After graduating from UCLA in 2002, Bareilles performed at local bars and clubs. She issued two demos of mostly live tracks in 2003: The First One in April and The Summer Sessions in October.
In January 2004, Bareilles released her first studio album, Careful Confessions. She signed a contract with Epic Records' A&R executive Pete Giberga on April 15, 2005. The remainder of the year and early 2006 was spent writing and reworking songs for her upcoming album.
Her debut major-label album Little Voice came out on July 17, 2007.
I'm Afraid
Sara Bareilles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I′m afraid I might have been a little stupid to write this song
I'm afraid that during high winds
The stop sign will uproot and decapitate me
Or that I might thrive on to Scientology
I'm afraid that after I die
Someone will have sex with my dead body
And be like, "Not worth it"
Or that he'll Back to the Future, and I′ll think he's hot
I′m afraid that I'll accidentally text a pic of my vagina to my dad
And I′m afraid that on Ancestry.com
I might find out I have a bunch of half siblings
And they'll want to be in my life
I'm afraid that if I got an awful disease, I wouldn′t be brave
I′d just be a bitch and be mean or if I needed еmergency heart surgеry
The doctor would go, "Hello nipple hair"
Sometimes I'm afraid to hold a new baby
What if I lose control of my arms for a second?
And throw it at the ceiling fan or something like that
Can′t I trust my arms?
And I'm afraid, that under every bus stop is a sinkhole of rats
And I′m afraid, they lie about expiration dates and my hummus is just fungus
And afraid that the second I leave town, I'll get a UTI
Why can′t they just sell those pills over the counter?
I don't need a doctor
I know exactly what it is
Oh, back to my kid, I have more stuff about him
I only breastfed for four months, is he gonna be a bond trader?
And I'm afraid that if I′m lucky enough to be 80
I′ll be one of those ladies who's entire scalp is visible when the sun shines through her salmon colored hair
And I′m afraid that someone will find out that I memorize all the words to Macklemore's "Thrift Shop"
Or that I bought seven seasons of The Mentalist
And of course, I′m afraid that somewhere, deep inside of me, is a lost tampon
Where did you go? Where did you go?
I am afraid
The lyrics to Sara Bareilles's song "I'm Afraid" touches on various irrational fears and concerns that she has. She is afraid of heights, trying new things, and even writing this very song. She is also afraid of stop signs falling on her during high winds, being recruited to Scientology, or someone having sexual intercourse with her dead body after she passes. The lyrics also touch on fears of raising a son who gets radicalized on Reddit or accidentally sending a vulgar picture meant for someone else to her dad. Furthermore, Sara Bareilles confesses that she is afraid of holding a new baby, scared that she might throw the infant up in the air and lose control of her limbs. She also has concerns about being 80 years old and having a visible scalp through her thinning hair, and even fears that there may be a lost tampon within her.
The song is relatable because it highlights the peccadilloes and irrational fears that everyone feels at some point in their life. The song can be interpreted as a way of encouraging the listener to embrace their fears and recognize that they are just obstacles that they can overcome. Sara Bareilles is acknowledging her fears and realizing that they do not define her, and it's essential to talk about them so that she can overcome them. She is human just like us, and it's okay to be afraid.
Line by Line Meaning
I’m afraid of heights, afraid of tryin'
I have a fear of heights, and I'm also afraid of trying new things.
I’m afraid I might have been a little stupid to write this song
I'm worried that this song may come across as silly or foolish.
I'm afraid that during high winds
The stop sign will uproot and decapitate me
Or that I might thrive on to Scientology
I am scared that in extreme weather conditions, a stop sign could potentially become a danger to my life or I might accidentally get involved with a controversial organization.
I'm afraid that after I die
Someone will have sex with my dead body
And be like, "Not worth it"
I have a fear that after I pass away, somebody might have sexual relations with my dead body and then regret it instantly.
I’m afraid I could raise a son who’d get radicalized on Reddit
Or that he'll Back to the Future, and I’ll think he's hot
I am afraid that my son might follow dangerous beliefs or ideologies from social media websites like Reddit or he may resemble a character I had a crush on from a popular movie franchise.
I’m afraid that I'll accidentally text a pic of my vagina to my dad
And I’m afraid that on Ancestry.com
I might find out I have a bunch of half siblings
And they'll want to be in my life
I'm afraid that I might send an inappropriate image to my father, and I'm also worried about discovering biological relatives through genealogy websites and not knowing how to handle their presence in my life.
I'm afraid that if I got an awful disease, I wouldn’t be brave
I’d just be a bitch and be mean or if I needed emergency heart surgery
The doctor would go, "Hello nipple hair"
I'm afraid that if I ever have a serious illness or need to undergo surgery, I might not be able to handle it with grace, and also afraid that the medical staff might insult me or make me feel uncomfortable.
Sometimes I'm afraid to hold a new baby
What if I lose control of my arms for a second?
And throw it at the ceiling fan or something like that
Can’t I trust my arms?
I have a fear of holding babies as I worry that my arms might unexpectedly move, and the baby could be harmed.
And I'm afraid, that under every bus stop is a sinkhole of rats
And I’m afraid, they lie about expiration dates and my hummus is just fungus
And afraid that the second I leave town, I’ll get a UTI
Why can’t they just sell those pills over the counter?
I don't need a doctor
I know exactly what it is
I'm afraid that rodents live beneath every bus stop, and also scared that my food might expire earlier than the date mentioned on the packaging, leading to food poisoning. I'm also afraid of catching a UTI from unknown sources and wish that the medication could be made available over the counter, as I know what I need.
Oh, back to my kid, I have more stuff about him
I only breastfed for four months, is he gonna be a bond trader?
And I’m afraid that if I’m lucky enough to be 80
I’ll be one of those ladies who's entire scalp is visible when the sun shines through her salmon-colored hair
I'm concerned about my son's future and whether my limited breastfeeding might affect his choice of career. And, as I grow old, I'm terrified of developing hair loss, which exposes my scalp and makes me look unattractive.
And I’m afraid that someone will find out that I memorize all the words to Macklemore's "Thrift Shop"
Or that I bought seven seasons of The Mentalist
And of course, I’m afraid that somewhere, deep inside of me, is a lost tampon
Where did you go? Where did you go?
I'm scared that somebody will discover how much I like certain forms of pop culture, and also afraid of the possibility of misplacing a tampon inside my body and not being able to retrieve it.
Writer(s): Sara Bareilles, Meredith Scardino, Jeff Richmond, Anna Drezen
Contributed by Ava D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jazsisante
Only Sara Bareilles could sing this perfectly with the intention of being ridiculously, genuinely scared & vulnerable but with such heart and its AMAZING??
@janreinhardt8910
"I'm afraid that inside of me is a lost tampon" So many great song lyrics wrapped in one great ballad.
@mckay5879
And they she sings" Where are you... Where are you" just spectacular
@stephanieschramm9844
Just watched all of the episodes. This song is hilarious and needs a very serious music video.
@AnkhAnanku
Like it’s just her sitting at a bus stop on a gray rainy day and we cut to her closeup and her eyes widen just a tiny bit
@swilson5320
I was in a nail salon full of old ladies and they were playing a playlist of Sara bareilles and this song came up and they were like ‘wahhhhh?!?’
It was the most hilarious thing to happen in a long time
@spinny418
and i bet they all went home and downloaded it..lol
@DerpyFaery
Loving this song and burst out laughing because the fears expressed are so random and extreme. Lol
@gwenvmac
Definitely thought about a lot of these!
@pumlisahlazo2851
I was not prepared 😭