Born in California to a musical family, when she was one year old her family moved to Fort Collins, Colorado In college in the summer of 1997, Herzig formed the band Newcomers Home with Tim and Laurie Thornton and Andrew Jed. Two years later, Herzig released Weightless. She produced the album herself, recorded it at home using Pro Tools, and played most of the instruments: electric and acoustic guitar, banjo, keyboards, and percussion, in addition to her singing and songwriting. The song "Jack and Jill" appeared on the TV shows One Tree Hill and Pretty Little Liars, while several others appeared on Grey's Anatomy.
Her next album, Apple Tree (2008), was more pop-oriented. Her 2011 album was entitled The Waking Sleep. She then released Walk Through Walls (2014) and Moment of Bliss (2018).
Herzig has spent years playing festivals such as Bonnaroo and Summerfest and touring as a headliner and as support for Brandi Carlile, Sara Bareilles, Ingrid Michaelson, The Fray, and as a member of 10 out of Tenn. She has had her music licensed for innumerable film, TV and commercial uses. Including over 10 songs on Grey’s Anatomy and most recently her song “Lost and Found” was featured in the trailer for Disney's Saving Mr. Banks and in a commercial for Carnival Cruises. Herzig can be heard on RAC's EP with their song collaboration "We Belong," featured on KCRW. Herzig also co-produced songs on Ingrid Michaelson's 2014 Lights Out album, including her first single “Girls Chase Boys.”
Take It Back
Katie Herzig Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I didn't want to tell you
I was on your sight
Oho what a lonely night
Where girls walk and fall apart one time
But you can disregard everything they tell you
I'm just very tired
You really had no secrets, just a secret life
I knew
Would you take it back if you could?
Would you throw it all away
and tell me I mistunderstood
Would you take it back if you could?
I gave you everything every woman should
I gave you all those things
Oho how it stings
To think I left the dream just for a while
oh no
but dreams they die
right when someone tells you it was all a lie
right when someone tells you they're very sorry
I didn't want to tell you it was not the time
would you take it back if you could
would you thrpw it all away and tell me i misunderstood
would you take it back if you could
would you take it back if you could
give back what you took
give back what you took
would you take it back if you could
give back what you took
give back what you took
Oh I slept last night
the first time in a while
I dreamed I'd fly
oho what lovely night
I flew away to find what I've left behind
And when I grew my wings
I know I could forgive you almost everything
that I have ever done
It was all the same
you would not believe what I could see
I would take it back if I could
I would throw it all away
Oh mistunderstood
Would you take it back if you could
Would you take it back
If you could
Give back what you took
Give back what you could
Give back what you took
Katie Herzig's "Take It Back" is a melancholic song that expresses a sense of regret and betrayal in a relationship. In the first verse, the persona admits to driving all night because she didn't want to face her partner. Here, she highlights how lonely and desperate she felt as she walked alone and witnessed other girls falling apart. Nonetheless, she asks her partner to disregard whatever they may have heard about her as she is just tired. The second verse is a question; the persona asks if her partner would take back what they did if they could, and if they would throw it all away and say that she misunderstood. Here, she is questioning whether her partner would change their past actions to avoid causing her pain. The chorus is a repetition of the question and emphasizes the theme of regret.
In the third verse, the persona reminisces about how much she gave to her partner, saying that she left her dreams for them. However, she realizes that dreams can be shattered by lies, and that's precisely what happened. Her partner told her that everything was a lie and seemed remorseful, but she couldn't face the truth. In the last part of the song, the persona dreams about flying away to find what she's left behind. She grows her wings and forgives her partner for everything, and everything becomes the same.
Line by Line Meaning
I drove all night
I stayed up all night driving, possibly to avoid having a difficult conversation
I didn't want to tell you
I didn't want to reveal something to you
I was on your sight
I was in your view or presence
Oho what a lonely night
How lonely the night was
Where girls walk and fall apart one time
Perhaps referring to a place where girls go and have a hard time
But you can disregard everything they tell you
Don't listen to what they're saying
I'm just very tired
I'm exhausted and worn out
You really had no secrets, just a secret life
You didn't have secrets, but you led a double life
All the things you knew I never knew
You kept things from me that I had no idea about
I knew
But I found out anyway
Would you take it back if you could?
If you could, would you undo what you did?
Would you throw it all away
Would you get rid of everything and start over?
and tell me I mistunderstood
admit that I was not wrong in my understanding or interpretation of things
I gave you everything every woman should
I gave you everything any woman deserves
I gave you all those things
I gave you everything I possibly could
Oho how it stings
How it hurts
To think I left the dream just for a while
To consider that I gave up on my dreams, at least temporarily
but dreams they die
Dreams sometimes fade or come to an end
right when someone tells you it was all a lie
Especially when someone reveals that what you were working toward was a lie
right when someone tells you they're very sorry
Or when someone apologizes, it can be a painful realization
I didn't want to tell you it was not the time
Maybe I didn't want to tell you the truth because I felt it wasn't the right moment
give back what you took
Return or undo what you took from me
Oh I slept last night
I slept well for the first time in a while
the first time in a while
For the first time in a long time
I dreamed I'd fly
I had a dream that I could fly
oho what lovely night
What a wonderful night it was
I flew away to find what I've left behind
I left to discover things I may have left behind or forgotten
And when I grew my wings
When I became stronger or more independent
I know I could forgive you almost everything
I feel like I could forgive you for almost anything
that I have ever done
Including things I myself have done wrong
It was all the same
It doesn't matter anymore
you would not believe what I could see
You wouldn't believe the things I have experienced or discovered
Writer(s): Katie Herzig Copyright: Downtown Music Publishing LLC
Contributed by Asher M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.