Tom's own work draws lightly on all these influences and many others. His at-times drawling baritone and political discontent have occasionally earned him the description of "a young, pissed-off Johnny Cash", but he just as frequently reveals himself as a romantic and a psychonaut. While his earlier songwriting had a decidedly confessional bent, his more recent work sees him navigating fictional territory.
He is currently completing a new album, entitled "The Best and Most of Everything", which explores themes of war, god, love and family.
On My Mind
Tom Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Quite as often as I could have
Maybe I didn't treat you
Quite as good as I should have
If I made you feel second best
Girl I'm sorry I was blind
But you were always on my mind
Maybe I didn't hold you
All those lonely, lonely times
I guess I never told you
That I am so happy that you're mine
If I made you feel second best
Girl I'm sorry I was blind
But you were always on my mind
You were always on my mind
Tell me, tell me that your sweet love hasn't died
Give me, give me one more chance
To keep you satisfied
I'll keep you satisfied
Little things I should have said and done
I just never took the time
But you were always on my mind
You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind
Tom Lee's song "On My Mind" is a deeply heartfelt apology by the singer for not treating his lover as well as he should have. He admits that he may not have loved her as much as he could have, nor treated her as well as she deserved. His remorseful tone is palpable as he acknowledges that he may have made her feel like she wasn't his first choice or priority. He regrets not holding her and expressing his happiness for having her in his life more often. He acknowledges that he never took the time to do the little things that matter and realizes that he was blind to how important she was to him.
Despite his shortcomings, the singer repeatedly assures his lover that she was always on his mind. He acknowledges that his thoughts were consumed by her, even though he may not have always acted on those feelings in the best way. The repetition of the phrase "you were always on my mind" emphasizes the depth of his regret and the intensity of his feelings for her. The singer pleads with his lover to give him another chance to show her that he truly loves and cares for her, and promises to keep her satisfied.
Overall, "On My Mind" is a poignant and relatable song about owning up to one's mistakes in a relationship and trying to make amends. The lyrics show that love requires effort and attention, and that taking someone for granted can have painful consequences.
Line by Line Meaning
Maybe I didn't love you
Perhaps my love for you wasn't enough
Quite as often as I could have
I realize now that I should have loved you more often
Maybe I didn't treat you
I may have mistreated you in some ways
Quite as good as I should have
I should have treated you much better than I did
If I made you feel second best
If I caused you to feel any less important than you are
Girl I'm sorry I was blind
I apologize for not realizing my mistakes earlier
But you were always on my mind
You were constantly in my thoughts
Maybe I didn't hold you
Perhaps I didn't hug you as much as I should have
All those lonely, lonely times
During times when you were lonely
I guess I never told you
I think I didn't explicitly tell you
That I am so happy that you're mine
I'm extremely happy to be yours
Tell me, tell me that your sweet love hasn't died
Can you confirm that you still love me?
Give me, give me one more chance
Please allow me to make amends
To keep you satisfied
So that I can make you happy
I'll keep you satisfied
I'll do everything in my power to keep you happy
Little things I should have said and done
Small things I could have said or done
I just never took the time
I regret not taking the time to show you how much you mean to me
But you were always on my mind
Despite my shortcomings, I did always think of you
You were always on my mind
You were always at the forefront of my thoughts and feelings
You were always on my mind
You had a constant presence in my mind and heart
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Johnny Christopher, Mark James, Wayne Thompson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind