Watts' genesis as a solo performer started to emerge at the beginning of 2002. While touring years earlier with the Wayne Horvitz 4+1 Ensemble, Watts was forced to downsize his effects pedal from a Roland Space Echo tape delay to a Line 6 DL4 delay modeler, a smaller device that makes it easy to travel. He began using the Line 6 in live shows with Maktub, in order to replicate the duplicate harmonies from the recorded material. Then he experimented with improvising entire songs in solo acts with the Line 6, playing initial gigs at small Seattle venues and artist bungalows. Inspired by The State and Wet Hot American Summer, he began infusing spontaneous comedic material with the beat box-driven musical compositions.
Wanting to concentrate on solo comedic performance, Watts moved to the Lower East Side, New York City, in 2004. He shot comedic web shorts for Superdeluxe, Vimeo and CollegeHumor, where his video "What About Blowjobs?" became a viral hit. He also formed a theatrical collaboration with playwright Tommy Smith, and began developing web philosophy/content with online entrepreneur Jakob Lodwick, with whom he recorded the EP Pot Cookies. Moving to Williamsburg, Brooklyn in 2006, Watts started to branch out into performing for television and film, while continuing to pursue live performance and the creation of new performance technologies.
Your Name
Reggie Watts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
that I saw your caring eyes
a November breeze
and your empty glass of wine
am I in the way
of your great escape
you turned into laughter
it's about love
it's about time
that I know your name
(x2)
oh
there's a knocking at your door
you know it's me my angel
please won't you just let me right in
shall we sit by the firelight
and talk a while
cause i know you need a friend
it's about love
it's about time
that I know your name
(x2)
fighting the world to win the day
can't find the strength to break away
no one gives a damn anymore
too many little sad metaphors
you left the rain that never stops
makes it so hard to let yourself be free
our troubles are the same
it's about love
it's about time
that I know your name
(x3)
it's about love
it's about time
and I hope you'll stay.
In Reggie Watts's song Your Name, the singer reflects on the day he first met someone special. He recalls seeing her "caring eyes" on a November day, as she sipped an empty glass of wine. The singer wonders if he's getting in the way of her "great escape," but although she turns to laughter, he senses a deeper pain within her. The singer then pleads with her to let him in and talk by the firelight, hoping to become her friend and understand her troubles. The chorus repeatedly emphasizes that the song is about love and time, and the singer hopes that he can know her name and that she'll stay.
The song's lyrics convey a mixture of emotions, from hopefulness to insecurity to empathy. The singer is clearly smitten with the woman he's addressing, but he's also conscious of the difficulty of connecting with someone who seems to be going through a tough time. He tries to offer comfort and friendship without presuming too much, and the chorus underscores the importance of taking things slowly and being attentive to the other person's needs.
Overall, "Your Name" captures the essence of a brief encounter between two people who could become important to each other, but who might also miss the opportunity if they're not careful. It's a song about the power of connection and the risks involved in pursuing it.
Line by Line Meaning
I recall the day
I remember vividly the exact day when something significant happened.
that I saw your caring eyes
I remember the day when I met you and noticed your eyes and the kindness in them.
a November breeze
I remember the day was cool and perhaps even a little chilly.
and your empty glass of wine
I also remember that you had finished your glass of wine and it was now empty.
am I in the way
Do my actions or presence inconvenience you in any way?
of your great escape
Are you trying to get away or escape from something in your life?
you turned into laughter
I noticed you suddenly changed your mood and began to laugh.
but I can still feel the pain.
Despite your laughter, I can still sense that there's a deeper pain or sadness underlying it all.
it's about love
This entire song centers around the theme of love.
it's about time
This song is also about the timing and opportunity of expressing love.
that I know your name
The singer is expressing a desire to know their love interest's name.
there's a knocking at your door
Someone is at your door and wants to come in.
you know it's me my angel
You should know that it's the singer who's knocking at the door and trying to come in.
please won't you just let me right in
The singer is making a polite request to be let in through the door.
shall we sit by the firelight
The singer proposes that they sit in front of a fire and talk.
and talk a while
The artist wants to spend time talking with their love interest.
cause I know you need a friend
The artist acknowledges that their love interest may be in need of a friend, and is offering to be one for them.
fighting the world to win the day
The singer believes that one has to fight hard to achieve success or victory in life.
can't find the strength to break away
The singer recognizes that sometimes it can be difficult to find the strength to move on from a difficult situation.
no one gives a damn anymore
The artist laments the fact that people these days are often indifferent or apathetic.
too many little sad metaphors
The artist thinks that people often resort to using depressing metaphors in order to express themselves.
you left the rain that never stops
The artist notes that their love interest has experienced a sorrow or pain that persists and never goes away.
makes it so hard to let yourself be free
This unending pain or sorrow can make it difficult to break free from negative thoughts or habits.
our troubles are the same
The artist acknowledges that they and their love interest both have their own individual problems and struggles, and that these may be similar in nature.
and I hope you'll stay.
The singer expresses their hope that their love interest will stay with them even through the difficult times.
Contributed by Alaina E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
sixstringCM06
his range is pretty god damn impressive. in everything he does. from his voice to the music itself he draws on so many inspirations and does such a great job of throwing them together to produce outstanding new tracks. and then you've got stuff like this where he focuses more on a single alternative style and he still kills it. this is a song that the Smashing Pumpkins or Coldplay or any number of other bands could have done and you would have never known the difference. incredible.
Lukas Hecht
Brilliant! Keep on doing your thing!
Milko Miranda
just found this song and loving it!
haha21
holy shit reggie watts this is amazing!!
Mike Mare
this shit is the shit
fvtown
This was long before his looping/comedy days.
ExistenceLucid
somebody put this shit on the radio, because im sick of the skoth fuckin lil wayne drake pretty boy bullshit. we need the soul back.