Smith's debut studio album, In the Lonely Hour, was released in May 2014 on Capitol Records UK. The album's lead single, "Lay Me Down", was released prior to "La La La". The album's second single, "Money on My Mind", became Smith's second number one single in the UK. The third single, "Stay with Me", was an international success, reaching number one in the UK and number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, while their singles "I'm Not the Only One" and "Like I Can" reached the top ten in the UK. The album won four awards, at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, including Best Pop Vocal Album, Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and nominations for Album of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance.
For Smith's and Jimmy Napes's song "Writing's on the Wall", the theme for the James Bond film Spectre (2015), Smith won the Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Smith's second studio album, The Thrill of It All, was released in November 2017 and debuted atop the UK and US album charts. The lead single, "Too Good at Goodbyes", reached number one in the UK and Australia and number four in the US. They released the single "Promises" with Calvin Harris, which peaked at number one in the UK. Smith released "Dancing with a Stranger" with Normani in 2019, which reached the top ten in the UK and the US and was nominated for Song of the Year at the 2020 Brit Awards, and followed it by releasing a string of commercially successful singles "How Do You Sleep?", "To Die For" and "I'm Ready" with Demi Lovato; all of which feature on Smith's third album, Love Goes.
Smith has won four Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards, three Billboard Music Awards, and an American Music Award, as well as a Golden Globe and an Academy Award through their career. Smith has been publicly gay since 2014, genderqueer since 2017, and has used they/them pronouns since 2019.
Drowning Shadows
Sam Smith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Chasing bodies to fix the parts
I don't know how I reached this place
So far from heaven, so far from grace
Am I wrong to give in to the pressure?
'Cause I feel like the city's got the better of me
Oh, this casual love isn't what it seems
And somebody who is good for me
I'm so tired of all this searching
Do I, do I, do I, do I
Go home to nothing or stay out for more?
Give in to someone or lock down my door?
Or drown all my shadows, drown them like before?
I'm drowning shadows once more
The more I drink, the more I drown
If I'm not thinking, I won't lay down
The more I rise above it all
The less I care about the fall
Am I wrong to give in to the pressure?
'Cause I feel like the city's got the better of me
Oh, this casual love isn't what it seems
And I try to imagine something closer
And somebody who is good for me
I'm so tired of all this searching
Do I, do I, do I, do I
Go home to nothing or stay out for more?
Give in to someone or lock down my door?
Or drown all my shadows, drown them like before?
I'm drowning shadows once more
Once more
Once more, ooh
Go home to nothing or stay out for more?
Give in to someone or lock down my door?
Or drown all my shadows, drown them like before?
I'm drowning shadows once more
The lyrics to "Drowning Shadows" by Sam Smith touch on themes of loneliness, the search for love, and the struggle to find oneself. The opening lines describe the singer's frantic attempt to find someone to love, "running around chasing hearts" and "chasing bodies to fix the parts." Despite their efforts, they feel lost and disconnected from their true self, "so far from heaven, so far from grace."
The chorus expresses the singer's desire to give in to the pressure of modern romance, and the seduction of casual love. They are tired of feeling alone, and long for something closer and more meaningful, but they are unsure of what that looks like, "somebody who is good for me." The chorus repeats the line "drowning shadows once more," suggesting that the singer has been in this place before, and they are struggling to break free from their patterns.
Finally, the bridge of the song explores the relationship between substance use and emotional pain. The singer describes using alcohol to numb their feelings, "the more I drink, the more I drown," but also recognizes that this coping mechanism ultimately leads to greater disconnection, "the less I care about the fall." The song ends with the chorus once more, emphasizing the singer's sense of being stuck, torn between the options of going home to nothing, giving in to someone, or drowning their shadows once again.
Line by Line Meaning
Running around chasing hearts
I am constantly chasing after love
Chasing bodies to fix the parts
Trying to fill the emotional void with physical intimacy
I don't know how I reached this place
Feeling lost and unsure of how I got here
So far from heaven, so far from grace
Feeling disconnected from spirituality or a higher power
And I want to give in to the pressure
Feeling the external pressure to conform to societal norms
'Cause I feel like the city's got the better of me
Feeling overwhelmed by city life and its negative effects on me
Oh, this casual love isn't what it seems
Realizing that the casual relationships I am involved in are not fulfilling
And I try to imagine something closer
Hoping for a close, meaningful relationship
And somebody who is good for me
Searching for a compatible partner who is emotionally healthy
I'm so tired of all this searching
Feeling fatigued and discouraged from constantly searching for love
Do I, do I, do I, do I
Am I doing the right thing?
Go home to nothing or stay out for more?
Should I go home alone or continue seeking out social situations?
Give in to someone or lock down my door?
Should I seek out another casual relationship or isolate myself?
Or drown all my shadows, drown them like before?
Should I numb myself to the pain like I have done in the past?
The more I drink, the more I drown
Using alcohol to cope with emotional pain
If I'm not thinking, I won't lay down
Using distraction to avoid confronting my emotions
The more I rise above it all
Feeling detached from my emotions and problems
The less I care about the fall
Becoming apathetic towards my struggles
Drown them shadows once more
Once again, I will numb myself to avoid confronting my emotions
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Fraser T. Smith, Sam Smith
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Paula Morgan
on Stay with Me
this man has the most amazing voice
Laura Salomon
on Stay with Me
Love this song...
Chanty Medina-Cuesta
on Stay with Me
love this man
Jeannie Smith
on Stay with Me
I like this.