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".
Truth
Reeve Carney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The heart is such a mystery
Have I been reduced
To a footnote in your history?
The truth it can hurt sometimes
You left me my wounds
Was I just a fool
To let you get the best of me?
The truth, it can hurt sometimes
There ain't no getting out
And no coming back when you find it
There ain't no getting out
And now I'm telling you
Tell me I'm your fool
Tell me you're not right for me
I know I'm late to school
But you ain't have to lie to me (lie to me, lie to me...)
When the truth is enough sometimes
The truth, it can hurt sometimes
The truth, it can hurt...
The truth, it can hurt...
The truth it's gonna hurt, gonna hurt, gonna hurt you now
Truth (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
Truth (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
Imagine the cries
Bleeding for the ones you've loved
A salute to the sky
Wondering if it'd be enough
The truth, it can hurt sometimes
There ain't no getting out
And no coming back when you find it
There ain't no getting out
And now he's telling you
Tell me I'm your fool
Tell me you're not right for me
I know I'm late to school
But you ain't have to lie to me (lie to me, lie to me...)
When the truth is enough sometimes
The truth it can hurt sometimes
The truth it can hurt...
The truth it can hurt...
The truth it's gonna hurt, gonna hurt, gonna hurt you now
Like a free shame running towards his master
(oh my God at the end)
Never once in his divine disaster
But she was only a man (whoa, ooh, whoa, oh)
But she was only a man (whoa, ooh, whoa, oh)
There ain't no getting out
No turning back back when you find it
There ain't no getting out
And now I'm telling you
Tell me I'm your fool
Tell me you're not right for me
I know I'm late to school
But you ain't have to lie to me (lie to me, lie to me...)
When the truth is enough sometimes
Yeah, the truth, it can hurt sometimes
The truth it can hurt...
The truth it can hurt...
The truth it's gonna hurt, gonna hurt, gonna hurt you now
The lyrics to Reeve Carney's song "Truth" speak about the difficulty of accepting the truth in a relationship. The singer questions if he has been reduced to a mere footnote in his partner's history, wondering if he was a fool for letting her get the best of him. He realizes that the truth can hurt, but sometimes it is enough. He begs his partner not to lie to him and tells her that the truth may hurt sometimes, but it is necessary.
The chorus repeats the phrase "The truth, it can hurt sometimes" as a reminder that accepting the truth can be difficult, but ultimately it is necessary in a relationship. The song includes the struggle between wanting to hold onto a relationship even if it means ignoring the truth and accepting the truth even if it means moving on.
The lines "Like a free shame running towards his master, Never once in his divine disaster, But she was only a man" seem to speak about the idea of accepting the truth even if it is painful. The singer sees himself as the free shame running towards his master, blindly following a path that may not be in his best interest. However, he realizes that the object of his affection is "only a man," with flaws and imperfections that he must accept.
Overall, "Truth" is a reflection on the complexities of relationships and the importance of accepting the truth, even if it hurts.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't tell me to choose
I don't want to have to pick between my heart and my head
The heart is such a mystery
Love is a complicated feeling that we can never completely understand
Have I been reduced
Do I mean nothing to you now?
To a footnote in your history?
Am I just a small, insignificant part of your past?
The truth it can hurt sometimes
Being honest about our feelings can be painful
You left me my wounds
You hurt me but I'm still holding onto the memories
But girl, you took the rest of me
You had such a powerful hold on me that I've lost a big part of who I am
Was I just a fool
Did I make a mistake in falling for you?
To let you get the best of me?
Did I let you have too much control over my emotions?
There ain't no getting out
Once you face the truth, there's no going back
And no coming back when you find it
Once we realize the truth, there's no changing it
I'm telling you
I need you to understand
Tell me I'm your fool
Admit that I'm a part of your life and that you love me
Tell me you're not right for me
Be honest about our compatibility and whether we should be together
I know I'm late to school
I realize I'm behind in understanding the truth
But you ain't have to lie to me (lie to me, lie to me...)
Don't deceive me with false hopes and promises
When the truth is enough sometimes
Sometimes all we need is to be honest with our feelings and thoughts
Imagine the cries
Think of the pain and heartbreak that comes with love
Bleeding for the ones you've loved
Suffering from the wounds inflicted in past relationships
A salute to the sky
Hoping for a better future
Wondering if it'd be enough
Questioning whether love will be enough to heal the past
Like a free shame running towards his master
We often continue to pursue love even when it may lead to pain
(oh my God at the end)
The realization of the truth can be a powerful moment
Never once in his divine disaster
Even in the midst of chaos, we often hold onto hope
But she was only a man (whoa, ooh, whoa, oh)
We are often flawed and make mistakes in love
No turning back back when you find it
Once we know the truth, we cannot ignore it
The truth it can hurt sometimes
Being honest can be a painful process
Yeah, the truth, it can hurt sometimes
We can't always protect ourselves from the pain of honesty
Contributed by Aria E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.