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.
Manhattan
Sara Bareilles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know it's for the best
I'll gather up the avenues
And leave them on your doorstep
And I'll tip toe away
So you won't have to say
You heard me leave
I know it's what you want
The bustle and the buildings
The weather in the fall
And I'll bow out of place
To save you some space
For somebody new
You can have Manhattan
'Cause I can't have you
Ah
You can have Manhattan
The one we used to share
The one where we were laughing
And drunk on just being there
Hang on to the reverie
Could you do that for me
'Cause I'm just too sad to
You can have Manhattan
'Cause I can't have you
And so it goes
One foot after the other
'Til black and white begin to color in
And I know
That holding us in place is simply fear
Of what's already changed
Ah
You can have Manhattan
I'll settle for the beach
And sunsets facing westward with
Sand beneath my feet
I'll wish this away
Just missing the days
When I was one half of two
You can have Manhattan
'Cause I can't have you
In this hauntingly beautiful song, Sara Bareilles sings about the pain of letting go of a lover and giving them something that they want that she cannot have. She tells her lover that they can have Manhattan, New York City, where they used to share a life together, but she knows it is for the best. She will gather up the avenues and leave them on his doorstep and tip toe away so that he won't have to hear her leave. She knows this is what he wants, the bustle and buildings, the weather in the fall, and she will bow out of place to save him some space for somebody new. She repeats the chorus, "You can have Manhattan, 'cause I can't have you," indicating the emotional pain she is feeling and the difficulty she is having in separating from him.
In the second verse, she asks her lover to hang onto the reverie, to hold onto the memories of the times they spent together in Manhattan, because she is just too sad to do it herself. She acknowledges that they cannot be together anymore and that each step they take is a step closer to the painful change. Finally, she tells him that she will settle for the beach, the sunsets facing westward, and sand beneath her feet, but it is with sadness in her heart, missing the days when she was one half of two. She ends the song with the repetition of the chorus and the final line, "You can have Manhattan, 'cause I can't have you."
Line by Line Meaning
You can have Manhattan
The singer is allowing the person they are addressing to keep Manhattan.
I know it's for the best
The singer acknowledges that letting go of Manhattan is the best thing to do.
I'll gather up the avenues
The singer will gather up the roads of Manhattan as if they were objects to give to the other person.
And leave them on your doorstep
The artist will leave the roads in a pile outside the other person's place.
And I'll tip toe away
The artist will leave quietly without making any noise.
So you won't have to say
You heard me leave
The singer wants to make it easier for the other person by leaving without saying goodbye so the other person doesn't have to acknowledge their departure.
You can have Manhattan
The singer is repeating their offer to give Manhattan away.
I know it's what you want
The artist believes that Manhattan is what the other person wants.
The bustle and the buildings
The weather in the fall
The artist is referring to the things that the other person appreciates about Manhattan.
And I'll bow out of place
To save you some space
For somebody new
The artist will remove themselves from the other person's life to make room for someone new.
You can have Manhattan
'Cause I can't have you
The singer can't be with the other person so they are giving them Manhattan instead.
The one we used to share
The one where we were laughing
And drunk on just being there
The artist is referring to a shared past with the other person.
Hang on to the reverie
Could you do that for me
'Cause I'm just too sad to
The singer is asking the other person to hold on to their shared memories because they are too sad to do so themselves.
And so it goes
One foot after the other
'Til black and white begin to color in
The singer is describing the process of moving on and letting go.
And I know
That holding us in place is simply fear
Of what's already changed
The singer acknowledges that holding on to the past is futile because their situation has already changed.
I'll settle for the beach
And sunsets facing westward with
Sand beneath my feet
I'll wish this away
Just missing the days
When I was one half of two
The artist is willing to give up Manhattan and settle for less, missing their former life with the other person.
You can have Manhattan
'Cause I can't have you
The artist is repeating their offer to give Manhattan away, emphasizing that they can't be with the other person.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: SARA BAREILLES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-pk9ec9bx2k
you can have manhattan
l know it's for the best
I'll gather up the avenues
And leave them on your doorstep
And I'll tip toe away
So you won't have to say
You heard me leave
you can have manhattan
l know it's what you want
the bustle and the buildings
the weather in the fall
to save you some space
for somebody new
you can have manhattan
cause l can't have you
ahhhhh
you can have manhattan
the one we used to share
the one where we were laughing
and drunk on just being there
hang on to the reverie
could you do that for me?
cause l'm just too sad to
you can have manhattan
cause l can't have you
and so it goes
one foot after the other
til black and white begin to color in
and l know
that holding us in place
is simply fear of what's already changed
ahhhhh
you can have manhattan
l'll settle for the beach
the sunsets facing westward
with sand beneath my feet
and l'll wish this away
just missing the days
when l was one half of two
you can have manhattan
@teapotlily
What makes it so many times sadder for me is that in her commentary for the song she said that she meant to sing until the end of the song, but she didn't because she was crying and then left it that way.
@shylajo1
"What's holding us together is simply fear of whats already changed."....Such a beautiful, deep lyric. I really love the whole album!!!!
@AnneHeaton
I know, this line 😭♥️👍🏻
@rosastark7397
@@AnneHeaton die 🎲 im Moment im o
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@howardmann8689
agree.. ttws fan
@CountryCowboy008
“I’ll tiptoe away so you won’t have to say you heard me leave”
I lost it on that part 😭😭😭
If you love someone so much but they don’t love you anymore, the last thing that you want is to be an inconvenience to them. So you’d bow out and leave for good as quietly as possible.
@bryndenfoster1651
The most emotional line every time for me is "you can have Manhattan, I know it's what you want." It shows a sign of respect and love even though they obviously are no longer together.
@irisj6202
I just love how uncharacterized her voice is. She’s not trying to sound like Adele or every other singer nowadays. She’s just singing like herself, and I love that so much. I could pick her out of a hundred voices.
@user-xf1ms8pm8y
You know that's so true. She's got her own singing style.
@1996Joyous
"And I’ll bow out of place, to save you some space for somebody new.”