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.
Dedicated to Christina Li
Watsky Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I thought that being more embarrassed was impossible
But God, the second time it really turned my stomach
Now I’m the kid who collapses and then spazzes out in public
This time was a bowling alley, the first was in the yard
And kids in middle school just watched me trip and kicked me hard
Except this girl named Crissie Li, who flips around at her desk
And gives me the world’s biggest Disney card
3 feet by 2 feet, I coulda hid behind it
I didn’t like the pity from Christina Li though
I’m thinking “Crissie, can’t you see I’m busy being emo?”
‘Cause I think I mighta heard she maybe sorta liked me
And since she wasn’t cool enough I guess I took it lightly
Had braces and glasses and wasn’t Ms. Popular
And so I didn’t really give a thought to her
[Chorus]
A heart breaking sounds like guitar strings snapping
It’s the notes of the song that’ll never happen
And the wind in the leaves is the sound of ghosts clapping
But a heart breaking sounds like guitar strings snapping
There’s holes in my memory- it isn’t photographic
There’s holes in my yearbook but the cut-out folks were plastic
Ten years pass, I don’t cross paths
With half the people from my class again 'til we meet at Crissie’s open casket
Those who chose to ask it probably knew
I could have dug in deeper if I’d wanted to
But you couldn’t tell a thing was off on the surface
And I didn’t know she was sick until I heard about her service
She was born with a heart defect, used to the cold knife
She’d been in and out of hospitals her whole life
She knew the whole time, and never said why
She felt my pain herself and helped me hold my head high
The nicest folks are those who know the throes of crisis
Though I know it’s crime to twist her life to fit my own devices
Why’s it so hard to mourn, and then try to learn by this
But lights that burn shortest
Are the lights that burn brightest
[Chorus]
Our 8th grade yearbook page for dedicating songs wasn’t long
Even in a school eleven hundred strong
The yearbook advertised for months, but when it’s said and done
Crissie bought six, the third most of anyone
Alvin got “Your Faith in Me” by Jessica Simpson
Pebbles got Richard Marx’s ballad “At the Beginning”
It feels like sloppy poetry the way her life would end
After sending Mariah Carrey’s “Any Time You Need a Friend"
But corniness is honesty that’s wrapped in cliché
And most slow jam lyrics aren’t shit I’m brave enough to say without a smirk
But before she went to dirt she left us finally
"I Will Remember You” to Geoff, Mike, Bry and me
You can plot if you must
Say it’s obviously fate, or explain that God is just
But all I know is that until my body’s dust
I will try to think of her as much as Crissie thought of us
This one goes out to Christina
The song "Dedicated to Christina Li" by Watsky tells the story of the singer's experience with heartbreak in middle school and how he learns about the passing of Christina Li, a classmate he initially overlooked. The lyrics are filled with imagery, from the sound of guitar strings snapping to the wind being the sound of ghosts clapping. The first verse describes the singer's embarrassment when he collapsed in public, and how Christina was the only one who showed him kindness. Although he initially dismissed her, he later learns about her heart defect and how she had been in and out of hospitals her whole life. The chorus repeats the idea that heartbreak sounds like guitar strings snapping, emphasizing the pain and sadness of the situation.
The second verse takes place ten years later when the singer discovers that Christina has passed away. He reflects on how she dedicated a Mariah Carey song to him and a few of their classmates in their 8th-grade yearbook. He mentions feeling moved by her dedication to him and his friends while struggling with the emotion of her passing. The song culminates in the singer promising to think of Christina as much as she thought of them, and how the nicest people are often those who have experienced crises like Christina's.
One interesting fact about "Dedicated to Christina Li" is that Watsky wrote the song after being contacted by Christina's sister, who asked him to perform it at a benefit concert for the American Heart Association. The concert raised over $25,000 in Christina's name. Another fact is that the song includes samples of Mariah Carey's "Anytime You Need a Friend" and Sarah McLachlan's "I Will Remember You." The latter was one of Christina's dedications in the yearbook. The music video for the song features photos of Christina and her family, as well as footage of Watsky performing at the benefit concert.
Chords:
G, C, G, D with a capo on the third fret.
Line by Line Meaning
The first time I went back to homeroom from the hospital
Returning to school for the first time after being hospitalized
I thought that being more embarrassed was impossible
He felt embarrassed after collapsing in public and didn't want it to happen again
But God, the second time it really turned my stomach
The second time he collapsed in public was worse than the first
Now I’m the kid who collapses and then spazzes out in public
Being known as the kid who collapses in public and then has a nervous fit
This time was a bowling alley, the first was in the yard
He collapsed in a bowling alley this time, and the first time was in a yard
And kids in middle school just watched me trip and kicked me hard
Bystanders in middle school didn't help him when he collapsed
Except this girl named Crissie Li, who flips around at her desk
Crissie Li was the only person who showed him kindness after his collapses
And gives me the world’s biggest Disney card
She gave him a large Disney card to cheer him up
I didn’t like the pity from Christina Li though
He didn't want Christina's pity after his collapses
‘Cause I think I mighta heard she maybe sorta liked me
He heard rumors that Christina might have had a crush on him
And since she wasn’t cool enough I guess I took it lightly
He didn't take Christina seriously as a potential romantic interest because she wasn't popular
Those who chose to ask it probably knew
People who asked about Crissie's funeral probably knew something was off about her passing
But you couldn’t tell a thing was off on the surface
On the surface, Crissie seemed like a normal person despite her medical condition
She was born with a heart defect, used to the cold knife
Crissie had a heart defect and was used to surgeries
She’d been in and out of hospitals her whole life
Crissie was in and out of hospitals her whole life
She knew the whole time, and never said why
Crissie knew about her condition the whole time but never talked about it
The nicest folks are those who know the throes of crisis
People who have been through tough times themselves are often the most empathetic
Why’s it so hard to mourn, and then try to learn by this
It's difficult to grieve and try to learn from someone's passing
But lights that burn shortest
People who pass away quickly
Are the lights that burn brightest
Often the people who pass away young leave the biggest impact
Our 8th grade yearbook page for dedicating songs wasn’t long
Their yearbook didn't have a lot of space for dedications
It feels like sloppy poetry the way her life would end
Crissie's passing seems almost like it was written in a cheesy, dramatic way
But corniness is honesty that’s wrapped in cliché
Sometimes cliché things like cheesy song lyrics can still be truthful
But before she went to dirt she left us finally
Before passing away, Crissie left them with a final message
You can plot if you must
People may try to explain why things happen or find meaning in events
Say it’s obviously fate, or explain that God is just
Some may say that things happen for a reason or that it's God's plan
But all I know is that until my body’s dust
He will always remember Crissie and think of her often
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: George Watsky
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind