Peter Bradley Adams is a American folk-pop singer-songwriter from Birmingha… Read Full Bio ↴Peter Bradley Adams is a American folk-pop singer-songwriter from Birmingham, Alabama. Before embarking on his solo career in 2005, Adams was a founding member of the critically-acclaimed folk/pop duo eastmountainsouth (formed in 2001 with Kat Maslich-Bode). Since eastmountainsouth split in 2004, Adams has garnered critical acclaim as a solo artist: In May 2009, "Leavetaking" earned IAP's "Best CD's of 2008" Award for Best Singer-Songwriter-Male. Adams released his third solo album titled "Traces" with Sarathan Records on October 20, 2009. His 2011 CD "Between Us" was released on Mishara Music.
www.peterbradleyadams.com

In 2011, Adams and fellow songwriter Caitlin Canty collaborated on a side project, Down Like Silver, which continues today. Adams launched his own record label, I Me Mine Records, in 2014 with his fifth solo album, The Mighty Storm, recorded in Nashville at the legendary RCA Studio A. Three years later, Adams released the self-produced A Face Like Mine with Tone Tree Music.

Trace of You
Peter Bradley Adams Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I watched you run
To catch a trace of you
I fall in love

I hold my tongue
To keep it safe for you
I read your mind
I read your mind

When midnight comes and finds me alone
Like the tides you turn and the clouds you roll
And I'm stuck in a dream that will not let me go

I close my eyes to see the shape of you
Can you see mine?
Can you see mine?

If you want a little more
Take your chances at the door and I will wait for you
I will be just fine
I will be just fine

When midnight comes and finds me alone
Like the tides you turn and the clouds you roll
And I'm stuck in a dream that will not let me go

That will not let me go

That will not let me go
Will not let me go

Overall Meaning

The main theme of Peter Bradley Adams's song "Trace of You" is unrequited love. The singer of the song is longing for someone who they cannot have. The first verse starts with the singer watching their love interest run away, trying to catch any sign of them before they disappear. Even though the love is unrequited, the singer falls in love nonetheless. The second verse reveals that the singer is holding back their own feelings to protect the one they love. The singer can read their love interest's mind, making it harder to keep their own feelings hidden.

The chorus of the song functions as a plea to the love interest to reciprocate their love. The singer describes how when they are alone at midnight, they feel the pull of their love even stronger. They are trapped in a dream that will not let them go, unable to shake the feeling of their unrequited love. The final section of the chorus asks if the love interest can see them as they see the love interest.

The end of the song reinforces the idea that the love is unrequited. The singer offers to wait and says that they will be "just fine", but the repetition of the phrase "will not let me go" reminds listeners that the singer is still deeply affected by their love even if they are attempting to push it aside.

Line by Line Meaning

I watched you run
I saw you leave

To catch a trace of you
To find some sign of your presence

I fall in love
I develop feelings of love for you

I hold my tongue
I keep my thoughts to myself

To keep it safe for you
To protect you from any harm or embarrassment

I read your mind
I understand your thoughts and feelings

When midnight comes and finds me alone
At night when I am by myself

Like the tides you turn and the clouds you roll
Your behavior changes unpredictably

And I'm stuck in a dream that will not let me go
I cannot stop thinking about you

I close my eyes to see the shape of you
I try to visualize your appearance in my mind

Can you see mine?
Do you understand my perspective?