The road to this point wasn’t a direct path for this former metal/hardcore drummer. After a series of faltered attempts, James found his voice and new purpose for his music when he began writing songs following a move to Denver, Colorado. “It was funny that I played in these dark hyper-aggressive bands because I’m actually a pretty even keeled guy,” states James. “Somehow when I started to write the songs for Portrait of a Friend, I found myself taking the energy of my earlier bands but now bringing to my songs a sense of melody, meaning, and optimism that was always a part of me, but just never expressed.” That’s an ironic statement considering James began expressing himself musically at such a young age. Growing up in a musical household, James’ parents spotted him one day beating rhythmically to household items whenever music was playing. With that, James got his first set of drums at the age of 4, and thus began his musical career.
On his debut effort, Portrait of a Friend delivers an amped up, expressive array of melodic beats, inspiring lyrics, and raw energy; proving once and for all that Indie Rock and Electronic music are not mutually exclusive. Early stand-out tracks include the songs Hollywood Love Story and New Beginning; each filled with unabashed optimism reflected in their upbeat hooks and complimenting lyrics as well as the romantic declarations of Fall and its seemingly inevitable ending in, What I Did to Myself.
Portrait of A Friend provides for us insight into the essence of James Egbert’s world; his friends, his family, his relationships and how these factors shape, mold and paint his being. This insight however is pretty universal: internal conflict, hope, insecurity, individual morality. In some ways, in Portrait of a Friend, James Egbert has created a portrait of us.
Fall
Portrait of a Friend Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To clean up this mess. I don't want to fall in love with you again cause when I fall in love with you, I fall and fall is all I do. So catch me when I fall or don't do anything at all. Don't pretend to be my guide, please don't lead me on especially when I'm standing here ready to jump. Don't give me a backup, don't give me a parachute at all. I don't want to slow down if and when I fall. Just call on a babysitter to put this feeling to rest so I won't fall in love with you again. Somebody call a firefighter to bring me down from this ledge. I don't want to fall in love with you again cause when I fall in love with you, I fall and fall is all I do. So catch me when I fall or don't do anything at all. Don't do anything at all
The lyrics of "Fall" by Portrait of a Friend paint a picture of desperation and confusion, with the singer standing on the edge of a metaphorical ledge, ready to fall in love with someone who has clearly hurt them before. The singer seems to be aware of the potential damage and heartache that falling in love again could cause, but is still struggling to resist the pull. They plead with someone to intervene and talk them out of it, to send an SOS and help them avoid a potential disaster.
The repeated refrain of "when I fall in love with you, I fall and fall is all I do" suggests that the singer has fallen for this person before, and has perhaps been hurt or disappointed by them in the past. They don't want to repeat the same mistakes, but are finding it difficult to resist the magnetic pull of their attraction. The final plea of "don't do anything at all" seems to suggest that the singer would rather avoid the pain of falling altogether than risk repeating the cycle of heartbreak.
Overall, "Fall" is a powerful and poignant meditation on the dangers and complexities of falling in love, and the ways in which it can leave us vulnerable and afraid. The singer's desperation and yearning are palpable, and the urgent plea to "catch me when I fall" is both heartbreaking and hopeful.
Line by Line Meaning
Somebody call a negotiator, I'm standing on the edge.
I am on the verge of falling in love with you again, and I need someone to intervene.
I'm about to jump and fall in love with you again.
I am so close to giving into my feelings for you, and I fear the consequences of falling for you yet again.
Somebody call on a world renowned hypnotist to talk me out of this.
I need someone to help me resist the temptation of falling in love with you again.
I don't want to fall in love with you again.
I am scared of the power you hold over me and don't want to be in love with you again.
Somebody dial the operator, send a signal of distress.
I am in trouble and need help to get out of this situation.
This is a sink or swim situation, send an SOS.
I am in a difficult situation where I have to choose between giving into my feelings or resisting them, and I need someone to help me through it.
Somebody call on a janitor to clean up this mess.
I don't want to deal with the aftermath of falling in love with you again, and I need someone to help me clean up.
Cause when I fall in love with you, I fall and fall is all I do.
I am a hopeless romantic and fall deeply in love every time I give into my feelings for you.
So catch me when I fall or don't do anything at all.
I need someone to catch me if I do fall for you, but if you can't or won't, then please don't intervene at all.
Don't pretend to be my guide, please don't lead me on especially when I'm standing here ready to jump.
I don't want anyone to give me false hope or encourage me to fall for you when I am already at the edge of my emotions.
Don't give me a backup, don't give me a parachute at all.
I don't want anyone to give me a safety net or a way out of my feelings, as I need to face the consequences of falling in love with you.
Just call on a babysitter to put this feeling to rest so I won't fall in love with you again.
I need someone to help me forget about my feelings for you and put them to rest.
Somebody call a firefighter to bring me down from this ledge.
I am in a dangerous place emotionally and need someone to rescue me from my feelings.
Don't do anything at all.
If you can't help me or catch me when I fall, then please don't do anything at all.
Contributed by Dylan H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.