He is currently on Broadway as Orpheus in the Tony Award-winning musical Hadestown, which won the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.
Carney started to play guitar at age 12 and three years later he was playing guitar professionally at B.B King's night club in Los Angeles. When living in California, Carney released his first EP Looking Glass in 2004 and promoted it by performing with other musicians, including Jonny Lang. At age 22 he signed with Interscope and formed his jazz-infused rock namesake band, Carney, consisting of Carney (songwriter, vocals and guitar), his brother Zane (guitar), Aiden Moore (bass) and Jon Epcar (drums). The band's vision led the manager David Sonenberg to work with them. Carney released their first EP Nothing Without You in 2008 and their debut album, Mr. Green Vol. 1, in May 2010. In 2009 the band went on tour with The Veronicas in their Revenge Is Sweeter world tour and in 2011 they opened for Arcade Fire and U2 in Moncton, Canada on July 30 on the final date of the U2 360° Tour.
When acting on Broadway, Carney was invited to be part of the album Broadway's Carols for a Cure in 2011 ("St. Nicholas Sky" ft T.V. Carpio) and 2013 ("A Savior is Born"). Carney also recorded the single "Rise Above 1" with Bono and The Edge in 2011, an adapted song from the musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. Apart from making his own music, Carney also writes songs for soundtracks for films such as The Tempest (2010) and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 (2012). In October 2016 Carney released his debut solo album, Youth Is Wasted, which he wrote and produced himself. Since then Carney was on tour two times (Reeve Carney Fall Tour 2016 and Youth Is Wasted Tour 2017). Three songs from his album as well as the album itself were nominated in six categories on the 16th annual Independent Music Awards (The IMAs). "Think of You" won "Best Song – Acoustic", "Resurrection" won "Best Song – Rock or Hard Rock" and the album won "Best Album – Adult Contemporary".
No More
Reeve Carney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Going nuts, hate my guts
Get good grades, another shove
Stop being a loser
Stop being in love
And why do I need these stupid glasses
I'd give my life to be anyone but me
Yeah
I wanna be anyone but me
Yeah
This isn't home, just a house
Broken door, broken glass
Dad'll yell, tune him out
He's drunk by now
He has to shout
Keep on walking, just ignore
Just get to your room and shut the door
Let me disappear, or just be
Anywhere but here
Yeah
Anywhere but here
I wanna be
Everyday is like a war and I'm losing it
I'm taking hits from every side
Every side that there is
Everyday I feel the walls are closing in
When can I begin
To get myself right out of this place
Anyone but me
I count the grass as it grows
Anywhere but here
I got to sleep in my clothes
But the shoes don't fit
I am not what I've been told
Where do I, where do I live
I am not what I've been sold
What do I take
I'm at the point of possibility
Who will I find
I can almost glimpse infinity
When is the time
I am not where I belong
And I can see an open door
And I can't live like this, no more
I can’t live like this, no more
I can't live like this
No more
No no no no no no
No no no more
Reeve Carney's "No More" is an emotional and relatable song about feeling like you don't belong and desperately wanting to escape your current situation. The lyrics describe a narrator who is tired of being told who to be, struggling with self-doubt, and feeling trapped in a toxic environment. The first verse begins with the pressure of society weighing down on the singer as they try to conform to unrealistic expectations. They want to stop being seen as a loser and decide that they don't want to be in love anymore. The singer also expresses frustration about their physical appearance and feels like they don't fit in. The chorus highlights the central theme of the song, that the singer wants to be anyone but themselves to escape their current reality.
The second verse deals with the singer's home life, which is just as unhappy as their social life. The house they live in feels like a shell of a home, with broken doors and glass, and the singer's father often drinks and becomes angry. The singer tries to block out his father's yelling, keeping their head down, and going to their room. The pre-chorus amplifies the character's sadness as they dream of escape and imagine themselves happy anywhere but here. The bridge shows the singer's internal struggle, with their thoughts spiraling as they wish they could disappear or start over. They feel trapped in their circumstances and can't see any way to change it.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't talk, just walk
Ignore everything and everyone around you, just keep walking
Going nuts, hate my guts
I'm losing my mind, and I hate myself
Get good grades, another shove
I'm expected to always excel, but the pressure is suffocating
Stop being a loser
I am labeled as a failure, and it's hurting me
Stop being in love
Being in love is only causing me pain and making things more complicated
And why do I need these stupid glasses
I feel like my glasses are just one more thing about me that makes me a target for ridicule
I'd give my life to be anyone but me
I am filled with self-hatred and would rather be anyone else but myself
This isn't home, just a house
I don't feel comfortable or safe in my own home
Broken door, broken glass
My home is literally falling apart
Dad'll yell, tune him out
My father is abusive and I need to ignore his insults
He's drunk by now
My father drinks excessively and it's a constant source of tension in my home
He has to shout
My father's drunkenness leads him to speak loudly and aggressively
Keep on walking, just ignore
I need to actively avoid conflict and just focus on reaching my room
Just get to your room and shut the door
My room is the only safe and private space I have
Let me disappear, or just be
I want to be invisible or non-existent
Anywhere but here
I hate my current situation and want to be somewhere else
Everyday is like a war and I'm losing it
Each day feels like a battle I can't win
I'm taking hits from every side
There is no escape from the negativity and abuse around me
Everyday I feel the walls are closing in
I feel trapped and like there's no way out of my current situation
When can I begin
I am desperate for a fresh start or a new beginning
To get myself right out of this place
I need to leave this current situation to have any chance of improving my life
I count the grass as it grows
I am so trapped in my own head that I count mundane things just to keep my mind busy
I got to sleep in my clothes
My situation is so dire that I don't even have the energy or motivation to change out of my clothes before falling asleep
But the shoes don't fit
Even something as simple as wearing properly fitting shoes is impossible for me
I am not what I've been told
The labels and expectations that have been placed on me are not who I truly am
Where do I, where do I live
I am struggling to find my place in the world, and don't feel like I truly have a place to call 'home'
I am not what I've been sold
The image of myself that others see and expect is not realistic or true to my actual self
What do I take
I'm not sure what steps to take or what choices to make
I'm at the point of possibility
I am at a crossroads where any choice I make could change the course of my life
Who will I find
I am searching for identity and purpose, hoping to find some sort of guidance or support along the way
I can almost glimpse infinity
I feel like there is so much possibility in the world, but I'm struggling to reach it
When is the time
I wish I knew when I'll finally escape or find myself
I am not where I belong
I feel like I don't fit in or belong anywhere
And I can see an open door
There is potential for escape, and a chance at a new beginning
And I can't live like this, no more
I am fed up with my current situation and ready for change
I can’t live like this, no more
I am done living in this cycle of abuse and negativity, and am ready to move on
I can't live like this
I am desperate for change and can't continue living in my current situation
No more
I am ready and committed to making changes and bettering my life
No no no no no no
My desperation for change is so intense that I can't even articulate it in words
Lyrics © DistroKid, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: OLIVER BEACH, ALDEN EVANS, STEVE JACKSON, TREANA MORRIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind