Singer/songwriter Jen Chapin is the daughter of the late folk-rock artist H… Read Full Bio ↴Singer/songwriter Jen Chapin is the daughter of the late folk-rock artist Harry Chapin, who is best-known for his 1974 smash "Cats in the Cradle." Jen Chapin's work is quite different from her father's; while he was primarily a folk-rocker, she is much more difficult to categorize. Folk-rock has influenced her, but jazz, soul, funk, pop, and blues have also had a major impact on the New Yorker (who has stated that her taste in music ranges from Joni Mitchell and Steely Dan to Cassandra Wilson, Led Zeppelin, John Lee Hooker, and A Tribe Called Quest). Some of Chapin's introspective, probing work could be described as jazzy folk-pop; some of it could be called adult alternative and some of it has strong R&B leanings. However you categorize Chapin, it is obvious that she is very much her own person. But as different as Chapin's songs are from her father's, she has followed in his footsteps in at least two respects: First, she pursued a career in music and second, she shares his interest in social causes (especially combating world hunger). Born on Long Island in 1971, Chapin grew up in the New York City suburbs. She was only ten when, on July 16, 1981, her father was killed in a car accident on the Long Island Expressway at the age of 38. In 1989, an 18-year-old Chapin left Long Island to attend Brown University in Providence, RI. While she was a student at Brown, Chapin traveled to Zimbabwe and Mexico to study international relations; then, she returned to Providence and graduated from Brown with a degree in that field. It was around that time that Chapin really became serious about pursuing a career in music and she turned down a spot in a master's program in teaching so she could move to Boston and study music at the prestigious Berklee College of Music. Although Chapin had been singing since childhood, she felt that attending Berklee (where she studied improvisation and jazz harmony, among other things) marked the first time she seriously identified herself as a musician. Since moving back to the New York area in 1995, Chapin has done her share of music teaching; at a Brooklyn high school, she has taught a course that she developed called "The History of Black Music." That is in addition to becoming quite active on the Manhattan club scene, where she has often performed with jazz bassist Stephan Crump. In 1997, Chapin released a self-titled EP on her own Purple Chair Music; she went on to record Live at the Bitter End (her first full-length album) for Purple Chair in 1999 and Open Wide (a duet with Crump) for her label in 2001. When Chapin isn't doing music-related things, she is heavily involved in social causes. Chapin heads the board of directors of World Hunger Year (WHY), a non-profit organization that her father co-founded in 1975.

Me Be Me
Jen Chapin Lyrics

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Well you got the sugar
And you got enough salt
And you got a taste that can make my breath come
To a halt
My appetite gets tempted
Every time you're around
And I thank the powers that be for this sweet man
That I've found

But of all your flavors the sweetest to me
Is the way you let me just be

Well I didn't know
What I was looking for
Til you put this taste in my mouth
Filled me up 'til I didn't need more
You might find me nasty
If I shout it out loud
But to find myself a lover like this
Well I think I should be proud
But of all your flavors the sweetest to me
Is the way you let me just be

My mind gets so hectic
Like a rush hour street
Then you come groovin' round my corners
And you smooth out the beat
And you can swing me up
And you can love me down
And when you leave me I can still feel your rhythm
All over town
But of all your favors the best that you do for me
Is the way you let me just be

Do you have enough sugar?
Did you get enough salt?
Have I covered you in love spices
'Til you're spiced up to a fault?
We can get all heated
Then we can cool each other down
Then you love me down so mellow that I can't even make a sound

Yeah well you and me we can make ourselves a good stew
You let me be me I let you be you

Overall Meaning

The song "Me Be ME" by Jen Chapin is about a woman who has found a partner who lets her be herself. The opening lines talk about the physical attraction between the two partners. The singer talks about how the man has got both the sugar and the salt, and how his taste can make her breath come to a halt. She confesses that every time he is around, her appetite gets tempted. However, the sweetness that the singer admires the most is the partner's ability to let her just be who she is.

The second verse talks about how the singer didn't know what she was looking for until her partner came along. She describes how he filled her up until she didn't need more. The idea of shouting it out loud and being proud of finding someone like this is also expressed. The third verse talks about the benefits of being in this loving relationship. The singer describes the way the partner helps her calm her hectic mind and how he helps her smooth out the beat. "You can swing me up and you can love me down, and when you leave me I can still feel your rhythm all over town" - this line shows how the presence of the partner stays with the singer even after he has left.

Overall, "Me Be ME" is a love song that celebrates finding a partner who lets you be yourself. The song talks about how having someone who accepts you for who you are can be the sweetest thing of all.

Line by Line Meaning

Well you got the sugar
You possess sweetness

And you got enough salt
Along with sweetness, you also possess spiciness

And you got a taste that can make my breath come to a halt
Your taste is so good that it takes my breath away

My appetite gets tempted every time you're around
I get attracted to you every time you are near me

And I thank the powers that be for this sweet man That I've found
I express gratitude to the higher powers for finding such a sweet partner like you

But of all your flavors the sweetest to meIs the way you let me just be
I love the way you allow me to be myself, that is the most endearing quality of yours

Well I didn't knowWhat I was looking forTil you put this taste in my mouthFilled me up 'til I didn't need more
I didn't know what I was missing in my life until I found you, you have filled my life with happiness

You might find me nastyIf I shout it out loud
I hope you don't find me undesirable if I express my love for you openly

But to find myself a lover like thisWell I think I should be proud
I feel proud to have found a partner like you

My mind gets so hecticLike a rush hour streetThen you come groovin' round my cornersAnd you smooth out the beat
My mind gets chaotic at times, but you come and calm me down, just like a musician who smoothens the music

And you can swing me upAnd you can love me downAnd when you leave me I can still feel your rhythmAll over town
You have the power to lift me up and also to bring me down, and even when you are away, I can still feel your presence

But of all your favors the best that you do for meIs the way you let me just be
The greatest thing you do for me is letting me be myself

Do you have enough sugar?Did you get enough salt?Have I covered you in love spices'Til you're spiced up to a fault?
Do you feel loved? Do you have enough of everything you need? I have tried to shower you with love and affection until you are completely filled up

We can get all heatedThen we can cool each other downThen you love me down so mellow that I can't even make a sound
We can have passionate moments and then we can calm each other down, and bring each other peace

Yeah well you and me we can make ourselves a good stewYou let me be me I let you be you
We complement each other like good ingredients in a stew, allowing each other to be ourselves

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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