Jeremy Michael Sarver (born March 28, 1981) is an American singer from Jasp… Read Full Bio ↴Jeremy Michael Sarver (born March 28, 1981) is an American singer from Jasper, Texas, who was the tenth place finalist on the eighth season of American Idol.
Sarver was born in Sulphur, Louisiana and graduated from Sulphur High School. He is married to Tiffany Sarver, and has two children, Makenna and Grayson. He has written over 890 songs for himself since the age of 14, and has also been singing since he was an adolescent. Prior to American Idol, Sarver worked as a roughneck on an oil rig.
Sarver auditioned for the eighth season of American Idol in Phoenix, Arizona. During the first semi-finals week, he was able to garner enough votes to allow him to continue, beating fellow contestant Anoop Desai for the third spot by just over 20,000 votes. He was eliminated on March 26, 2009, after the panel of judges were unable to unanimously agree to save him. As Sarver was in the top 10, he was able to perform on the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2009. Reflecting on his experience on Idol, Sarver said his family thought Cowell behaved "like a jerk" but was entitled to his own opinion.
On October 31 Sarver revealed he has been signed to Dream Records/Universal Music Group. Sarver said he will be releasing a country album in 2010. He will also be joining "Idol" alums Gina Glocksen, David Hernandez and Alexis Grace on the American Stars In Concert Tour this winter. Sarver also sung his first single "You Are" at the Dream Center. His Myspace page later revealed he signed to Dream Records/Fontana Distribution Michael has also become the official spokesperson for Credit Power Educational Foundation, Inc Sarver has since released a new official single titled "Ferris Wheel" and shot a music video for it as well, and will be Sarver's first real single being pushed to country radio.

I Don't Want To Be
Michael Sarver Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

(by Gavin Degraw)

I don't need to be anything other
Than a prison guard's son
I don't need to be anything other
Than a specialist's son
I don't have to be anyone other
Than the birth of two souls in one

Part of where I'm going, is knowing where I'm coming from

[Chorus:]
I don't want to be
Anything other than what I've been trying to be lately
All I have to do
Is think of me and I have peace of mind
I'm tired of looking 'round rooms
Wondering what I've got to do
Or who I'm supposed to be
I don't want to be anything other than me

I'm surrounded by liars everywhere I turn
I'm surrounded by imposters everywhere I turn
I'm surrounded by identity crisis everywhere I turn
Am I the only one who noticed?
I can't be the only one who's learned!

[Chorus]

Can I have everyone's attention please?
If you're not like this and that, you're gonna have to leave
I came from the mountain
The crust of creation
My whole situation-made from clay to stone
And now I'm telling everybody

[Chorus]

I don't want to be [x4]

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Michael Sarver's song 'I Don't Want To Be' have been written by Gavin Degraw. The song talks about being true to oneself while navigating through the expectations of society. The first verse talks about not needing to be anyone other than oneself, whether it's being a specialist's son or a prison guard's son. The verse also mentions the importance of understanding one's roots to figure out where they are headed. The chorus highlights the importance of self-acceptance and how it can bring peace of mind. The second verse talks about the challenge of identifying imposters and identity crises while trying to be oneself.

The lyrics of the song resonate with many who struggle with finding their identity in a world full of expectations, judgments, and comparisons. The song invites people to be secure in who they are and to resist the pressure of conforming to societal expectations.

Line by Line Meaning

I don't need to be anything other
I do not require to be something other than myself

Than a prison guard's son
Even if I am the son of a prison guard

Than a specialist's son
Even if I am the son of a specialist

I don't have to be anyone other
There is no need for me to be somebody different

Than the birth of two souls in one
Than the result of two souls that became one in birth

Part of where I'm going, is knowing where I'm coming from
For me to have a sense of direction, I should be aware of where I came from

I don't want to be anything other than what I've been trying to be lately
The only thing I desire is to maintain my current identity that I've been working on

All I have to do
To attain peace of mind

Is think of me and I have peace of mind
I just need to think about myself

I'm tired of looking 'round rooms
I am exhausted from searching for direction in various places

Wondering what I've got to do
Pondering what actions to take

Or who I'm supposed to be
Trying to figure out the identity that I should hold

I don't want to be anything other than me
Being myself is what I want the most

I'm surrounded by liars everywhere I turn
Deceitful people are present everywhere around me

I'm surrounded by imposters everywhere I turn
Dishonest people who pretend are abundant everywhere I look

I'm surrounded by identity crisis everywhere I turn
People not knowing their true identity can be found surrounding me

Am I the only one who noticed?
Is it only me who observed this?

I can't be the only one who's learned!
It is unlikely that I am the only person who learned this

Can I have everyone's attention please?
May I acquire everyone's notice please?