CAN'T LIVE
Jeremiah Freed Lyrics
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What I thought I knew gets hard to say.
I always thought you'd won,
But you never finished.
It's been up to me from the beginning.
And I think in time I'll move ahead,
It sticks in my mind all that you're saying, Everything you're saying.
Waited my whole damn life
Like they did before
And I'm tired.
I cannot think,
I cannot breath
I cannot dream,
I cannot pull the thoughts from my mind.
In "Can't Live," Jeremiah Freed expresses a sense of being pulled under by life's pressures and struggles. The opening line "Drip drop sinkin' pulls me away" suggests that something is drip, drip, dripping, like a slow leak in a sink, and steadily dragging the singer down. What's happening is hard to articulate ("What I thought I knew gets hard to say") and the singer feels a sense of being stuck ("I always thought you'd won, but you never finished").
Despite feeling trapped, the singer has some glimmers of hope that they might be able to break free from this mindset: "It's been up to me from the beginning / And I think in time I'll move ahead." However, the other person's words are still "sticking" in their mind and creating a kind of mental fog ("Everything you're saying").
The chorus of the song solidifies the sense of being stuck, as the singer reiterates that they "cannot live like this anymore." They've been waiting and hoping for things to change ("Waited my whole damn life / Like they did before"), but nothing has happened. The repetition of "I cannot" shows how overwhelmed the singer feels.
Ultimately, "Can't Live" is a powerful plea for help and a recognition that change is necessary in order to move forward. The song represents a universal human experience of feeling stuck and helpless, but also highlights the importance of recognizing that change is possible.
Line by Line Meaning
Drip drop sinkin' pulls me away,
The constant dripping and sinking feeling is causing me to drift away from reality.
What I thought I knew gets hard to say.
It's becoming difficult for me to talk about what I thought I knew.
I always thought you'd won,
I had always believed that you were the winner.
But you never finished.
However, you never finished what you started.
It's been up to me from the beginning.
I've been responsible for my own life from the very start.
And I think in time I'll move ahead,
I believe that eventually I will move forward in life.
It sticks in my mind all that you're saying, Everything you're saying.
Everything you're saying is constantly on my mind and I can't shake it.
I cannot live like this anymore
I can no longer continue living in this way.
Waited my whole damn life
I've waited my entire life for something different.
Like they did before
Like others who have gone through similar situations.
And I'm tired.
I'm exhausted and worn out.
I cannot think,
I can't seem to think clearly.
I cannot breathe
It's difficult for me to breathe and I feel suffocated.
I cannot dream,
I can't even dream about a better life.
I cannot pull the thoughts from my mind.
I can't get these thoughts out of my head.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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