One benefit of growing up in Mississippi is learning to tell a good story; another is being exposed to a lot of good old American music from the Blues and gospel to jazz to Bluegrass, country and Elvis. Mississippi native Owen Beverly pulls all these influences into his new LP, Shooting the Bull.
Veering from the hard rock of his 2003 debut The Drunk Lover EP, Shooting the Bull is a country folk CD co-produced with David Rolfe that showcases Owen Beverly's versatile songwriting and arranging talents. The common thread between the two albums is they are both built on the ballad -- a good story woven into music that amplifies and intensifies it. The songs are about little pieces of life: following a lover to Hollywood, feeling lost after a break-up, looking back on a long relationship, mustering the courage to go on when life lets you down. The music is at once soulful and gutsy, tuneful and poetic.
Owen Beverly was playing guitar professionally for a Mississippi Blues band while he was still in high school. He came to Charleston, South Carolina, on a music scholarship and got his degree in classical compostion and theory in three years -- all the while writing music and playing in local clubs. Over the years he has toured in support of Blind Mellon, Howie Day, John Mayer, Better than Ezra, and Jump Little Children -- to name a few.
After a hiatus spent painting and repairing houses back home in Mississippi, Owen Beverly says he woke up with a new direction: alternative country. It was as if he pared his songwriting down to the essense -- the twin lines of story and melody.
Owen Beverly is now an actively sought-out co-writer with such emerging bands and artists as Leslie, I-Nine, Passenger Jones, Steve Fiore, Joel Hamilton (of The Working Title). The critically acclaimed Shooting the Bull is available online now. Limited copies of the debut EP, Drunk Lover -- whose title song was picked up by HBO's Entourage can be purchased at shows.
Inside
Owen Beverly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To keep me in from the outside world
I like my things the way they seem
An open cage in front of me
She's taking me back
Where everything is beautiful in white and black
And underneath my skin
Inside
What if time is just a way to choose
Which universe we're falling through?
I see the vein and I feel the beat
I feel your blood race through me
She's taking me back
Where everything is beautiful in white and black
And underneath my skin
Where this life begins
Do you feel it?
Someone's trying to make the world
To make it all stand still for you
Do you hear me
Calling you, calling you?
She's taking me back
Where everything is beautiful in white and black
And underneath my skin
And I'm taking you home
Where everything works out the way it's supposed to go
In between our hands
So close your open mind
And take me back inside
Throw away the keys and lock me in
The lyrics to Owen Beverly's song "Inside" seem to be about the desire to escape from the outside world and retreat into one's own personal space. The line "change the locks on all the doors, to keep me in from the outside world" indicates a desire to create a safe haven and remain isolated from everything else. The persona evidently doesn't like change and wants everything to remain just as it is, hence the line "I like my things the way they seem".
The line "she's taking me back where everything is beautiful in white and black" seems to suggest a personification of the persona's subconscious mind or some other mental state that is taking control and leading them back to a familiar, comforting place. The subsequent lines "and underneath my skin, where this life begins, inside" reinforce the idea that the persona is retreating to a place within themselves where life can grow and thrive.
The lyrics also touch on the concept of time and the idea that it may be a way to choose which universe to inhabit. The line "what if time is just a way to choose which universe we're falling through" suggests a sense of existential uncertainty and a need for some kind of guidance or direction. However, the overall impression given by the song is one of introspective reflection and a desire for inner peace.
Line by Line Meaning
Change the locks on all the doors
I want to be cut off from the outside world, so please make sure no one can enter.
To keep me in from the outside world
I don't want anyone to come into my life, so please secure it with locked doors.
I like my things the way they seem
I want to keep things the way they appear, without any interference.
An open cage in front of me
I like the feeling of being free, while still being enclosed in a certain boundary.
She's taking me back
I'm being transported to a familiar, safe place.
Where everything is beautiful in white and black
The place I'm heading to has an aesthetic that is simple yet beautiful, with a monochrome color scheme.
And underneath my skin
What I'm feeling is coming from within me, deeply rooted in my emotions.
Where this life begins
This is where I feel most alive and connected to my existence.
Do you feel it?
Are you able to sense the same thing that I'm feeling right now?
Someone's trying to make the world
There's someone out there who's trying to manipulate the world around you.
To make it all stand still for you
This person is attempting to keep everything at a standstill just for your sake.
Do you hear me
Can you hear my voice calling out to you?
Calling you?
I'm trying to connect with you, to help you understand.
And I'm taking you home
I'm going to bring you with me to this place of safety and familiarity.
Where everything works out the way it's supposed to go
The place we're going to has a sense of order and predictability, where everything falls into place the way it should.
In between our hands
Together, we will make sure everything is okay - holding hands every step of the way.
So close your open mind
I need you to trust me and close up that part of yourself that's afraid to take a leap of faith.
And take me back inside
Come with me to that safe place inside my mind, where everything will be okay.
Throw away the keys and lock me in
I don't want to be able to escape, so please keep me locked in this place of safety.
Contributed by Penelope D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.