Yorn started as a drummer who also played guitar. In 1990, he was drumming for his band in a high school talent contest when someone suggested he sing the Replacements song "Talent Show." That went over so well, a competing band asked him to sing Neil Young’s "Rockin' In the Free World" with them.
He was first recognized when the Farrelly brothers picked "Strange Condition" for their film Me, Myself & Irene.
He has gained increasing popularity following the use of his song "Just Another" on popular WB television show Dawson's Creek.
Another of his songs, Murray was used in the credits of the film Igby Goes Down
The song "Undercover" was used in the first Spiderman movie and appears on the soundtrack.
The song "Lose You" was used in the closing of an episode of House on Fox.
The Chase
Pete Yorn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can see you any time
That's why I don't care
I want what isn't there
I know it's bad to feel this way
I know it's hard to hear me say
I can see you anytime So I don't
Watch me step away
From everything that's great
Watch me lose it all, again
You hit me in the street
You know I do not deserve it
As much as you think I do
I really wasn't trying to be malicious
But I wanted you
Ooh ooh ooh
I wanted you
I had dreamed many times
Of faded love
But as soon as I get what I want
I don't care no more
I know we're almost there
But close can feel like nowhere
But babe I wish I could love, a little more
You hit me in the street
You know I cannot deserve it
As much as you think I do I really wasn't trying to be malicious
But I wanted you
Ooh ooh ooh
I wanted you
You come back to me
'Cause you're the sweetest thing I know
If you come back to me
I can't promise that I'll know what I want
Don't know what I want
I know we're almost there
But close can feel like nowhere
And I can't help the way I feel again
You hit me in the street
You know I cannot deserve it
As much as you think I do
I really wasn't trying to be malicious
But I wanted you
Ooh ooh ooh
I wanted you
I can see you any time
The lyrics of The Chase by Pete Yorn speak to a complicated relationship where the emotions are intense and fervent, yet the connection is ultimately unfulfilling. The song is full of paradoxes as the singer seems to vacillate between wanting someone desperately and rejecting them completely. The opening lines, “I can see you any time/That’s why I don’t care/I want what isn’t there”, set the tone for the rest of the song. The singer acknowledges the ambiguity of the situation, realizing that they are pursuing something that they can never truly have.
Throughout the song, the singer grapples with their own feelings of inadequacy and the societal expectations of what love and relationships should be. They acknowledge that they are not deserving of the other person’s attention and that they are not trying to be malicious. Yet, they still feel an intense pull towards that person, illustrated in the lines “But I wanted you/Ooh ooh ooh/I wanted you”. The repeated references to feeling like they are “almost there” and that “close can feel like nowhere” indicate the singer’s frustration and sense of loss.
In the end, the singer is left wanting, unsure of what they truly want and what they can promise. The song is a beautiful yet melancholy representation of the complexities of relationships and the emotional turmoil that often accompanies them.
Line by Line Meaning
I can see you any time
The singer has access to the person they desire, but they still feel unsatisfied.
That's why I don't care
The singer doesn't care about what they have because they're focused on what they don't have.
I want what isn't there
The singer is fixated on something they can't have and it's causing them to overlook what they do have.
I know it's bad to feel this way
The artist understands that their desire for something they can't have is unhealthy.
I know it's hard to hear me say
The artist acknowledges that their feelings may be difficult for others to understand or accept.
Watch me step away
The singer is distancing themselves from something good on purpose.
From everything that's great
The singer is walking away from things that are going well in their life.
Watch me lose it all, again
The artist expects to lose what they have because of their inability to be content.
You hit me in the street
The artist was physically assaulted by someone they desire.
You know I do not deserve it
The artist believes they didn't deserve to be hit.
As much as you think I do
The singer believes the person who hit them thinks they deserved it.
I really wasn't trying to be malicious
The artist didn't do anything intentionally wrong to deserve being hit.
But I wanted you
The singer's desire for the person who hit them caused them to act in a way that may have been perceived as wrong.
I had dreamed many times
The singer has thought about what they desire many times.
Of faded love
The singer has had dreams of love that didn't become a reality.
But as soon as I get what I want
The artist knows that once they get what they desire, they will no longer want it.
I don't care no more
The artist will lose interest once they obtain what they desired.
You come back to me
The person the singer desires has returned to them.
'Cause you're the sweetest thing I know
The singer finds the person they desire to be the most wonderful thing they know.
If you come back to me
The artist is unsure if the person they desire will return to them again.
I can't promise that I'll know what I want
The artist is unsure of what they want and can't guarantee that they will figure it out.
Don't know what I want
The artist is uncertain about what they desire.
And I can't help the way I feel again
The singer is unable to change their feelings.
I know we're almost there
The artist acknowledges that they are close to achieving their desires.
But close can feel like nowhere
The singer feels like even though they're close to achieving their desires, it's as if they're nowhere close at all.
Babe I wish I could love, a little more
The singer wishes they could love the things they have instead of always wanting more.
Ooh ooh ooh
An exclamation of emotion or emphasis on the previous line.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind