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.
Turn to Me
Sara Bareilles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As if you could hear me speak.
The breath of me but words of you
You take the one away, and the other still makes me weak.
Every now and then I start to laugh
Thinking of the last time you kissed me free.
Still reeling from the aftermath
Its a simple world I know the way it works. I know I'm not the first
From time to time I turn to you
But I won't let it show like you want me to.
My head held so high; I can hardly see
Wouldn't notice if you were turned to me.
If you were turned to me.
I hope you can understand
Because we've all been there some
When you're hanging from someone else's hand
The moment of letting go will leave your fingertips numb.
It's a simple world. I know the tables turn.
And I'll close the book of you word after word.
From time to time I turn to you
But I won't let it show like you want me to.
My head held so high; I can hardly see
Wouldn't notice if you were turned to me.
If you were turned to me.
If you were turned to me I wouldn't think twice to turn the tacit hands of time back to when you were mine.
But it's a paradox of chains and locks I keep on looking forward when I walk so I see almost nothing at all...
Except when from…
From time to time I turn to you
But I won't let it show like you want me to.
My head held so high; I can hardly see
Wouldn't notice if you were turned to me.
If you were turned to me.
The lyrics of Sara Bareilles’s song “Turn to Me” are about the struggle of moving on from a past relationship, yet still feeling tempted to turn to that person for comfort. The first verse describes the internal dialogue between the singer and their former partner. Even though they know the person can't hear them, they still talk to them as though they could. The memories of their relationship leave them weak, and even though it ended badly, the singer still finds themselves laughing at moments they shared with the other person.
The chorus juxtaposes the complexity of emotions the singer is feeling. While they long for their former partner to turn to them, they can't let it show. They walk with their head held high, not wanting to be vulnerable or give the other person the satisfaction of knowing that they still want them. The singer acknowledges that the tables turn, and while they want to turn back time to when they were together, they know that they need to move on.
In the bridge, the singer acknowledges the paradox of loving someone who hurt them. They keep moving forward, blocking out everything else, but they can't help turning back to the past occasionally. The overall message of the song is that it’s okay to mourn the loss of a relationship, but eventually, it’s necessary to let go and move on.
Line by Line Meaning
From time to time I talk to you
Occasionally, I speak as though you're listening
As if you could hear me speak.
As though you can hear the words I say
The breath of me but words of you
My words come from me, but they're about you
You take the one away, and the other still makes me weak.
Even without you, thinking of you still affects me deeply
Every now and then I start to laugh
Occasionally, I find myself laughing
Thinking of the last time you kissed me free.
Recalling the moment when you kissed me and I felt unburdened
Still reeling from the aftermath
Still experiencing the effects of what happened
Of the savory storm of you and me
Of the intense and delicious experience we had together
Its a simple world I know the way it works. I know I'm not the first
I understand how the world works, and I know I'm not the only one to have gone through this
From time to time I turn to you
At times, I look to you
But I won't let it show like you want me to.
But I won't display this to you, which is what you'd like
My head held so high; I can hardly see
I keep my head held high, but it makes it difficult to see clearly
Wouldn't notice if you were turned to me.
I wouldn't notice if you were looking at me
If you were turned to me.
If you were looking at me
I hope you can understand
I hope you can comprehend this
Because we've all been there some
Because we've all experienced something similar
When you're hanging from someone else's hand
When you're completely dependent on someone else
The moment of letting go will leave your fingertips numb.
The act of letting go will leave you feeling numb
It's a simple world. I know the tables turn.
The world is straightforward. I know that things can change quickly
And I'll close the book of you word after word.
I will gradually move on from you
If you were turned to me I wouldn't think twice to turn the tacit hands of time back to when you were mine.
If you were looking at me, I would want to go back to when we were together
But it's a paradox of chains and locks
However, it's a situation that feels like being trapped
I keep on looking forward when I walk so I see almost nothing at all...
I keep moving forward, so I don't see what's behind me
Except when from...
Except when I look to you
From time to time I turn to you
Occasionally, I look to you
But I won't let it show like you want me to.
But I won't display this to you, which is what you'd like
My head held so high; I can hardly see
I keep my head held high, but it makes it difficult to see clearly
Wouldn't notice if you were turned to me.
I wouldn't notice if you were looking at me
If you were turned to me.
If you were looking at me
Contributed by Hannah R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Wolf and Brie
Lovely song!
Ivan Moreno
this is one of her best songs... and no comments?
R RR
Its a strange strange world
Nicholas Bello
Underrated