Both of her parents are private investigators, but father Rick is also a country guitarist and songwriter. Lambert became seriously interested in country music after attending a Garth Brooks concert as a young girl, and soon began singing in talent contests under the tutelage of her father.
At 16, Miranda began appearing on the Johnny High Country Music Review in Arlington, Texas, the same show that helped launch the career of LeAnn Rimes. Miranda quickly landed a recording session in Nashville, but left the studio in tears after she became frustrated with the "pop" sound of music that was not her own. Upon returning to Texas, Miranda began writing songs and taking guitar lessons from her father.
When Miranda's aptitude for music became apparent, her parents encouraged her to aggressively pursue singing and acting opportunities. While still a high school student, Miranda made her professional singing debut and fronted the house band at the Reo Palm Isle Ballroom in Longview, Texas, a long-running venue that has showcased Elvis Presley and Willie Nelson.
Foregoing college, Miranda performed throughout Texas in 2001 and 2002. She finished first in the Texas auditions for Nashville Star and eventually placed third on the national competition.
Discography
On September 15, 2003, she signed with Sony records. She has since released three studio albums, 2005's Kerosene, 2007's Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, 2009's Revolution and 2011's Four The Record; all four of which debuted at #1 on the U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums chart. Kerosene,Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Revolution have been certified Platinum by the RIAA.
Miranda Lambert has release a total of fourteen singles, which includes five Top 20 hits; of these, Kerosene and Gunpowder & Lead have been certified Gold singles by the RIAA.
Awards and Critical Acclaim
In 2005, at the 40th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas, Miranda won the Cover Girl Fresh Face of Country Music Award. In 2005, she was also nominated for the Country Music Association's Horizon Award and performed "Kerosene". Nashville Scene named Kerosene one of the best albums of 2005
Miranda was nominated for and won the "Album of the Year" award at the 2008 Academy of Country Music Awards for her latest album Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.
Me & Charlie Talking
Miranda Lambert Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sittin' in the woods behind my house
When being lovers meant a stolen kiss
And holding hands with nobody else around
Charlie said he wanted to get married
But we were only ten so we'd have to wait
He said we'd never let our love run dry like so many do these days
Like it only gets to shine for a little while
Catch it in a mason jar and with holes in the top
And run like hell to show it off
Oh promises we made when we'd go walking
That's just me and Charlie talking
Charlie always said he'd like to leave here,
So he turned eighteen and he left our sleepy town
Letters came and went and I kept waiting
For Charlie to come back and bring the life he'd found
It's funny how time and distance change you
The road you take don't always lead you home
You can start a love with good intentions
Then you look up and it's gone
So you treat your love like a firefly
Like it only gets to shine for a little while
Catch it in a mason jar and with holes in the top
And run like hell to show it off
Oh the promises we made when we'd go walking
That's just me and Charlie talking
Now and then I sometimes think of Charlie
How we thought we new it all back then
Now I'd give anything to feel love from a child's heart again
So you treat your love like a firefly
Like it only gets to shine for a little while
Catch it in a mason jar and with holes in the top
And run like hell to show it off
Oh, promises we made when we'd go walking
That's just me and Charlie, me and Charlie talking
La la la la la la la
La la la la la la la, la la
In "Me and Charlie," Miranda Lambert reminisces about her childhood friendship and innocent fling with a boy named Charlie. As kids, they would go on walks and sit in the woods behind her house where they would talk about getting married in the future. The two made promises to keep their love strong, but as they grew older, Charlie left their small town to explore the world beyond. The song reflects on the idea that although love can be fleeting, the memories and promises made during that time stay with us forever. The chorus, "So you treat your love like a firefly, like it only gets to shine for a little while" speaks to the idea that love can be beautiful but temporary.
The song also highlights the idea that life can take unexpected turns, but the memories of love and promises made remain. Lambert's clever use of the metaphor of catching a firefly in a jar, "Catch it in a mason jar and with holes in the top, and run like hell to show it off" is a beautiful representation of how we try to willfully capture and preserve love. The haunting melody and poetic lyrics make the song a poignant reflection on the bittersweet nature of love and memories.
Line by Line Meaning
Me and Charlie boy used to go walking,
I used to take walks with Charlie, my best friend
Sittin' in the woods behind my house
We'd hang out in the woods behind my house
When being lovers meant a stolen kiss
We were just kids and a relationship meant sneaking a kiss
And holding hands with nobody else around
We'd hold hands when we were alone
Charlie said he wanted to get married
Charlie talked about our future together
But we were only ten so we'd have to wait
We knew we were too young to get married then
He said we'd never let our love run dry like so many do these days
Charlie promised we'd never lose our love for each other
So we treat our love like a firefly,
We cherish our love like it's a fleeting firefly
Like it only gets to shine for a little while
Because it won't last forever
Catch it in a mason jar and with holes in the top
We keep it safe like a firefly in a jar
And run like hell to show it off
And show it off to the world
Oh promises we made when we'd go walking
We promised each other many things while walking
That's just me and Charlie talking
But as we grew up, things changed
Charlie always said he'd like to leave here,
Charlie always wanted to leave our small town
So he turned eighteen and he left our sleepy town
And when he turned 18, he left our town to start a new life
Letters came and went and I kept waiting
We kept in touch through letters, and I waited for Charlie to come back
For Charlie to come back and bring the life he'd found
And to bring back stories of the life he started
It's funny how time and distance change you
But time and distance can change people
The road you take don't always lead you home
And life doesn't always take you back home
You can start a love with good intentions
Even with the best intentions, love can change
Then you look up and it's gone
And sometimes it's gone before you know it
Now and then I sometimes think of Charlie
I still think of Charlie from time to time
How we thought we new it all back then
And how we thought we knew everything when we were young
Now I'd give anything to feel love from a child's heart again
And how I miss the innocence of love when we were kids
La la la la la la la
La la la la la la la, la la
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HEATHER LITTLE, MIRANDA LAMBERT, RICK LAMBERT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind