Josh Ritter (born in Moscow, Idaho on October 21, 1976) is an American sing… Read Full Bio ↴Josh Ritter (born in Moscow, Idaho on October 21, 1976) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and author who performs and records with The Royal City Band (as Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band). Ritter is known for his distinctive Americana style and narrative lyrics. In 2006 he was named one of the "100 Greatest Living Songwriters" by Paste magazine.

Born to two neuroscientists, Ritter bought his first guitar from the local K-MART after hearing the Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash classic Girl From The North Country. He started at Oberlin College with the intent to follow in his parents' scientist footsteps, but instead discovered songwriting, and the music of artists like Gillian Welch, Townes Van Zandt, and Leonard Cohen. He graduated and then moved east, favoring its close proximity to historic folk clubs such as "Club Passim" in Boston. On a shoestring budget he recorded his critically acclaimed breakthrough album Golden Age of Radio in 2002 at various tiny, one-room studios on the East Coast. He has continued to grow from there, further developing his sound on subsequent albums.

Josh has recorded several records and E.P.s. In chronological order, they are:

Josh Ritter (Self Titled) (2000)
Golden Age of Radio (2001)
Come and Find Me EP (2003)
Hello Starling (2003)
4 Songs Live E.P. (2005)
The Animal Years (2006)
Girl In The War E.P. (2006)
Good Man E.P. (2006)
In The Dark: Live At Vicar Street (2006)
The Historical Conquests Of Josh Ritter (2007)
Live at the Record Exchange EP (2008)
So Runs the World Away (2010)
To the Yet Unknowing World (2011)
Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band, Live at The Iveagh Gardens (April 2011)
The Beast In Its Tracks (2013)
Acoustic Live, Vol.1 (2015)
Sermon on the Rocks (2015)

Empty Hearts
Josh Ritter Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

So save all of your light
For those who can't sleep at night
And who can't even sing to their shadows
Oh they ride into town
And they throw the shots down
And they save the last round for the windows

Singing don't let me into this year with an empty heart

With an empty heart
Don't let me into this year with an empty heart

I'm inside with my friends
We build fires and pretend
That the night could just bend on forever
While outside in the frost
Are the wolves and the lost
And we sing to the dogs or whoever

Singing don't let me into this year with an empty heart
With an empty heart
Don't let me into this year with an empty heart

There's a friend that I have
And for her I'll go back
You see all of these empties that I'm holding
They're too much for a man
Empty arms, empty hands
And she'll know me by the sound of my hoping

Singing don't let me into this year with an empty heart

With an empty heart
Don't let me into this year with an empty heart

Overall Meaning

The first verse of Josh Ritter's song Empty Hearts sets the tone for the rest of the piece with a vivid depiction of a group of people who cannot sleep and who drink to cope with their troubles. The lines "save all of your light/For those who can't sleep at night/And who can't even sing to their shadows" create a powerful image of individuals who are unable to find comfort in the darkness or even connect with their own reflections. Ritter characterizes the members of this group as desperate and self-destructive, emphasizing their isolation from others by noting that they "ride into town/And they throw the shots down/And they save the last round for the windows." The implication is that they have no one to turn to for support, and are ultimately hurting themselves in order to escape their pain.

The chorus of the song, with its repetition of the phrase "Don't let me into this year with an empty heart," carries an almost prayer-like quality. Ritter is clearly aware of the weight of the words he's chosen, making use of the potent symbolism of the empty heart to convey a sense of emptiness and longing that goes beyond merely romantic desire. The second verse gives us a different perspective on the same dynamic, this time cast in terms of the contrast between the warmth and companionship of the indoors with the cold, harsh world outside. The singer suggests that his group "pretend/That the night could just bend on forever," aware that the temporary reprieve they've created for themselves is just a mirage. The wolves and the lost are still out there, a reminder of the vulnerability and fragility of the human condition.

The final verse of the song strikes a more personal note, with the singer confessing that he is struggling with his own sense of emptiness and despair. The repeated reference to "empties" (presumably empty bottles or cans) creates an immediate sense of physical and emotional depletion, which is only heightened by phrases like "too much for a man/Empty arms, empty hands." The final lines of the song offer a glimmer of hope, however, as the singer suggests that there is at least one person who can see through his pain and "know [him] by the sound of [his] hoping."

Line by Line Meaning

So save all of your light
Keep your positive energy for those who need it

For those who can't sleep at night
Those who suffer from insomnia or anxiety

And who can't even sing to their shadows
People who feel disconnected, even from themselves

Oh they ride into town
These troubled people arrive in a new place

And they throw the shots down
They drink their problems away, but it doesn't help

And they save the last round for the windows
They take out their anger on inanimate objects

I'm inside with my friends
The singer is safe, surrounded by supportive people

We build fires and pretend
They distract themselves from the harsh reality outside

That the night could just bend on forever
They wish they could make time stop

While outside in the frost
The harsh environment is still present

Are the wolves and the lost
People who are struggling and helpless