George was featured on Season 6 of Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry on HBO. He was the 2006 Youth Speaks Grand Slam Poetry Champion, 2006 Brave New Voices International Poetry Slam Champion, and performed in a record six consecutive Youth Speaks Grand Slam Finals. The last three of those audiences, all topping out at over 3,000, were the largest ever for poetry slams anywhere in the world. In 2009 Watsky was one of three poets who performed live on FOX at the NAACP Image Awards in honor of Russell Simmons’ lifetime achievement award.
George has made strides to bring his poetic sensibilities to the theater world. His one-man show So Many Levels has been presented in Boston, San Francisco, Vermont, and at the Hip Hop Theater Festival Critical Breaks series in New York City. He has also been featured at the San Francisco and Washington, DC arms of the Hip Hop Theater Festival. He played the title character and co-wrote a 2004 adaptation of Dante’s Divine Comedy for the Living Word Festival and his stage play Harold’s Fall or King Will is the recipient of the 2009 Rod Parker Playwriting Fellowship.
All I Need Is One
Watsky Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One tape in the deck
One way to connect (all I need is one)
One moment alone
One reason to roam
One place I call home (all I need is one)
One tick on the clock
One trick up my sleeve
One person to love
One verse and one prayer
For one person who cares (all I need is one)
So put one hand in the air
It used to be I’d get afraid and I’d drive
Going forward’s always been the only place I can hide
With no direction I would speed a hundred miles down the coast
Until I lose the ghost that’s chasing me but never arrive
I know the night’s scary, but we’re alive and the pipe’s cherry
And I’ve got a stack of papers like a library
I’m driving seeking a beacon of light freakishly
All I needed was a speaker that might speak to me
But my CD system is so janky a cone dangles
And it dances on its chord like it’s Bo Jangles
You can work it if you hold it at a low angle
But when the bass hits it grows tangled
Come on right speaker! I’ll take everything you give me
But don’t pity me, there’s people living on a single kidney
In my shitty car I’m living large and mashing through my city
Sitting pretty I know
That I’m ready to go
[Chorus]
For beautiful babies in Vegas on their last chip
For all my ninth life kittens hittin’ catnip
For heavy drinkers thinking they were never jack shit
You’re thinking that’s it, but hit a backflip
You got a cracked rib or, maybe a bad liver
You got a bad hip or even a bad temper
But if it’s last supper, one legged mad leper
Put on that glass slipper, you ain’t no half stepper
This ain’t no last breath, it’s only one collapsed lung
We’re holding up the bank with nothing but a cap gun
Down to your last blank
Down to my last drop
Up in the gas tank
We better have fun
Time isn’t a sacred cow
And I’m willing to take it down to the final minute or second, milking my last one
Going up for a take and I’m itching for action
All I need is one
I should remind myself that
All I need is one
[Chorus]
The chorus of Watsky's song All I Need Is One reflects his desire for simplicity and minimalism. The lines "One tape in the deck/One way to connect/One moment alone/One reason to roam/One place I call home" suggest that he doesn't need much to be content, just one thing of each. The repetition of "all I need is one" emphasizes this point. The next lines "One tick on the clock/One trick up my sleeve/One thing to believe/One person to love" further emphasize the idea that simplicity is key. He doesn't need multiple "ticks on the clock" or "tricks up his sleeve," just one. The last line "For one person who cares" suggests the importance of relationships, as having just one person who cares can make all the difference in the world. The chorus ends with the instruction to "put one hand in the air," which could be interpreted as a call to solidarity and connection with others.
Line by Line Meaning
One tape in the deck
Watsky only needs one tape in the deck to enjoy his journey.
One way to connect (all I need is one)
Only one way of connecting to the world is all Watsky requires.
One moment alone
Watsky only requires one moment alone to clear his mind.
One reason to roam
Watsky is content with just one reason to travel.
One place I call home (all I need is one)
Watsky considers one place to call home to be more than enough.
One tick on the clock
Watsky only needs one more tick on the clock to accomplish his dream.
One trick up my sleeve
Watsky believes one trick up his sleeve is enough to face any situation.
One thing to believe (all I need is one)
Watsky believes having one thing to believe in is sufficient to lead a happy life.
One person to love
Watsky believes one person to love is all he needs to lead a fulfilling life.
One verse and one prayer
One verse and one prayer is all that Watsky needs to show his love for someone.
For one person who cares (all I need is one)
All Watsky requires is one person who cares for him.
So put one hand in the air
Watsky inspires his audience to raise their hands if they believe they only need one thing to be happy.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: George Watsky
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind