Ryan Adams (born David Ryan Adams on November 5, 1974) is an alt-country an… Read Full Bio ↴Ryan Adams (born David Ryan Adams on November 5, 1974) is an alt-country and rock and roll songwriter and singer from Jacksonville, North Carolina. Initially part of the group Whiskeytown, which was at the time considered one of the leaders of the alt-country genre, Adams left the band and released his first solo album, Heartbreaker, in 2000 (which was subsequently nominated for the Shortlist Music Prize). As well as his solo albums, Adams has released five albums as Ryan Adams & the Cardinals.

Adams dropped out of high school at age 16 to work in a shoe shop and make music. He formed a band named Whiskeytown in 1994; they disbanded in 1999 having released two full albums, Faithless Street and Strangers Almanac. Adams went on to put out his first solo record, Heartbreaker, in 2000. After a long delay, in 2001 Whiskeytown's third album Pneumonia was finally issued.

In 2002, Ryan contributed backing vocals on Butterfly in Reverse, from the Counting Crows album, Hard Candy; after Adam Duritz (Counting Crows lead singer) appeared on the album Gold.

Ryan is highly prolific, and in 2005 released one double album and two regular albums: Cold Roses, Jacksonville City Nights and 29, respectively. His album, 29, was produced by friend Ethan Johns (who also produced his first two albums, Heartbreaker and Gold). In between those two releases and his 2005 triple-header, Ryan released Demolition (a collection of out-takes), Love Is Hell and Rock N Roll. Unreleased studio albums include 48 Hours, Exile On Franklin Street and Suicide Handbook.

In addition, Adams worked with Jesse Malin to form the punk-rock group The Finger (under the pseudonyms, "Warren Peace" and "Irving Plaza" respectively), who released two E.P.s which were collected together to form We Are Fuck You, released on One Little Indian Records in 2003.

In 2006 Ryan went on a minor UK-tour and a minor US-tour along the west-coast and has streamed 11+ mini albums on his website, under numerous jokey pseudonyms (DJ Reggie, Werewolph, The Shit, Rhoda Ro, Ghetto Birds).

The following solo record, entitled Easy Tiger, was released on June 26, 2007. The newest and last record with his backing band The Cardinals, Cardinology, was released in October 2008 and followed by extensive touring through the UK, US and Australia.

In January 2009 he announced that he would be going on an indefinite hiatus from music. The Kindness Songfacts reports that the major reason for Adams’ temporary retirement was his struggles with Ménière’s disease, a disorder of the inner ear that wrecks havoc on hearing and balance. Adams resumed performing in October 2010, and released his thirteenth studio album, Ashes & Fire, on October 11, 2011. His now ex-wife, pop singer and actress Mandy Moore, contributed some backing vocals.

Anything I Say To You Now
Ryan Adams Lyrics

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Crush it up into a paper ball, let it fly
It hits the wall, hits the trash can on the side
Crush it up into a paper ball, let it go
Anything I ever had to say, it's all gone

Anything I say to you now is just a lie
Anything I say to you now but goodbye
Anything I say to you now is just a lie

But goodbye
But goodbye

Crush it up and let it go to waste, it's not working
Sit and wait for somebody to tell you it's almost done
Crush it up into a paper ball, it's just words
Words that never really added up to much else but I

Anything I say to you now is just a lie
Anything I say to you now is just a lie
Anything I say to you now, anything I say to you now

Anything I say to you now but goodbye
Is just a lie

Overall Meaning

The song Anything I Say To You Now by Ryan Adams is a reflection of regret and an inability to express oneself effectively. The lyrics suggest that the singer has tried to communicate their feelings, but the words have been easily disregarded, like a paper ball crushed up and thrown away. The repetition of this image throughout the song emphasizes the finality of the situation and the singer's frustration. Eventually, the singer comes to the realization that anything they say now is just a lie, except for the final goodbye.

This song can be interpreted in different ways, depending on the individual listener's experiences. It may speak to someone who has struggled with expressing themselves in a relationship or to someone who has experienced a missed opportunity due to their inability to communicate effectively. It is also possible that the song is about the music industry, as lyrics that "never really added up to much else" could refer to the fickle nature of fame and the lack of substance in popular music.

Line by Line Meaning

Crush it up into a paper ball, let it fly
Disregard everything I had to say

It hits the wall, hits the trash can on the side
My words are meaningless and end up in the garbage

Crush it up into a paper ball, let it go
Forget everything I had to say

Anything I ever had to say, it's all gone
I have nothing more to say

Anything I say to you now is just a lie
Every word I say is not true

Anything I say to you now but goodbye
Aside from saying goodbye, everything else is a lie

Anything I say to you now, anything I say to you now
Whatever I say at this moment, whatever I say

Crush it up and let it go to waste, it's not working
Abandon any attempt to communicate, it's futile

Sit and wait for somebody to tell you it's almost done
Remain idle and wait until it's over

Words that never really added up to much else but I
My words were never meaningful except to myself

Anything I say to you now but goodbye
Apart from saying goodbye, everything I say is a falsehood