While living as a student in Oregon he founded the lively American Rock / Folk group Wolf Colonel which recorded multiple releases on Olympia Washington's K Records. After years of touring with a rotating band roster and solo he began recording and touring as a solo act, (although sometimes with backing band). He released 3 records on K Records as Jason Anderson.
Extensive touring eventually led him back to his New England roots. He began playing shows around the New England subcontinent in the mid 00's solo and in a duo call The Rabbits. More recently he has been in a project group doing American Rock.
Jason's recordings are a history of artistic progression from humorous and hopeful youth through to the sweet and thoughtful mid-20's. His live concerts are appealing to all ages and genders, his theatrical performing style recalls the works of Homer and Plato, and reminds audience members why people like to see musicians play music.
I Was Wrong
Jason Anderson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was wrong, I was wrong
Tell me, tell me I was wrong
I was wrong, I was wrong
Well how many letter,
And how many breakfasts
How many "I need you"s did we since spend and plead?
My compulsion to claim
An earmark of weakness I mistook for nobility
How clumsy are missteps
Misspoken lies
Botched cubes, tilted entries, forced timing
How graceless I seem, how cross you must be
But those phone calls started to feel like drowning
Like drowning in danger and despair
I felt numb, guarded and confused
But that's weak at best
So tell me, yeah, and tell me I was wrong
Alright
Well how many robbers, pickpockets thieves
How many burglars would I commission
To steal back what we did?
How many archers, ninjas and pirates
How many fencers would I order
To puncture all I felt?
So banish my affection
Drag me to the forest
Let loud speakers bleat, "I'm a faker"
And you will never, ever kiss me again
The song "I Was Wrong" by Jason Anderson portrays the remorse of a man who recognizes and admits his mistakes in a relationship. He repeatedly says "tell me, tell me I was wrong," acknowledging his faults and accepting responsibility for his actions. The opening verse, "Well how many letters, and how many breakfasts? How many 'I need you's did we since spend and plead?" highlights the commitment he made to the relationship in terms of love, time, and effort.
However, he later realizes that his actions, which he mistook for nobility, were driven by his weakness of clinging onto the relationship. The lines, "An earmark of weakness I mistook for nobility/How clumsy are missteps, misspoken lies" depicts how he took the wrong approach and made mistakes that led to the unraveling of the relationship. The line "But those phone calls started to feel like drowning" describes how he felt trapped and suffocated in the relationship.
He tries to justify his mistakes by asking hypothetically how much he would do to get back what they shared. In saying, "How many robbers, pickpocket thieves/How many burglars would I commission," he recognizes the impossibility of rekindling what they had shared. The last verse, "So banish my affection/ Drag me to the forest/ Let loudspeakers bleat, 'I'm a faker' /And you will never, ever kiss me again" signifies his willingness to accept the consequences of his actions.
Line by Line Meaning
Tell me, tell me I was wrong
Asking for reassurance that the singer was indeed in the wrong
I was wrong, I was wrong
Admitting to making mistakes
Well how many letter,
Reflecting on the amount of communication that was exchanged
And how many breakfasts
Reminiscing on shared meals and moments
How many "I need you"s did we since spend and plead?
Acknowledging the excessive attempts to hold onto the relationship
What passion and error
Recognizing the intensity of emotion and the likelihood of mistakes in the relationship
My compulsion to claim
The tendency to want to possess or control something
An earmark of weakness I mistook for nobility
Believing that being possessive was a sign of devotion rather than insecurity
How clumsy are missteps
Acknowledging the clumsiness and errors made throughout the relationship
Misspoken lies
Regretting any dishonesty that may have occurred
Botched cubes, tilted entries, forced timing
Referring to mistakes in a game that they may have played together
How graceless I seem, how cross you must be
Feeling that the mistakes made were ungraceful and resulted in the anger of the partner
But those phone calls started to feel like drowning
Explaining how communication became overwhelming or unpleasant
Like drowning in danger and despair
Using a metaphor to describe the emotional state of the singer during communication
I felt numb, guarded and confused
Describing the emotional toll communication took on them
But that's weak at best
Recognizing that emotionally shutting down is not a strong or effective approach
So tell me, yeah, and tell me I was wrong
Repeating the request for affirmation of fault
Alright
Indicating readiness to hear criticism
Well how many robbers, pickpockets thieves
Envisioning fictional scenarios where things can be stolen
How many burglars would I commission
Describing the lengths one would go to get back what was lost
To steal back what we did?
Struggling to let go of shared memories and experiences
How many archers, ninjas and pirates
Continuing the imaginative scenarios of theft
How many fencers would I order
Counting fictional characters used to symbolize the battle of emotions
To puncture all I felt?
Expressing a desire to eliminate the conflicting emotions caused by the relationship
So banish my affection
Asking to get rid of emotional attachment
Drag me to the forest
Asking for a fresh start or separation from the past
Let loud speakers bleat, "I'm a faker"
Accepting fault/responsibility for mistakes during the relationship
And you will never, ever kiss me again
Accepting the loss of the person in the relationship
Contributed by Owen M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.