Background
Lissie was born and raised in Rock Island, Illinois, USA - her father is a physician and her mother is an interior designer. She was interested in singing and music from an early age. She played the title role of the musical Annie at the age of nine. "In high school it seems like everyone has more drama than any other time in their life. So that was the time in my life where I really leaned on music as a way to stay sane" she said in an interview.
In her senior year of high school, Lissie was expelled over, what she described, as "something stupid that [she] did, but it was sort of like the culmination of just a lot of negative things that had happened". She got her degree at an alternative outreach center. She spent two years at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, during which time she would open for musicians who visited the city. She collaborated with DJ Harry of SCI Fidelity Records on the song "All My Life", which featured on television shows House, The O.C., Veronica Mars and Wildfire. After spending a semester in Paris, she finished her studies to pursue a career in music. In 2007, she produced a four-song EP that received some airplay on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic.
In early 2008, Lenny Kravitz invited her to be the opening act for his Love Revolution Tour, after a friend tipped him about her MySpace page. Later that year, "The Longest Road", a song she co-wrote with DJ Morgan Page reached #4 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart. "We met under that idea that he was going to remix a song of mine (...) But we decided to work on a new song together", she told the Quad-City Times. The Deadmau5 remix of the track was nominated for a Grammy in the "Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical" category.
Releases
EP - Lissie (2007 and re-released in 2013)
EP - Why You Runnin' (2009)
Her EP, Why You Runnin', produced by Bill Reynolds of Band of Horses, was released in November 2009 on Fat Possum. One of the songs, Oh Mississippi, was co-written with Ed Harcourt, whom she met through a mutual friend. The EP was listed amongst Paste magazine's "Eight Most Auspicious Musical Debuts of 2009". In early 2010, she toured various venues in the United Kingdom supporting Ohio-born singer-songwriter Joshua Radin.
Catching a Tiger (2010)
Lissie signed with Sony Music UK's Columbia Records. Her debut album, Catching a Tiger, was released on June 21, 2010. The album was recorded in Nashville in 2009 and produced by Jacquire King. The first single from the album, In Sleep, was selected as Track of The Day by Q Magazine on 13 March 2010. A second single, When I’m Alone, was released alongside the album; it would later be chosen by iTunes UK as their song of the year 2010.
Live at Shepherd's Bush Empire (2011)
EP - Covered Up With Flowers (2011)
Back to Forever (2013)
Lissie's sophomore album, Back to Forever, was released on September 8, 2013. It features the singles “Shameless” and “Further Away (Romance Police)”
EP - Love in the City (2013).
EP - Cryin' To You (2014)
In March 2014, Lissie released a critically acclaimed independent EP of cover versions called Cryin' To You. The 5-track EP features an eclectic mix of popular covers - Judas Priest’s Electric Eye, One Direction’s ballad The Story of My Life, Mother by Danzig, Hold On We're Going Home by Drake and Bob Dylan's To Ramona.
My Wild West (2016)
On February 12, 2016 Lissie released her 3rd studio album titled "My Wild West". The album has three singles: the promotional single Hero, the lead single Don't You Give Up On Me, and Daughters. My Wild West has an average grade of 73% on Metacritic.
Live at Union Chapel (2016)
Castles (2018)
On March 23, 2018 Lissie released her 4th studio album Castles. Generally receiving favourable reviews it has a rating of 76% on Metacritic. The album has a slower overall feel and includes prominent piano accompaniments on some tracks. The album has 4 singles; Boyfriend, Blood & Muscle, Best Days and Love Blows.
Compilation - When I'm Alone: The Piano Retrospective (2019)
EP - Thank You to the Flowers (2020)
Carving Canyons (2022)
Released September 16, 2022.
It's Not Me
Lissie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm moving north,
You can have my things,
I don't need them anymore.
Only think of me from time to time cause
It's not me, It's not me
Another one you want
Don't you wait, don't you wait for me
Don't you wait
I leave you twisting in the wind,
You're day cursed the day you let me in
And the day you let me leave
Worst and best,
I'm headed west,
And you can't have my heart,
I need, I need
both parts, both parts, both parts
to carry on
And you'll only think of me from time to time
It's not me, It's not me
You need another one, I'm not the one you want
Don't you wait, don't you wait for me
Don't you wait
I leave you twisting in the wind,
You're day cursed the day you let me in
And the day you let me leave
The day you let me leave
The day you let me leave
It's not me, It's not me
You need another one,
Another one you want
Don't you wait, don't you wait for me
Don't you wait
I leave you twisting in the wind,
You're cursed the day you let me in
Oh the day I though I knew your skin
Was the day you thought when you could win
But It's not me, It's not me
You need another one, another one
Don't you wait, don't you wait for me
Don't you wait, don't you wait for me
Don't you wait, don't you wait for me
The song "It's Not Me" by Lissie talks about a relationship hitting an endpoint where the singer realizes that she is not the one her partner wants or needs. She has decided to move on and leave everything behind. The first two lines in the song establish that the singer is moving away from her partner, and she even tells him to keep her things since she does not need them anymore. The chorus repeats the phrase "It's not me" to emphasize that the singer is not what her partner needs, and he should not wait for her. She repeats that he is twisting in the wind, cursing the day he let her in, and then curses the day he let her leave.
In the second verse, the singer claims that she is headed west and that her partner cannot have her heart because she needs both parts to carry on. This could mean that her partner has broken her heart and that she needs it to recover. She ends the song by repeating the chorus, but this time, she adds two more lines in the end, telling her partner that he needs another one, another one he wants, and not her.
Lissie's "It's Not Me" is an emotional and expressive composition that resonates with anyone who has undergone a heartbreak. It shows the stages of moving on from a relationship, and it acknowledges that sometimes, the relationship was not meant to be.
Line by Line Meaning
Back and forth,
I've been going back and forth on this, but now I've made a decision.
I'm moving north,
I'm heading in a different direction.
You can have my things,
I'm leaving everything behind.
I don't need them anymore.
I'm starting fresh and leaving my old life behind.
Only think of me from time to time cause
I hope you'll remember me even though we're not together anymore.
It's not me, It's not me
I'm not the one for you.
You need another one,
You need someone else in your life.
Another one you want
Someone who is not me.
Don't you wait, don't you wait for me
Don't stick around for me, move on.
I leave you twisting in the wind,
I know I'm leaving you wondering what went wrong.
You're day cursed the day you let me in
The day you let me into your life was the beginning of the end.
And the day you let me leave
The day I left you was the day everything changed.
Worst and best,
Everything was a mix of ups and downs.
I'm headed west,
I'm moving even further away.
And you can't have my heart,
I can't give you my heart.
I need, I need both parts, both parts, both parts
I need everything from you, not just some of it.
to carry on
To continue living without you.
Oh the day I though I knew your skin
The day I thought I had you figured out.
Was the day you thought when you could win
Was the day you thought you could control me.
But It's not me, It's not me
I'm not the one you can control.
Don't you wait, don't you wait for me
Please don't wait for me anymore.
Don't you wait, don't you wait for me
I hope you can move on and find someone else.
Don't you wait, don't you wait for me
I'll always remember you, but it's time for us to say goodbye.
Contributed by Liam G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
themuaddib
How was this not on the album/on a later release? This would have been one of the best songs on the record. <3 from Iowa, Lissie.
Jeremy Morris
I thought that. It's much stronger than a couple of tracks on the album.
Alan MacAskill
Brilliant song. I loved seeing you perform in Edinburgh in 2019 - the last live music I attended. Talking to the theatre manager he said you were ‘the real deal’ and a really nice person too. Thanks for the music. 🤟🏻
T G
This has been one of my favorite songs of Lissie's for years. I listen to it on repeat regularly.
Keep being awesome <3
Eva Kolmanova
Nice one :) I like the energy in the song
Pedro H. Stolf
You're one of my favorite musicians, Lissie!!
4336aaa
Your beautiful, rich voice is always a treat. Thanks Lissie.
benbeck1
Brilliant Lissie, it should have made the Catching a Tiger album or the following one Back to Forever (my personal favourite).
benbeck1
@cauthoncrazy Yes, I play that album the most of all her excellent albums. Lissie in an amazing artist but her band on Back to Forever made her music even better.
cauthoncrazy
Back to forever is so solid and well done. I love it still. Amazing breakup album.