With a musical foundation is in Gospel and Jazz, Winnipeg-chanteuse Jaylene… Read Full Bio ↴With a musical foundation is in Gospel and Jazz, Winnipeg-chanteuse Jaylene Johnson had planned on a debut CD of Jazz and Gospel standards. As she would soon find out, however, the path she planned would take her for some unexpected turns. Winnipeg producer Lloyd Peterson fortuitously encouraged Johnson to write her own music. Johnson took on this challenge releasing “Not Forgotten” in 2000. Her song “Daughter” from that disc was awarded a Song of the Year award from the US Gospel Music Association in 2002. Johnson has had many supporters, but credits Peterson as the catalyst that set her on her path as a writer. Her sophomore album, “Finding Beautiful” went on to receive a Western Canadian Music Award nomination in 2004. A near-fatal car collision while on tour veered Jaylene off her musical course for 2005. Thankfully the release she was touring had legs of its own. Critics weren’t the only ones taking notice of “Finding Beautiful”. Six songs from the record also received placements for television and DVD releases through Sony Music Television and NBC Universal. Johnson’s song “Butterfly Girl” was also acquired by the Canadian trio, Braided-formed by recent Canadian Idol finalists-for their debut CD. In 2006, Johnson resurfaced with an even greater resolve and a conviction that continues to inform her music. This resolve took her to Canadian Music Week, where she met Ed Glinert of Casablanca Media Publishing. This chance encounter eventually led to a co-publishing deal as Casablanca’s first signed writer. Since then, Johnson has had the privilege of traveling to Toronto and Nashville to write with pros like Eddie Schwartz, Gerald O’Brien (Ole Publishing), Amy Sky, Simon Wilcox (EMI Publishing), Robbie Patterson (Peer Music Publishing) and Justin Gray (Joss Stone, Jacksoul and many more). In addition to writing for others, Johnson has been pursuing her own artistry, touring with Cat Jahnke in fall of 2006, and touring solo in 2007, showcasing new material. She continues to create songs for a full-length release, and will be traveling to Vancouver, Los Angeles and Nashville in the next few months to co-write. New recordings will help her to further showcase her songs to Canada and beyond.

Closer To You
Jaylene Johnson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oouuuh ouuh ouuh
hmm hmm

i decided i could be happy on my own
find a way to get it done when i needed to be strong
always choosing safely i was going it alone
never taking chances just in case i might be wrong
but i'm feeling a longing inside me

and i'm taking a road i've never seen

closer to you
closer to you
further from me
closer to you

i was scared if you were mine i'd only let you down
i was cold when you were kind
but you always stayed around
i had doubts but you believed
that one day i'd let go
you never lost your faith in me
and i want you to know

that i'm moving toward you, i can see you
and i'm leaving the way i've always been

closer to you
closer to you
further from me
closer to you

and i'm feeling a longing inside me
and i'm taking a road i've never seen
i'm moving toward you, i can see you
and leaving the person that i've been

closer to you
closer to you
further from me
closer to you

closer to you
closer to you

further from me
closer to you

Overall Meaning

Jaylene Johnson's song Closer to You is a song about finally taking a chance on love after being guarded and afraid for so long. In the first verse, the singer talks about how she used to prefer being alone and playing it safe, always making sure she didn't take any risks that could lead to failure. However, there is a longing inside her that she cannot ignore, and she decides to take a chance on love in a way that she has never done before.

The chorus of the song is about the singer getting closer to the person she loves and further away from the version of herself that was always hesitant and guarded. She is finally taking a step towards vulnerability, acknowledging that getting closer to this person may mean letting go of some of the walls she has built around herself. Despite her doubts and fears of not being good enough, the person she loves has always seen the potential in her and never lost faith.

The overall message of the song is about taking risks, trusting in love, and accepting vulnerability. It encourages listeners to let go of the fear that has been holding them back and embrace the possibility of love and connection.

Line by Line Meaning

i decided i could be happy on my own
I made the choice to find happiness within myself rather than depending on someone else.

find a way to get it done when i needed to be strong
I found the strength to handle things on my own when I needed to be resilient.

always choosing safely i was going it alone
I tended to play it safe and avoid risks, which made me feel like I was doing everything by myself.

never taking chances just in case i might be wrong
I rarely took risks because I was afraid of making mistakes.

but i'm feeling a longing inside me
However, I'm starting to feel a deep desire or yearning within myself.

and i'm taking a road i've never seen
And now I'm venturing down a path I've never taken before.

i was scared if you were mine i'd only let you down
I was afraid that if we were together, I would disappoint you in some way.

i was cold when you were kind
When you were loving and caring towards me, I was emotionally distant and perhaps even unresponsive.

but you always stayed around
Despite my shortcomings, you never gave up on me.

i had doubts but you believed that one day i'd let go you never lost your faith in me and i want you to know
Even when I didn't believe in myself, you always had faith that I would change and grow. And I want to thank you for that.

and i'm leaving the way i've always been
Now I'm leaving behind my old ways of thinking and behaving.

and i'm feeling a longing inside me
Once again, I'm feeling a strong desire or yearning within myself.

i'm moving toward you, i can see you
I'm making an effort to move closer to you and our relationship.

closer to you
I want to be closer to you.

further from me
And distance myself from my old self.

closer to you
I want to be closer to you.

further from me
And distance myself from my old self.

closer to you
I want to be closer to you.

Contributed by Jeremiah H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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