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.
Words
Ryan Adams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Carry all my things
Stack them up in piles against the wall
Stack up all my things
Baby, I was wounded too
Baby, and my head's on backwards
Carry all my things into the hall
There's no, there's no words
No, no words
It just hurts
Carry all my things into the night
Carry all my things
Baby, I will be invisible tonight
Baby, I was wounded too
Baby, in my heads not right
Carry all my things into the light
There's no, there's no words
There's no, there's no words
No, no, no, no
It just hurts
The lyrics of Ryan Adams’s song “Words” appear to be a conversation between two people trying to pick up the pieces after a breakup. The singer is asking someone to help him move his belongings out of a shared living space and into the hall. As he stacks his possessions up against the wall, he expresses his emotional state, explaining that he too “was wounded” by the circumstances that led to their separation. He then laments that there are no words to describe the pain he’s feeling – he’s just hurting.
There is a sense of despair and hopelessness that pervades the lyrics. The singer seems to be grappling with the aftermath of a difficult breakup, and he is struggling to find the words to communicate his pain. He wants someone to help him carry his things, perhaps as a sign of solidarity or support, but beyond that, there is little hope for reconciliation or closure.
Ryan Adams’s “Words” is a poignant examination of the emotional fallout from a failed relationship. The song’s spare instrumentation and haunting melodies add to the sense of loss and vulnerability that permeates the lyrics. The singer is struggling to make sense of his pain, with no clear way forward in sight.
Line by Line Meaning
Carry all my things into the hall
Request to move personal belongings into the hall
Carry all my things
Asking to move everything
Stack them up in piles against the wall
To organize belongings by placing them in stacks against the wall
Baby, I was wounded too
Emphasizing the artist's own emotional pain and relating to the listener's pain
Baby, and my head's on backwards
Describing how the artist feels confused and disoriented
There's no, there's no words
Exploring the concept that some pain is inexplicable
No, no words
Reiterating that words cannot describe emotions
It just hurts
The artist conveys that the pain is acute
Carry all my things into the night
Asking for everything to be moved into the night
Baby, I will be invisible tonight
Expressing the desire to disappear and become invisible
Carry all my things into the light
Asking for everything to be moved into the light to see clearly
No, no, no, no
The repetition emphasizes that there really are no words to describe the pain
It just hurts
Reiterating that the pain is excruciating
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Ryan Adams
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@CowGirlKat8691
Elizabethtown brings me here over and over! Thank you Ryan for saying what we all need to hear at times in our lives. <3
@12ealDealOfficial
There's more going on in Elizabethtown than I realized when I watched it over and over as a teenager. In some ways, it's a farewell to the '90s (yes, in '06), and a warning of the future. When Baylor's cousin's kid is led away from the grave with the helmet on, I thought of the world during the Great Recession that would come just a couple years later. Seemed like nothing was the same in America afterwards. I hope that one day soon, people will be reminded of why ours is the greatest country on Earth. Elizabethtown is like a time capsule of a time before optimism was beat out of us, before we were conditioned to be cynical and spiteful.
@charleypcarroll
I love this movie, and I understand the nostalgia of your comment but take a moment to consider this... Susan Sarandon’s line at the memorial captures the heart of the movie; “It takes time to be funny, it takes time to extract joy from life.” Despite modern trends, it’s up to every individual how they spend their time! Claire’s line, “...have the courage to fail big, and make them wonder while you’re still smiling...” encourages everyone to dismiss the masses and lean into their power. Nothing has gone away but what we let go away through our focus! The masses don’t matter. Best!
@laudarenee
thanks for posting. I missed this song, and the video you made is so peaceful!
@Coogleys
Amazing song, such a feeling I get
@nurscathwill
Beautiful! Reminds me of the Old man and the sea!
@TheFreianna
So lovely picture :) Thanks for this post
@samuelpablo658
Sadly I couldn't find it in spotify :(
@LS_Ginez
haha thanks, the image you see I paint is watercolor ^ ^
@ArielxOxXo
goosebumps