Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Tedder is of Welsh descent[citation needed] and was raised by an extended family of missionaries and pastors. He began learning to play the piano at the age of three via the Suzuki method. His early interest in music was prompted by his musician father and school-teacher mother, who coaxed their young son into practicing piano in exchange for candy corn. Tedder started singing at the age of seven.A self-taught vocalist, Tedder began honing this skill at the age of twelve by imitating his favorite artists, who ranged from The Beatles to acts as diverse as Peter Gabriel, Stevie Wonder and Sting. He has commented, "I sang for two hours a day every day of my life until I was eighteen." He continued to perform musically during his adolescence through church, school, and personally formed groups.
In his senior year, he moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado.There he met and became friends with future OneRepublic band-mate Zach Filkins on their soccer team at the Colorado Springs Christian School. He attended Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma and began to showcase his own material there. Tedder completed his college education and graduated from ORU in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Relations and Advertising.
Say Goodbye
Ryan Tedder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So perfect that you knew it'd never last
It's like reality's your biggest enemy
You know the dream when the two of us were so in love?
So perfect that we could never mess it up
But dreams don't ever come with guarantees
Oh and I could swear that our truth was better than fiction
How could every promise we ever made lose it's strength, fade away?
Can you tell me how it's supposed to work when you love so much it hurts
Baby tell me why, even if it's lies, you said we were do or die
But now we're saying goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
But now we're saying goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
But now we're saying goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
You said we were do or die
But now we're saying goodbye
Fate had it's way and it's staying now it's playing it's hand
But we don't have to fold at it's command
We don't have to give up anything
Oh and I could swear that our truth was better than fiction
So please don't let it go missing
Don't let every promise we made fade away and die
Can you tell me how it's supposed to work when you love so much it hurts
Baby tell me why, even if it's lies, you said we were do or die
But now we're saying goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
But now we're saying goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
But now we're saying goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
You said we were do or die
But now we're saying goodbye
The future, it never looked brighter
So I don't want to see us throw it all away
The future, it never looked brighter
So I don't want to see you throw it all away
You know the dream when your flying then you fall so fast?
So perfect that you knew it'd never last
It's like reality's your biggest enemy
You know the dream when the two of us were so in love?
So perfect that we could never mess it up
But dreams don't ever come with guarantees
Oh and I could swear that our truth was better than fiction
But when I woke up your were missing
How could every promise we ever made lose it's strength, fade away?
Can you tell me how it's supposed to work when you love so much it hurts
Baby tell me why, even if it's lies, you said we were do or die
But now we're saying goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
But now we're saying goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
But now we're saying goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
You said we were do or die
But now we're saying goodbye
Fate had it's way and it's staying now it's playing it's hand
But we don't have to fold at it's command
We don't have to give up anything
Oh and I could swear that our truth was better than fiction
So please don't let it go missing
Don't let every promise we made fade away and die
Can you tell me how it's supposed to work when you love so much it hurts
Baby tell me why, even if it's lies, you said we were do or die
But now we're saying goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
But now we're saying goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
But now we're saying goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
You said we were do or die
But now we're saying goodbye
The lyrics of Ryan Tedder's song "Say Goodbye" describe the feeling of losing someone you love deeply after putting everything into the relationship. The first verse describes the disappointment of a perfect dream that "never lasts" and how reality can be an enemy to that dream. The second verse talks about the promise of eternal love, how it seemed unbreakable, but unfortunately, things didn't go as planned, and the singer's lover has gone missing. The chorus of the song repeats the poignant question of how love can be so painful, and even if the promise of eternal love was a lie, it still hurts to say goodbye.
With the repetition of the phrase "You said we were do or die," the singer is sending the message that they put their all into the relationship, and with the two lovers now going their separate ways, they don't know what happens next. The lyrics also suggest that even if the future looked bright, it's hard to hold on to that dream when the past was perfect, and it's slipping away. But there is still hope, as the lyrics hint that they don't have to fold under the pressure of fate and the expectations of what their love should be.
Overall, Tedder's lyrics paint a heartbreaking image of a love that's slipping away despite everything the couple invested in it. The song's message is a reminder that love doesn't always last, even when it seems like it will, and that sometimes, it's painful to let go.
Line by Line Meaning
You know the dream when your flying then you fall so fast?
Have you ever had a dream where you felt like you were soaring, only to come crashing down suddenly?
So perfect that you knew it'd never last
It was so amazing and flawless that you realized it couldn't possibly continue in reality.
It's like reality's your biggest enemy
It's as if the harshness of reality is trying to destroy your perfect dream.
You know the dream when the two of us were so in love?
Do you remember that dream we shared where we were deeply in love?
So perfect that we could never mess it up
It was so ideal that we couldn't even imagine making mistakes in it.
But dreams don't ever come with guarantees
Unfortunately, dreams are never certain and always come with risk.
Oh and I could swear that our truth was better than fiction
I genuinely believed that our reality was more incredible than any fictional story.
But when I woke up your were missing
But when I opened my eyes, you were gone, and the amazing dream was over.
How could every promise we ever made lose it's strength, fade away?
How could all of the commitments we made to each other suddenly weaken and disappear?
Can you tell me how it's supposed to work when you love so much it hurts
Can you explain to me how love is supposed to function when it's so intense it's physically painful?
Baby tell me why, even if it's lies, you said we were do or die
Please, my love, tell me why you made promises and commitments that now seem untrue.
But now we're saying goodbye
But now we have to let go and say farewell.
Fate had it's way and it's staying now it's playing it's hand
Fate has taken control of our lives and is manipulating things to suit its own purpose.
But we don't have to fold at it's command
However, we don't have to succumb to fate's will.
We don't have to give up anything
We have the power to choose and don't need to sacrifice anything.
The future, it never looked brighter
Our future prospects were once incredibly promising.
So I don't want to see us throw it all away
Therefore, I don't want to watch us ruin all of our potential.
Contributed by Skyler W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@emmalouise74
Why do all the songs he write have to be sooo good? I can't handle it.
@iiasg1966
Me neither
@deepankar853
intensity of goosebumps very high
@AinharalaMejor-
YESYES.
@Rebedyc
Is amazing how this is so different than OneRepublic's music, but Ryan can sing both perfectly. He's just a genius.
@justcallmemichelle
Yeah, everybody knows his songs but not all the people know his name! Ask some people on the street if they know Ryan Tedder and most of them will say no. Which is sad because in my opinion, like you said, he is a genius! I love every song he's written and his voice is so unique ♥ Yes, he's famous but not Justin-Bieber-Famous or Miley-Cyrus-Famous and that's a shame! And you're so right; He is absolutey the true meaning of an artist! I'm glad I found him 3 years ago. (;
@ankitkalavagunta8951
My feelings exactly. I've been following them since their first album, while OneRepublic is pretty famous now, people don't know Ryan Tedder is the most talented singer and songwriter of all the mainstream artists.
@throughhiseyes22
Are OneRepublic gentlemen from Denver? Known as Christ-followers too? I love him too, excellent unique style kinda like unexpected Jon Bellion new music video for Switchfoot’s “Meant to Live.” Imaginative. And I love that this has 722K views. I’m writing a memoir…. 22. Haha
@nkl1031
Why I found it in 2020? Love the demo
@saharasante1116
He is the angel with the voice!💖💖💖