Smalltown Poets is a Christian rock band formed in 1996. It was formed in A… Read Full Bio ↴Smalltown Poets is a Christian rock band formed in 1996. It was formed in Atlanta, Georgia by high school friends Michael Johnston (guitars/vocals), Danny Stephens (keyboards), and Byron Goggin (drums), along with (then) Nashville musicians Kevin Breuner (guitar), and Miguel DeJesus (bass).

Smalltown Poets achieved recognition with their eponymous first album, released on Ardent Records in 1997. This release earned the band the first of its two Grammy nominations (Best Gospel Rock Album) and numerous Dove Award nominations. Despite line-up changes, the band stayed active for more than ten years, releasing three albums on Ardent Records and one on BEC Recordings.

Smalltown Poets went on hiatus several months after their fourth studio album called It's Later Than It's Ever Been," but regrouped in the fall of 2010 to begin production on a Christmas album due out in 2011 (co-produced and mixed by former Smalltown Poets drummer Matt Goldman). In anticipation of that full-length release, the band released a Christmas single in December 2010 titled "In the Bleak Midwinter."

The full-length project, Smalltown Poets Christmas, was released on Nov. 1st, 2011, on the band's own Friendly City Records label and is available on iTunes, Amazon.com, CDBaby.com, and other online media outlets.

Anymore
Smalltown Poets Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Covered it up with a question mark
Covered it with a crowd
Keeping myself among the proud
I don't believe anyone could love

Anyone less if they tried
I smiled at you and died inside, inside
I heard the voice I knew

Covered it over with thoughts of you and I'll

Never keep it silent anymore
Silent anymore, anymore
Silently think of a prayer for me
Voice it inside your head

Maybe I need to hear it said
Sometimes the word condemns the thought
So they're held a lot
Silence is golden when I'm not, I'm not

Whether it's God or it's you
I need to speak and be spoken to
I can't stand this silence anymore
Silence anymore, anymore

I can't stand it anymore, silence anymore
No not anymore, anymore

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Anymore" by Smalltown Poets speaks to the theme of silence and the harm it can do when we refuse to communicate our thoughts and emotions with others. The singer is covering up their true feelings with a "question mark" and a "crowd" of people, trying to fit in with the "proud" instead of being vulnerable and authentic. They are keeping themselves from expressing their emotions, including love, because they don't believe anyone could truly love them.

The singer realizes that their silence is no longer sustainable, admitting that "Silence is golden when I'm not." They call on others, either God or a loved one, to speak to them and for them to break the silence. The lyrics suggest that sometimes we need someone else to speak for us, to voice what we are too afraid or too proud to say ourselves. The repeated refrain of "Silence anymore, anymore" highlights the urgency the singer feels in breaking their silence and finding a way to express their true emotions.

Line by Line Meaning

Covered it up with a question mark
I concealed my true emotions by pretending that I am uncertain.

Covered it with a crowd
I put up a facade by surrounding myself with people.

Keeping myself among the proud
I am maintaining an arrogant stance to hide my weaknesses.

I don't believe anyone could love
I have convinced myself that no one could possibly love me.

Anyone less if they tried
No one could love me any less even if they attempted to.

I smiled at you and died inside, inside
I faked a smile to avoid revealing my inner pain.

I heard the voice I knew
I recognized the voice calling out to me.

Covered it over with thoughts of you and I'll
I distracted myself by thinking about you.

Never keep it silent anymore
I refuse to keep quiet any longer.

Silent anymore, anymore
I won't remain speechless anymore.

Silently think of a prayer for me
Please pray for me silently.