Leon James "Lee" DeWyze (born April 2, 1986) is an American singer-songwrit… Read Full Bio ↴Leon James "Lee" DeWyze (born April 2, 1986) is an American singer-songwriter and musician from Mount Prospect, Illinois, and is the winner of the ninth season of American Idol. He has released two independent albums, So I'm Told (2007) and Slumberland (2010). He released "Live it Up" in late 2010.

Lee Dewyze attended an alternative high school but states that music and his teachers were his inspiration to go back to his studies. Before Idol, DeWyze worked as a paint salesclerk. His musical influences include Cat Stevens, Eric Clapton, Ben Harper, and Simon & Garfunkel.

DeWyze's career began when he was 16 or 17, after he met Louis Svitek, owner of WuLi Records, and Ryan McGuire of the Virginia Gentlemen. Lee DeWyze auditioned in Chicago for the ninth season of American Idol with the song "Ain't No Sunshine", which was also covered by Kris Allen. During Hollywood week, his group included Aaron Kelly and Crystal Bowersox, who all made it into the Top 24. During the first week, he performed "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol, which was praised by Simon Cowell. The next week he sang "Lips of an Angel", which did not get the same response as his first performance but was good enough to get him into the top 16. His third song, "Fireflies", came as a surprise and was generally liked by the viewers, critics, and the judges.

After making it to the Top 12, DeWyze performed Beast of Burden during The Rolling Stones week. For the Top 11's theme, Billboard #1 Hits, DeWyze performed The Letter by the The Box Tops. The following week DeWyze performed Treat Her Like a Lady impressing mentor Usher and all four judges including Cowell who said that "This is the night that your life may have changed forever." For the Top 9 week Lee performed Hey Jude by The Beatles. His closest friend is his fellow roomate, Andrew Garcia.

All Fall Down
Lee DeWyze Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

And if I were the world
I would stop turning
And if I were the trees
I would stop burning
And if I were the sky
I would fall down, down, down
Because what goes up must come

We all fall down
We all fall down
We all fall down
We all fall down
We all fall down

Down, down, down,
down, down, down

So many unhappy faces
In so many unhappy places
And if I were the king would anything change?
Because after time,
Only the faces and the names are rearranged

And if I were the world
I would stop turning
And if I were the trees
I would stop burning
And if I were the sky
I would fall down, down, down
Because what goes up must come

We all fall down
We all fall down
We all fall down
We all fall down
We all fall down

And if I were the world
I would stop turnin'

Overall Meaning

Lee DeWyze's "All Fall Down" is a poignant and emotional song about the cyclical nature of life and the inevitability of death. The lyrics speak to the feeling of helplessness that we all experience at some point in our lives when faced with the knowledge that everything, even the world itself, must eventually come to an end.

The song begins with the powerful lines "And if I were the world, I would stop turning. And if I were the trees, I would stop burning. And if I were the sky, I would fall down, down, down. Because what goes up must come..." These lyrics paint a picture of a world that is spiraling out of control, and the singer's desire to somehow stop it from happening. But despite their wishful thinking, they know that ultimately, everything must come to an end, and that we all fall down in the end.

The second verse continues this theme, with the singer observing the world around them and questioning whether anything can really change. "So many unhappy faces, in so many unhappy places. And if I were the king, would anything change? Because after time, only the faces and the names are rearranged." These lines highlight the futility of trying to change the course of the world, and the reality that even those in positions of power are just as helpless as the rest of us.

Overall, "All Fall Down" is a beautiful and haunting song that speaks to the universal human experience of mortality and the fragility of life.

Line by Line Meaning

And if I were the world
If I were in complete control

I would stop turning
I would stop everything from moving, no change can be made

And if I were the trees
If I were nature

I would stop burning
I would stop the destruction of nature

And if I were the sky
If I had control over the heavens

I would fall down, down, down
I would surrender control to chaos and destruction

Because what goes up must come
Because there is balance in life and things must eventually come down

We all fall down
No one is exempt from chaos and destruction

Down, down, down, down, down, down
A repetition of the notion of things falling apart

So many unhappy faces
There's so much sadness in the world