Josh Rouse (born 1972 in Paxton, Nebraska) is an American roots/melodic fol… Read Full Bio ↴Josh Rouse (born 1972 in Paxton, Nebraska) is an American roots/melodic folk singer. From his first album, Dressed Up Like Nebraska, in 1998, he has won critical acclaim.

Rouse lived in various places in Midwest America during his childhood due to his father's military career. Following his time at Austin Peay State University, he eventually settled down in Tennessee, where he met some local musicians and began recording. Signing to the Rykodisc subsidiary Slow River, in 1998, Rouse issued his debut album, Dressed Up Like Nebraska, to widespread critical acclaim; upon settling in Nashville, he was befriended by Kurt Wagner, frontman of the endlessly brilliant chamber country group Lambchop, and in the fall of 1999, the two singers/songwriters issued a collaborative EP, Chester.

Rouse's second solo LP, Home, appeared the following spring and was followed by Under the Cold Blue Stars in 2002. For his next record Rouse hooked up with producer Brad Jones and the resulting album in 2003, 1972, was both a homage to the soft rock sounds of Rouse's youth and an opening up and deepening of his sound. Before the release of his next album, Rouse's marriage ended and he moved from Nashville to Spain. This spawned 2004's Nashville, an example of his versatile musical talent, featuring a blend of Rock, Jazz and Ballad. It served as a farewell to both the city and his marriage; it was also his most fully realized record to date. This album was chosen as one of Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005 (#80).

Rouse's next album, called Subtitulo, was released March 21, 2006 in which his move to Spain was evident.It marked a further finessing of his sound and a move towards the music of an early Paul Simon.

2007 saw a rather busy year for Rouse. He started off supporting John Mayer on a series of his Winter Tour dates. Not soon after, he released a joint EP with his girlfriend Paz Suay, under the moniker of She's Spanish, I'm American. At the end of July, Rouse released his 7th LP, Country Mouse, Cit y House. The record marked a detour from Subtitulo, offering a fuller, more instrumental sound, which appeared to divide both critics and fans. Rouse toured extensively worldwide to support the album.

He released "El Turista" in February 2010 and "The Happiness Waltz" in 2013.

www.joshrouse.com

100m Backstroke
Josh Rouse Lyrics

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If I need to be curious
I'll hold it back
If I seem to be serious
I'll spout it out

Last year was the best that I ever had
Last year was the best and I sold you that

Now I hear your voice again
It's like someone listening
I know that you're there
Someone listening
I know that you're there
If you're not in this world once again

Watch the way you backstroke across the room
Arms out floating
It consumes me
You haunt in your trail

Last year was the best that I ever had
Last year was the best and I sold you that

Now I hear your voice again
It's like someone listening
I know that you're there
Someone listening
I know that you're there
If you're not in this world
If you're not in this world
If you're not in this world once again

Sure you won't
You won't be coming back

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Josh Rouse's song "100m Backstroke" are quite abstract and open to interpretation. The overall theme of the song appears to be about holding back or expressing oneself, and the duality of being serious and spouting things out. There seems to be a feeling of uncertainty in the singer's words, as they are trying to figure out their place in the world and the role they should play.

The verses of the song seem to be reflecting on last year, when the singer had the best time of their life, and something happened which caused them to sell something to someone. The meaning of this is unclear, but we can assume that it was not something positive, as the lyrics have an overall melancholic feel to them.

The chorus of the song appears to be directed towards someone the singer knows, someone who they hear on the other side of the line. This person is described as floating across the room and haunting with their trail. Whether or not this person is alive or a ghost is left undefined, but the singer seems to be haunted by their memory regardless.

In summary, "100m Backstroke" is a poignant song that deals with themes of uncertainty, reflection, and haunting memories. It is open to interpretation, and listeners may find different meanings in the lyrics depending on their own experiences.

Line by Line Meaning

If I need to be curious
If there's something I want to know more about

I'll hold it back
I won't act on my curiosity

If I seem to be serious
If I appear to be more grounded and focused

I'll spout it out
I'll still express myself openly

Last year was the best that I ever had
The past year was the most enjoyable time of my life

Last year was the best and I sold you that
I may have exaggerated how great my life was to someone else

Now I hear your voice again
I'm reminded of someone from my past

It's like someone listening
It feels like the person I'm thinking of is hearing me

I know that you're there
I have a strong sense that this person still exists in some way

Someone listening
There's a part of me that believes this person is still paying attention to me

If you're not in this world once again
If you're not still alive and around to hear me