Sharon van Etten (born February 26, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter … Read Full Bio ↴Sharon van Etten (born February 26, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter and actress from New Jersey.

Currently based in Brooklyn, NY, USA, van Etten débuted with single Much More Than That (2007, Abaton Book Company). Her album Are We There was released on 14 May 2014 on Jagjaguwar).

van Etten moved to Tennessee to attend Middle Tennessee State University, where she discovered a variety of influential music. After moving back home to New Jersey, she was encouraged by Kyp Malone of TV on the Radio to pursue a career in music.

van Etten undertook her first UK tour with Meg Baird in Jan 2008. She toured with Great Lake Swimmers on their European tour in May 2009, kicking it off with a show in London with Beirut and Shearwater. She again toured with them in September/October 2009.

On May 26th, 2009, she released her "Because I Was in Love" single on 12" vinyl, CD and MP3 on Language of Stone.

She was the first artist to record in 2010 for the Weathervane Music's Shaking Through video series.

On September 21, 2010, her sophomore album, "Epic" was released on Ba Da Bing. The powerful 7-track album featured much more instrumentation than her first, primarily-acoustic affair. The evolution of her sound proved that she is much more than a traditional folk singer-songwriter.

The release of Epic coincided with a difficult break-up of a relationship. She busied herself with touring for the record, but when the singer completed her schedule a year later, she found herself homeless in New York. After a period of sleeping on friends' couches, recovering from her heavy touring schedule, she hooked up the National's guitarist Aaron Dessner to record her third album, Tramp, which was released on February 7th, 2012.

May 2014 brought about the release of Van Etten's fourth record, Are We There, on Jagjaguwar. Van Etten self-produced the record with Stewart Lerman, with the guidance of bandmate and manager Zeke Hutchins. Most of the recording was done at Hobo Sound Studios in Weehawken, New Jersey, with piano tracks being recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York City. The record features musicians Zeke Hutchins, Doug Keith, Heather Woods Broderick, Dave Hartley, Adam Granduciel, Marisa Anderson, Stuart D. Bogie, Mickey Free, Mary Lattimore, Little Isidor, Jacob Morris, Torres' Mackenzie Scott, Shearwater's Jonathan Meiburg, Lower Dens' Jana Hunter, and Efterklang touring member Peter Broderick.

In 2015, the EP I Don't Want to Let You Down was released on Jagjaguwar. It is composed of the songs that did not make it onto Are We There.

On October 2, 2018, Van Etten released a new track entitled "Comeback Kid" and announced her next album Remind Me Tomorrow, which was released on January 18, 2019. On February 28, 2019, Van Etten appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to perform the single "Seventeen".

Sites: MySpace

I Love You But I'm Lost
Sharon Van Etten Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

One, two three

You read the answers by the shadows on the wall, we could be great
Drive myself crazy with mistakes, you know I'm better every day
Tell me there's something I can change
Recall I know what a sanctuary is
Help me deserve you, sing me praise
You love me, but you'll change

Disappointed in a lover because they're the only way
To know somebody in and out, after a while it's a real challenge
Come in here and be yourself again
I love you, but I'm not somebody who takes shots
See me after I recoil
I'm better than I know
There is room to grow

Tear stains on the last page
Better leave 'em
Time will tell and I'll be back
Tear stains, I believe it
I'm in Houston, I can't read my lines
Most of all I find it strange
I believed them

Turn me into something great, you know that that's the only way
Promises that we forgot, I suppose that we were lost
It's turning into something we can change
I love you but I'm lost
Between the pain and cost
I hold myself a lot
I love you but I'm lost
I love you but I'm lost
I love you but I'm lost
I love you but I'm lost

I love you but I'm lost
A love that bears no cross

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Sharon Van Etten's song "I Love You But I'm Lost" describe a complicated relationship. The singer expresses her love for someone but also acknowledges that they are both lost and struggling in their relationship. She pleads for help and guidance, wanting to change to deserve the love of her partner. The lyrics also discuss the challenges of really knowing someone in a relationship and the resulting disappointment and tears. The singer holds out hope for growth and a positive transformation, but the pain and cost of their current situation clearly weighs heavily on her.

Overall, the song seems to be about the difficulty of navigating a complex relationship, and the emotional struggle of loving someone even when things are difficult.

Line by Line Meaning

One, two, three
Counting down, preparing to begin.

You read the answers by the shadows on the wall, we could be great
You interpret the signs you see and believe we have potential.

Drive myself crazy with mistakes, you know I'm better every day
I obsess over past errors, but I'm improving.

Tell me there's something I can change
Give me feedback, show me where I can improve.

Recall I know what sanctuary is
Remember that I value a safe place to retreat and rest.

Help me deserve you, sing me praise
Assist me in earning your affection by acknowledging my potential.

You love me, but you'll change
You care for me, but you acknowledge that we're all evolving.

Disappointed in a lover because they're the only way
Feeling let down because they're the sole connection to intimacy.

To know somebody in and out, after a while it's a real challenge
Getting to know someone thoroughly becomes increasingly difficult over time.

Come in here and be yourself again
Return to our safe haven where you can be true to yourself.

I love you, but I'm not somebody who takes shots
I care for you, but I don't retaliate when hurt.

See me after I recoil
Look at me again once I've retreated from pain or fear.

I'm better than I know
I have untapped potential.

There is room to grow
There's potential for improvement.

Tear stains on the last page
Evidence of emotional pain in the past.

Better leave 'em
It's best to move on from past heartache.

Time will tell and I'll be back
The future will show what lies ahead, but I'll be present when it arrives.

Tear stains, I believe it
I acknowledge the reality and depth of past emotional turmoil.

I'm in Houston, I can't read my lines
I'm somewhere new and I'm not sure how to navigate it.

Most of all I find it strange
I'm particularly unsettled by this experience.

I believed them
I trusted something or someone that didn't pan out.

Turn me into something great, you know that that's the only way
Encourage and support my growth, because that's the only way to be truly amazing together.

Promises that we forgot, I suppose that we were lost
We've lost track of commitments we made to each other- maybe we're not aligned anymore.

It's turning into something we can change
Despite challenges, there's still potential to fix this.

I love you but I'm lost
I care for you, but I'm uncertain about our future.

Between the pain and cost
Navigating this relationship is particularly emotionally challenging and costly.

I hold myself a lot
I keep a tight grip on my emotions and reactions.

A love that bears no cross
A relationship unburdened by past pain or present issues.

I love you but I'm lost
I care for you, but I'm uncertain about our future.