hit single, "Wasn't Expecting That", and his self-titled album which peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart in 2015.

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.

The Touch of Your Hand
Jamie Lawson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well it bent and it bent til it finally broke
And you meant and you meant every word that you spoke
You were cruel you were cruel but as I understand
I must travel through hell for the touch of your hand

Well I lied and I lied til the truth had grown free
And you tried and you tried to get the better of me
And did it hurt did it hurt when the life that you'd planned

Crumbled and fell for the touch of my hand?

I will love you like you no other
And I will love you for my own
And I will never take another
We will never be alone

I will swallow I will swallow there is in my pride
And I will follow I will follow just to be by your side
And if still you don't love me you've tried but you can't
I'll have done all I could for the touch of your hand

So tomorrow tomorrow the dawn as it breaks
I have begged stole and borrowed each wondrous mistake
And I will swear on my life as I take a stand
I am guilty as sin for the touch of your hand

I will love you like you no other
And I will love you for my own
If you ever take another
We will both wake up alone

I have loved you I have loved you for all that I'm worth
I have done all I could to move heaven and earth
Just to be there beside you wherever you stand

For the grace of your love and the touch of your hand
For the grace of your love and the touch of your hand

Overall Meaning

Jamie Lawson's song The Touch of Your Hand is about an intense desire to be with someone, even if that means going through hell or making mistakes. The first verse describes the end of a relationship where the other person was cruel, but the singer still longs for their touch. He acknowledges that he must go through difficult times to get what he wants.

In the second verse, the singer reflects on his own behavior and the attempts of the other person to hurt him. He wonders if it hurt the person to see their life crumble when they lost him. The chorus repeats that he will love her like no other and will never take another, emphasizing his dedication to her.

The bridge shows the singer's willingness to sacrifice his pride and follow her anywhere, even if it means not being loved in return. The final verse ends with a declaration of guilt for wanting her touch, and a promise to do anything to be with her.

Overall, the song conveys a sense of desperation and longing for someone who may not reciprocate the same feelings. The singer is willing to do anything to be with this person, despite past hurt and potential future struggles.

Line by Line Meaning

Well it bent and it bent til it finally broke
Things kept getting increasingly difficult until they reached a breaking point

And you meant and you meant every word that you spoke
You were completely sincere with everything you said

You were cruel you were cruel but as I understand
You were harsh and unkind, but I've come to accept that

I must travel through hell for the touch of your hand
I'll do anything to be close to you, even if it means going through pain and hardship

Well I lied and I lied til the truth had grown free
I kept lying until it became impossible to keep the truth from coming out

And you tried and you tried to get the better of me
You did your best to take advantage of me

And did it hurt did it hurt when the life that you'd planned
Was it painful for you when your hopes and dreams fell apart?

Crumpled and fell for the touch of my hand?
Did you fall for me despite everything?

I will love you like you no other
I will love you more than anyone else ever could

And I will love you for my own
I will love you because I want to, not because I have to

And I will never take another
I will never love anyone else but you

We will never be alone
We will always have each other

I will swallow I will swallow there is in my pride
I will put aside my ego and do what needs to be done

And I will follow I will follow just to be by your side
I will do anything to stay close to you

And if still you don't love me you've tried but you can't
Even if you never feel the same way about me, I'll know you tried

I'll have done all I could for the touch of your hand
I will have given everything to be close to you

So tomorrow tomorrow the dawn as it breaks
Starting tomorrow, when the day begins

I have begged stole and borrowed each wondrous mistake
I've made every mistake possible, hoping to win your love

And I will swear on my life as I take a stand
I'm making a commitment that I'm willing to die for

I am guilty as sin for the touch of your hand
I'm guilty of wanting to be close to you, even if it's sinful

If you ever take another
If you ever love someone else

We will both wake up alone
We will both be alone without each other

I have loved you I have loved you for all that I'm worth
I've loved you with everything I have

I have done all I could to move heaven and earth
I've done everything possible to win your love

Just to be there beside you wherever you stand
I just want to be by your side no matter what

For the grace of your love and the touch of your hand
I want to experience the beauty of your love and the warmth of your touch

Contributed by Molly S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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01The Last Time3:34

02This Is Love3:41

03... But Love Me2:33

04Seven3:58

05Real Thing3:31

06The Touch of Your Hand3:17

PT3M17S

Jamie Lawson

07I'm Gonna Love You3:14

08Love You All The Same4:15

09A Darkness4:24

10Oh, What A Foolish Me3:03

11North Shore3:53

12Some Ships2:26

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4y↑1

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@nursevera1

4y↑1

Jamie I would love to know the meaning of this song. I have love it from the start and has such deep meaning to me and my life.

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