American singer-songwriter Melissa Ferrick (born September 21, 1970) emerge… Read Full Bio ↴American singer-songwriter Melissa Ferrick (born September 21, 1970) emerged in 1991 as part of a group of new female alternative singer/songwriters, much in the vein of Liz Phair. Ferrick began singing in coffeehouses after dropping out of college, eventually winding up in Boston. Her major breakthrough arrived one night when she replaced Morrissey's opening act less than an hour before showtime. Ferrick's performance impressed Morrissey and he invited her to open for him during the rest of the tour. The tour earned her a small cult following as well as a contract with Atlantic Records. She released her first studio album, Massive Blur, in 1993.

In 2000, Ferrick founded her own record label, Right On Records. The first studio album released on her own label was Valentine Heartache.

Her 2011 album was entitled "Still Right Here".

Website: www.melissaferrick.com

stand still
Melissa Ferrick Lyrics

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Seems my words have gone down
with the bottle
and my fear is my only defense
stand still behind a wall of anger
stand still yeah, but i'm still by myself

you can't tell your heart how to feel
you can only get out of the way

and it seems as though
my pride has wandered
yeah, and my voice is false
so now i'm left here wondering
who it was that i thought i was being
when i was being myself

but you can't tell your heart
how to feel
you can only get out of the way

so now my love
she's turned a corner
and i'm stuck at a train
and it seems as though
my god has got a plan for me
but it's different from the plan
that i've made

you can't tell your heart
how to feel
you can only get out of the way
you can't tell your heart
how to feel

you can only get out of the way
get out of the way

Overall Meaning

In "Stand Still," Melissa Ferrick opens up about the struggles of navigating through life's uncertainties and trying to control our emotions. The first verse begins with the singer acknowledging that she has been drinking - a coping mechanism for her difficulties. She then admits that her fear is her only defense because she cannot control what she feels. The uplifting chorus, "you can't tell your heart how to feel, you can only get out of the way," sums up the theme of the song - that we cannot control our emotions, but we can control how we respond to them. The second verse continues to explore the theme of identity and the struggle to be true to ourselves. Ferrick talks about her false voice and pride causing her to question who she truly is. She then confesses that she finds herself alone, standing still behind a wall of anger.

The final verse reveals that while Ferrick's love has moved on, she is still trying to understand the plan that her God has for her life. She realizes that her plan may not align with God's plan, but she hopes to get out of the way and let things unfold as they are supposed to. The repetition of the chorus emphasizes the message that we cannot control what comes our way, but we can choose how we respond to it.

Line by Line Meaning

Seems my words have gone down with the bottle
I've lost my ability to express myself because of my drinking problem

and my fear is my only defense
I'm scared and I'm using my fear as a shield to protect myself from getting hurt

stand still behind a wall of anger
I'm holding back my feelings and building a wall of anger as a defense mechanism

stand still yeah, but i'm still by myself
Despite everything, I'm still alone and isolated

you can't tell your heart how to feel you can only get out of the way
You don't have control over your emotions, you can only let them happen and not try to suppress or control them

and it seems as though my pride has wandered yeah, and my voice is false so now i'm left here wondering who it was that i thought i was being when i was being myself
I feel lost and confused, I don't know who I am anymore and I'm questioning my own identity

so now my love she's turned a corner and i'm stuck at a train
Things have changed in my relationship and I feel left behind and stuck

and it seems as though my god has got a plan for me but it's different from the plan that i've made
I feel like there might be a higher power guiding me, but it's not taking me where I want to go

get out of the way
I need to stop trying to control everything and just let things happen naturally

Contributed by Muhammad B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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