The singer, songwriter, keyboardist, and producer, born Sampha Sisay, started making music in his early teenage years. In 2009, the South London native broke through with a remix of the xx's "Basic Space," which led to a busy schedule across 2010 and 2011. This period entailed collaborations with SBTRKT, Jessie Ware, and Lil Silva, as well as a solo debut with Sundanza, an EP issued on the Young Turks label. After a less eventful 2012, the following year Sampha was featured on Drake's "Too Much" and Beyoncé's "Mine," and issued Dual, his second Young Turks EP, an abstract and skeletal showcase for his fragile-sounding yet expressive voice. As he continued to work with fellow U.K. natives SBTRKT, Bullion, and FKA twigs, Sampha was also sought by more high-profile North American artists, and in 2016 alone appeared on Kanye West's The Life of Pablo, Frank Ocean's Endless, and Solange's A Seat at the Table. His own "Timmy's Prayer" (co-written by West) and "Blood on Me" were out by the end of the year as previews of his first full-length. Process, recorded while Sampha was grieving the death of his mother, and released in February 2017, hit number seven in the U.K. and narrowly missed the Top 50 in the U.S. Later in the year, Sampha made appearances on Drake's More Life and releases from Richard Russell's Everything Is Recorded project. Process went on to win the 2017 Mercury Prize, as well as Gilles Peterson's Worldwide Awards Album of the Year. Over the next few years, Sampha contributed in various capacities to recordings by Loyle Carner, Alicia Keys, Headie One and Fred again.., Actress, and many other artists across genres. An expanded "bonus edition" of Process, released in 2022, added two tracks previously available only in Japan.
Timmy's Prayer
Sampha Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If ever you're listening
If ever you're listening
If ever you're listening
If Heaven's a prison
Then I am your prisoner
Yes, I am your prisoner
I know now
There's no room for me to play now
Nowhere to dig my way out
My vital organs are beating through
My ribcage opened, my heart ballooned
I, I've lost another one
I'm on the floor trying to dress my wounds
Address the fact it was mine to lose
I, I didn't try enough
And when I'm left without your love
It could feel like a lifetime baby
And somewhere in the start we had it alright
Sunshine and blue skies, yes I recall
But now there's a darker blue
I'm bleeding and you don't care
The sun sinks and you're not there
If ever you're listening
If Heaven's a prison
Then I am your prisoner
Yes, I am your prisoner
I messed up, ooh
I know now
There's no room for me to play now
Nowhere to dig my way out
My brother always said I'm a dreamer, dreamer
You better watch out where this life will lead ya
And he always said she's a keeper keeper
She'll stay by your side when the rest will leave ya
Well I'm looking on my left side, I'm looking on my right
She's nowhere to be seen now when I close my eyes at night
Dreaming, surely you can find me by the shore
I'm singing so blindly, can you hear me?
Can you find me?
If you find me, wanna tell you I love you so
I wanna tell you that love comes and goes
That it comes and goes
I hear the footsteps in the water and I feel the breeze
I open my eyes and no words, no words
I wish that I listened when I was in prison
Now I'm just a visitor
I came to the gates but you turned me away
You asked me what am I waiting for
I'm waiting cause I fucked up, ooh
I got thrown out
I don't know which way to go now
Don't know which way is home now
If ever you're listening
If Heaven's a prison
Then I am your prisoner
Yes, I am your prisoner
I messed up, oh
I know now
There's no room for me to play now
Nowhere to dig my way out
"Timmy's Prayer" by Sampha is a song about regret and the longing to be heard by someone who has turned their back on you. The opening lines of the song repeat the phrase "If ever you're listening" showing the desperation of the singer to be heard by someone, likely a lover. The following lines about "Heaven's a prison" and "I am your prisoner" paint a picture of a relationship that may have been constricting or suffocating to the singer, but they still long for it. The lyrics "I messed up, I know now" shows the singer's acknowledgement of their mistakes and the consequences they face.
Further, the singer describes their physical pain with lines like "My vital organs are beating through" and "My ribcage opened, my heart ballooned". These lines could be interpreted as either metaphorical or literal, indicating the severity of the pain the singer is feeling, both emotionally and physically. The lyrics "I, I didn't try enough" show the singer's willingness to take responsibility for their actions and the loss of the relationship. The dream-like quality of the song is highlighted in the chorus, where the singer imagines a scenario where the listener can hear them, and they can express their love. This shows the depth of the singer's emotions and the longing for a connection that they have lost.
Line by Line Meaning
If ever you're listening
I hope you can hear me
If ever you're listening
I hope you can hear me
If ever you're listening
I hope you can hear me
If ever you're listening
I hope you can hear me
If Heaven's a prison
If being in a relationship is like being in a prison
Then I am your prisoner
Then I am trapped in this relationship
Yes, I am your prisoner
Yes, I am trapped in this relationship
I messed up, ooh
I made a mistake
I know now
I realize
There's no room for me to play now
There's no more opportunities for me
Nowhere to dig my way out
I can't escape
My vital organs are beating through
My heart is hurting
My ribcage opened, my heart ballooned
I feel a lot of pain
I, I've lost another one
I've lost another person I love
I'm on the floor trying to dress my wounds
I'm trying to heal my emotional pain
Address the fact it was mine to lose
I accept that I'm the one who caused this
I, I didn't try enough
I didn't put enough effort
And when I'm left without your love
When I'm no longer with you
It could feel like a lifetime baby
It could feel like forever
And somewhere in the start we had it alright
We were happy before
Sunshine and blue skies, yes I recall
I remember the good times
But now there's a darker blue
Now it's all dark and sad
I'm bleeding and you don't care
I'm hurting and you're not helping
The sun sinks and you're not there
You're not here to support me
My brother always said I'm a dreamer, dreamer
My brother always said I'm too optimistic
You better watch out where this life will lead ya
You need to be careful in life
And he always said she's a keeper keeper
And he always said you're the one for me
She'll stay by your side when the rest will leave ya
You'll stay by my side when others abandon me
Well I'm looking on my left side, I'm looking on my right
I'm looking for you everywhere
She's nowhere to be seen now when I close my eyes at night
I can't find you anymore
Dreaming, surely you can find me by the shore
In my dream, I hope we can be together
I'm singing so blindly, can you hear me?
I'm expressing my feelings even though you may not listen
Can you find me?
Can we be together?
If you find me, wanna tell you I love you so
If we can be together, I want to express my love for you
I wanna tell you that love comes and goes
I want to remind you that love is not always permanent
That it comes and goes
Love is not always permanent
I hear the footsteps in the water and I feel the breeze
I'm aware of my surroundings
I open my eyes and no words, no words
But I'm still alone
I wish that I listened when I was in prison
I wish I had listened when I was in this relationship
Now I'm just a visitor
Now I'm just someone passing by
I came to the gates but you turned me away
I tried to come back, but you rejected me
You asked me what am I waiting for
You asked me why I'm still here
I'm waiting cause I fucked up, ooh
I'm waiting because I made a mistake
I got thrown out
I got kicked out of the relationship
I don't know which way to go now
I don't know what to do now
Don't know which way is home now
I don't know where my home is anymore
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Carl H Davis, Eugene Record, Kanye Omari West, Sampha Lahai Sisay
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ilaallstar
The sweetest part of this song <3 0:55-1:49
"My vital organs are beating through
My ribcage opened, my heart ballooned
I, I've lost another one
I'm on the floor trying to dress my wounds
Address the fact it was mine to lose
I, I didn't try enough
And when I'm left without your love
It could feel like a lifetime baby
And somewhere in the start we had it alright
Sunshine and blue skies, yes I call
But now there's a darker blue
I'm bleeding and you don't care
The sun sinks and you're not there"
@sheliaburnett9974
ever you're listening
If ever you're listening
If ever you're listening
If ever you're listening
If heaven's a prison
Then I am your prisoner
Yes, I am your prisoner
I messed up, oh
I know now
There's no room for me to play now
Nowhere to dig my way out
My vital organs are beating through
My ribcage opened, my heart ballooned
I, I've lost another one
I'm on the floor trying to dress my wounds
Address the fact it was mine to lose
I, I didn't try enough
And when I'm left without your love
It could feel like a lifetime baby
And somewhere in the start we had it alright
Sunshine and blue skies, yes I call
But now there's a darker blue
I'm bleeding and you don't care
The sun sinks and you're not there
If ever you're listening
If heaven's a prison
Then I am your prisoner
Yes, I am your prisoner
I messed up, oh
I know now
There's no room for me to play now
Nowhere to dig my way out
My brother always said I'm a dreamer, dreamer
You better watch out where this life will lead ya
And he always said she's a keeper keeper
She'll stay by your side when the rest will leave ya
Well I'm looking on my left side, I'm looking on my right
She's nowhere to be seen now when I close my eyes at night
Dreaming, surely you can find me by the shore
I'm singing so blindly, can you hear me?
Can you find me?
If you find me, wanna tell you I love you so
I wanna tell you that love comes and goes
That it comes and goes
I hear the footsteps in the water and I feel the breeze
I open my eyes and no words, no words
I wish that I listened when I was in prison
Now I'm just a visitor
I came to the gates but you turned me away
You asked me what am I waiting for
I'm waiting cause I fucked up, oh
I got thrown out
I don't know which way to go now
Don't know which way is home now
If ever you're listening
If heaven's a prison
Then I am your prisoner
Yes, I am your prisoner
I messed up, oh
I know now
There's no room for me to play now
Nowhere to dig my way out
@EscapeTracks
so happy that you're back <3
@rjbaylon9008
For me it's one of the song that I repeat playing until I get sick of it for a while then discover it again then repeat what I just did few weeks before 😂😂
@fayetaylor1998
I do the same thing!
@preposterous1212
Me too
@Shola-tg6lv
I just rediscovered it and found a like I left for u like 2 years ago
@omar-rv5uq
Time to find it again
@imperialgrind3128
Same
@AlainBruno
This song deserves a music video.
@jay-vc9ot
I love this song!!
@16annia
agreed