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.
Touch Feel Lose
Ryan Adams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And oh, the birds, how they sing
If you were a bird, could you sing me a song of sorrow?
'Cause all I know now from you is grief
But I never wanted to be your rolling train
I never wanted to be your dancin' shoes
I just wanted you to love me
Touch, feel and lose
And cry, cry, cry
(Cry, cry, cry)
I thought maybe I could be some kind of shelter
But oh, your storm how it raged
You know your kisses, they like lightnin' and thunder
And your smile is sweet and come down like rain
But I never wanted to be your rollin' train
I never wanted to be your dancin' shoes
I just wanted you to love me
I just wanted you to love me
Touch, feel and lose, honey, oh-oh, oh
And cry, cry, cry
And cry, cry, cry
And cry, cry, cry
And cry, cry, cry
I just wanted you to love me
I just wanted you to love me
Touch, feel and lose, honey
Cry, cry, cry
Cry, cry, cry
Cry, cry, cry
Cry, cry, cry
The lyrics of Touch Feel & Lose by Ryan Adams convey the theme of unrequited love and heartache. The singer knows that he will not be able to talk to his love interest in the future, and his grief is overwhelming, as depicted by the metaphor of birds singing a song of sorrow. The singer acknowledges that he was never meant to be a permanent fixture in the life of his love interest, but rather someone who was fleeting and temporary, as seen in the lines, "Touch, feel, and lose." The repetition of "cry, cry, cry" further amplifies the feeling of sadness and heartbreak.
The singer finds solace in the idea of being a shelter, but the storm of emotions that his love interest brings is too turbulent to endure. The comparison of kisses to lightning and thunder highlights the intensity of the singer's emotions towards his love interest, while the smile being compared to rain shows how fleeting her affection is. The repetition of "I just wanted you to love me" underscores the desire of the singer to be loved in return, although he knows that it is an unattainable dream.
Overall, Touch Feel & Lose by Ryan Adams is a poignant depiction of the pain of unrequited love, expressed through powerful metaphors and repetition.
Line by Line Meaning
Knew I was never gonna talk to you tomorrow
I was aware that I could never speak to you again come the next day
And oh, the birds, how they sing
The birds are singing and it's a beautiful experience
If you were a bird, could you sing me a song of sorrow?
If you were capable of singing, could you sing me a sad song?
'Cause all I know now from you is grief
The only thing I've learned from you is pain and sadness
But I never wanted to be your rolling train
I never aspired to be the person who carries you along or supports you
I never wanted to be your dancin' shoes
I never wanted to be the thing that enables you to dance or move forward
I just wanted you to love me
I just hoped for your affection and acceptance
Touch, feel and lose
We had a brief encounter where we touched and felt, but then you left
And cry, cry, cry (Cry, cry, cry)
I'm now crying due to the sadness of our situation
I thought maybe I could be some kind of shelter
I imagined I could offer you refuge or protection from harm
But oh, your storm how it raged
Your emotional turmoil was too intense to handle and it took a toll on me
You know your kisses, they like lightnin' and thunder
Your kisses are intense and electrifying
And your smile is sweet and come down like rain
Your smile is charming and uplifting
Touch, feel and lose, honey, oh-oh, oh
We had a brief physical encounter that ended in heartbreak
And cry, cry, cry
I'm crying due to the pain and sorrow of our situation
I just wanted you to love me
All I wanted from you was your affection and devotion
Cry, cry, cry
I'm overcome with emotion and sadness
Cry, cry, cry
I can't help but cry over what's happened between us
Cry, cry, cry
Our situation has caused overwhelming sadness
Cry, cry, cry
I'm still crying and my heart is hurting
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: David Todd Rawlings, Ryan Adams
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Vee Dubb
This is a perfect performance of a near perfect song- gets me EVERY time 💔
Whatever the fuck cancellers- none of us is fucking perfect and wtf did any of you ever do for MY broken heart ??? Leave the Artists alone, damn...
29.
relax, live your life easy
texitalian
It's a sin that this video doesn't have more views.
Micah Woodard
Definitely feeling a Janis Joplin vibe
heyvenus123
1st one eh. Ok well then i guess i will say what i feel, A true heartfelt song with lyrics meaning much to the broken hearted and the mislead. A beauty from Adams Gold.
MUYFA East bay
Holy crap great song
Christina Contrino
THIS SONG, ryannnnnn
Drewb311
I like the Suicide Handbook version so much more.
EthanR
I think it's lose not loose.
KuMo / Hyacinthess
Ty and Zane <3