A Los Angeles native, Hirsch began taking piano lessons at the age of five. As a student of classical music, she is influenced by such diverse styles as the Baroque and Chopin's nocturnes, as well as by contemporary artists such as Kate Bush, Paul Simon, and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
In addition to her formal training in music, Hirsch attended Art Center College of Design, graduating with an emphasis in cinematography. She gained experience in a wide variety of artistic disciplines: acting in independent films, writing poetry, pursuing experimental photography, and starting her own web-design business. Perhaps because of these interests, she also acknowledges the films of Jean Cocteau, the surrealist photographs of Man Ray, collages by Picasso, and the poetry of Jack Gilbert as additional influences upon her music. It also allowed her to control the entire process of album creation from composition and production to cover art.
Despite Hirsch's classical and technical fluency, it wasn't until she took time off to live in Ireland that she began her career as an independent artist. She found herself composing music on leaning, upright pianos in hotel lobbies throughout western Ireland. When she returned home to Los Angeles, she compiled and translated those musical impressions, recording her first album, All Girl Band (1999). She followed this up in 2002 with a more rhythmic, electronic album, To the Bone.
Her third album, Entropy 29, was released in November 2005, wholly written, recorded, produced, and programmed by Hirsch as an exploration of the notion of time-travel.
Happier Without You
Terami Hirsch Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Not for all you say it's worth
Happy to let go
Happy to let go
A mile in my shoes
Mister better get to the walking out the door
But I couldn't say it then
But two thousand years pass by
My stupid fingers wave good-bye to you
Was young and foolish, brokenhearted
So I cried my way back to you
But I didn't recognize your face
Not because you changed
But because I'm seeing straight
I'm happier without you
Happier without you
A wicked conversation's taking place
Inside my brain about you
I dare myself to let it go
One more day
One more day without you
One more day turns into ten
And ten multiplies into a lifetime
I think about you sometimes
The lyrics of Terami Hirsch's song "Happier Without You" display a strong sense of letting go and moving on from a previous relationship. The opening lines convey the message that the singer, despite what the other person involved might say, is happy where they are and has no intention of returning to their previous situation. This sense of moving forward is further reinforced by the line "But because I'm seeing straight", which suggests that the singer has a clearer vision of what they want and need.
The song then shifts back in time, to a point when the singer was too hurt to say goodbye to their partner. The poignant line "My stupid fingers wave good-bye to you" highlights the regret that the singer later feels for not having had the strength to stand up for themselves earlier. But as the years pass, the singer gains the clarity they need to recognize that their life is better without the other person in it. Even with the lingering thoughts of their previous relationship, the singer is resolute in their decision to move on and stay "one more day without you".
One interesting aspect of the song is the use of the phrase "a mile in my shoes". This popular idiom is often used to suggest empathy or understanding of another person's situation, but the way it is used here subverts that expectation. Instead of asking the other person to try and see things from their perspective, the singer tells them to simply leave. This subversion adds an extra layer of power to the message of the song, reinforcing the idea that the singer has moved on and is in control of their own life.
Line by Line Meaning
Wouldn't give up this place
I am not willing to let go of my current situation or location
Not for all you say it's worth
Your persuasion and arguments will not change my mind
Happy to let go
I am content with moving on from our relationship
A mile in my shoes
If you were in my position, you would understand
Mister better get to the walking out the door
You need to leave my life and not look back
But I couldn't say it then
I was unable to express my feelings at the time
But two thousand years pass by
Time has passed since our relationship ended
My stupid fingers wave good-bye to you
I foolishly said goodbye to you, even though I didn't really want to
Was young and foolish, brokenhearted
I was inexperienced and heartbroken when we first parted ways
So I cried my way back to you
I attempted to reconcile with you but was unsuccessful
But I didn't recognize your face
When I saw you again, I realized I had moved on and didn't feel the same way
Not because you changed
Your appearance or personality hadn't changed since we last met
But because I'm seeing straight
I am now able to think clearly and see things for what they really are
I'm happier without you
I have come to the realization that I am better off without you in my life
A wicked conversation's taking place
I am having negative thoughts about you
Inside my brain about you
These thoughts are internal and I have not expressed them to anyone
I dare myself to let it go
I am challenging myself to move on from these negative thoughts
One more day
I will try to let go for one more day
One more day without you
I will continue to live without you for another day
One more day turns into ten
The days without you have added up and multiplied
And ten multiplies into a lifetime
I have accepted that I may never be with you again
I think about you sometimes
Although I have moved on, thoughts of you still cross my mind from time to time
Contributed by Charlie O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.