Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964 in Cleveland, OH) is an American singer … Read Full Bio ↴Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964 in Cleveland, OH) is an American singer best known for the singles "Fast Car", "Talkin' Bout a Revolution", "Baby Can I Hold You", and "Give Me One Reason." She is a multi-platinum and multi-Grammy award-winning artist.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio,U.S., Tracy Chapman began playing guitar and writing songs as a child. She received a scholarship through A Better Chance that allowed her to attend Wooster School in Connecticut, and was eventually accepted to Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.

Tracy Chapman helped restore songwriters to the spotlight in the '80s. The multi-platinum success of Chapman's eponymous 1988 debut was unexpected, and it had lasting impact. Although Chapman was working from the same confessional songwriter foundation that had been popularized in the '70s, her songs were fresh and powerful, driven by simple melodies and affecting lyrics. At the time of her first album, there were only a handful of artists performing such a style successfully, and her success ushered in a new era of songwriters that lasted well into the '90s. Along with 10,000 Maniacs and R.E.M., Chapman's liberal politics proved enormously influential on American college campuses in the late '80s.

Official Website: http://www.tracychapman.com
Fansite: http://www.tracychapmanonline.com

Almost
Tracy Chapman Lyrics

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Almost got what I want
Almost found what I lost
Almost saved you and myself
Almost won but it doesn't count
And never does
Never does

One green light

One more ring of the telephone
One more step
One more second
And I almost
Almost

Almost got what I want
Almost found what I lost
Almost saved you and myself
Almost won but it doesn't count
And never does
Never does

One hello
Just one kiss before the tears come
One yes
One chance
And I almost
Almost almost almost

Almost got what I want
Almost found what I lost
Almost saved you and myself
Almost won but it doesn't count
And never does
Never does

One day one year 5,000 weeks
A life of good works and good deeds
Let me be let me be closer
Let me be
Let me be
Let me be

When I've almost got what I want
Almost found what I lost
Almost saved you and myself
Almost won but it doesn't count
And never does
Never does

One good guess
A question with an answer that I know
One idea
One grand notion
And I almost
Almost almost almost

Almost got what I want
Almost found what I lost
Almost saved you and myself
Almost won but it doesn't count
And never does
Never does

Never does
Never does

Overall Meaning

In the song "Almost" by Tracy Chapman, the artist sings about being close to achieving what she desires, but never quite reaching it. Throughout the song, she repeats the phrase "almost got what I want, almost found what I lost, almost saved you and myself, almost won but it doesn't count." This repetition emphasizes the theme of being so close to something, yet not quite achieving it, which highlights frustration and disappointment.

With each verse, Chapman gives examples of what she's almost achieved. Verse one mentions "one green light" and "one more ring of the telephone," signifying that she's almost received good news or a positive outcome. In verse two, she talks about wanting "just one kiss before the tears come," highlighting the emotional closeness that she's almost experienced. The final verse discusses living a life full of good deeds but wanting to be even closer to her desires.

The song's instrumentation is minimal, with just acoustic guitar and vocals, which creates a sense of rawness and vulnerability. This pairs well with the emotional lyrics that discuss coming so close to achieving something but still failing to reach it.

Overall, "Almost" is a song about the feeling of being close to the things we desire but not quite achieving them. Chapman's lyrics express the frustration and longing that can come with being so close yet so far away.

Line by Line Meaning

Almost got what I want
I'm so close to achieving my goal, almost there

Almost found what I lost
I'm getting closer to finding what I've been missing

Almost saved you and myself
I've made an effort to save both of us, but fell short of success

Almost won but it doesn't count
I was on the verge of winning, but it was not considered successful

And never does
This situation never really ends up in my favor

One green light
There's just one opportunity or signal for me to proceed

One more ring of the telephone
I'm waiting for one more phone call that could change everything

One more step
I just need to take one more step to reach my goal

One more second
I need one more moment to make it right

And I almost almost
I was mere moments away from succeeding

Just one kiss before the tears come
I need just one kiss to make me feel better before I start crying