Edwin McCain: I'll Be Meaning
Song Released: 1998
I'll Be Lyrics
Stop me and steal my breath.
Emeralds from mountains thrust toward the sky
Never revealing their depth.
Tell me that we belong together,
Dress it up with the trappings of love.
I'll be...
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1TOP RATED
#1 top rated interpretation:dudes
love suicide is related to him saying he'll be the crying shoulder. crying shoulders are friends. people who are in the friend zone with girls they love are "love suicide" (they essentially intentionally end their realistic mutual love chances with that person). he's saying he'll take the proverbial bullet and end his chances at getting her in order to be there for her.
this is totes about the guy who can't actually get her but can't get enough of being around her.
deuces. -
2TOP RATED
#2 top rated interpretation:The strands in your eyes that color them wonderful
Stop me and steal my breath
(he explains how much she takes his breath away, she's beautiful inside and out)
Emeralds from mountains thrust towards the sky
Never revealing their depth
(his feelings for her flourish, but I don't think he gets a real look at how deep they are until later)
Tell me that we belong together
Dress it up with the trappings of love
(his wishing shell say something, love him. even if she has to lie about it hell be happy for a moment in time)
I'll be captivated, I'll hang from your lips
Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above
(hell be hers forever. Hell live for her. Instead of hanging from the gallows by committing suicide)
*gallows are the apparatus that used to hang people in early years
I'll Be your cryin' shoulder
I'll Be love suicide
I'll Be better when I'm older
I'll Be the greatest fan of your life
(his saying he'll be there when she's upset, he would die for her, and even though his not that good now, hell be better when he's older, but he will love her more then anyone)
Rain falls angry on the tin roof
As we lie awake in my bed
You're my survival, you're my living proof
My love is alive and not dead
(he needs her to prove that he can love, she's his proof of this)
Tell me that we belong together
Dress it up with the trappings of love
I'll be captivated, I'll hang from your lips
Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above
(his wishing shell say something, love him. even if she has to lie about it hell be happy for a moment in time)
I'll Be your cryin' shoulder
I'll Be love suicide
I'll Be better when I'm older
I'll Be the greatest fan of your life
(his saying he'll be there when she's upset, he would die for her, and even though his not that good now, hell be better when he's older, but he will love her more then anyone)
i got this from MIKI13 on SONGMEAININGS.NET -
3TOP RATED
#3 top rated interpretation:Interesting that the singer/writer actually said the meaning is very subjective because I had a very different interpretation. I thought it was from a man's perspective who cannot have a woman he wants to be with. He's already been hurt and this woman (who may be a friend, etc) showed him the way back to love and life but he cannot have her right now for whatever reason. He'll be her crying shoulder and everything she needs to be and the love's suicide is the part where he is willing to sacrifice love just to be there for her and support her (greatest fan of her life)because he can't actually love her at the moment.
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I’ll Be… better when I’m older, I will grow as a person that doesn’t commit, love suicide, ie, kill a loving relationship. I know you are waiting on me, but right now I’m not able to give you that commitment, but I’ll be your biggest fan in life. Sorry.
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I agree with one of the above statements- I have loved this song since I was in 4th or 5th grade and later it reminded me of break ups I’d had, but now I have a 15 year old son And in my opinion it is more fitting for a parent/child relationship. He is having his own romances and I’m pulling him back to earth; loves suicide. It’s reality and best for him that he realizes all that clouds and magic stuff isn’t what’s going to serve him in life- it’s the family love, The breathtaking love for my child.
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Allow me to propose a different interpretation.
I can see the typical man-to-woman love song as most here have pointed out. But I can also see it as a conversation between a Parent (Mother or Father, regardless of the singers gender) to their child as they grow... I personally think it works best as from a Mother to a Son... but other combinations work just as well.
The strands in your eyes that color them wonderful
Stop me and steal my breath
Emeralds from mountains and thrust towards the sky
Never revealing their depth
(She/He is commenting about how beautiful her/his baby is. She can't believe that she created something so great.)
Tell me that we belong together
Dress it up with the trappings of love
I'll be captivated, I'll hang from your lips
Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above
(Again, she/he finds it hard to believe that this small child, is in fact hers/his. Promising to fill them with love, Even if bad things happen.)
I'll be your cryin' shoulder
I'll be love suicide
I'll be better when I'm older
I'll be the greatest fan of your life
(She/He will be there for her/his child. No matter what. To support them through bad times. Saying that both of their love will only grow as they get older, and her/him being their "Greatest Fan".)
And rain falls angry on the tin roof
As we lie awake in my bed
You're my survival, you're my living proof
My love is alive and not dead
(Her/Him and her/his child are laying together in bed, and they are thinking about how even though they've been hurt by love before (maybe a divorce... maybe an argument between the parent/child, etc.) , it's never going to actually go away, because They know that they will always be there for each other.)
Tell me that we belong together
Dress it up with the trappings of love
I'll be captivated, I'll hang from your lips
Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above
(See line #2)
I'll be your cryin' shoulder
I'll be love suicide
I'll be better when I'm older
I'll be the greatest fan of your life
(See line #3)
And I've dropped out, burned up, fought my way back from the dead
Tuned in, turned on, remembered the things that you said
(The child (Now an adult) has had bad things happen to them growing up. But they always remembered the advice that their Mom/Dad gave them during hardships.)
I'll be your cryin' shoulder
I'll be love suicide
I'll be better when I'm older
I'll be the greatest fan of your life
I'll be your cryin' shoulder
I'll be love suicide
I'll be better when I'm older
I'll be the greatest fan of your life
The greatest fan of your life
The greatest fan of your life
(See Line #3) -
Amazing how many people completely miss the point of this and still consider it a sweet love song.
The strands in your eyes that color them wonderful
Stop me and steal my breath
Emeralds from mountains and thrust towards the sky
Never revealing their depth
Not too hard, he thinks she's beautiful and is waxing poetic about it. Next.
Tell me that we belong together
Dress it up with the trappings of love
I'll be captivated, I'll hang from your lips
Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above
Here he's basically telling her to lie to him. To 'dress it up' as love, to tell him it means more that it actually does. And he says he'll 'be captivated' and 'hang from her lips', meaning he knows it's a lie, but he'll believe it anyway, as at the same time heartbreak hangs right over his head.
In other words, he's saying "I know you'll probably break my heart and we won't last, but lie and tell me you love me."
I'll be your crying shoulder
I'll be love's suicide
I'll be better when I'm older
I'll be the greatest fan of your life
Again, mostly obvious. He'll be there for her, he'll support and cheer her on through anything. The 'love's suicide' line is a reference to a certain poem, where the speaker says that what killed his love was complacency. His relationship had no problems, therefore it became boring and the love turned cold.
In other word, he says "I'll be a nice guy and be there for you, but you'll get bored of me because of that eventually."
And rain falls angry on the tin roof
As we lie awake in my bed
You're my survival, you're my living proof
My love is alive and not dead
He's been burned before, perhaps someone else got bored of him, and that is why he expects this person to do the same. But he does have feelings for her, which proves to him he is still capable of love, despite what may have happened to him in the past.
In summary, this song is about the speaker entering into a relationship, expecting it to crash and burn. -
I've thought a lot about the "I'll Be" lyric: "love's suicide." The song's been around for a long time. While it bums me out when writers give the "whatever it means to you..." response, I do understand that lyric meanings change over time. I think "Love's Suicide" refers to the phenomenon that happens when one surrenders to Love: You willingly "kill" the person you were, the things you used to do, the ways you used to act, etc) on behalf of love, as part of your commitment to your beloved. It is a phoenix-like sentiment: "I'll be that one who Love killed in order to be the one that Love resurrected to be with you..."
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LOVE'S SUICIDE
By
Lewis Morris
1833 - 1907
google it... -
maybe he's saying he will be the biggest fan of his own life, and this song is not about a woman, but the song is about himself loving himself and accepting himself... "ill be better when im older","ill be the biggest fan of your life"
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The title "I'll Be" alludes to Hamlet's soliloquy, in which he considers whether or not to commit suicide--"to be or not to be." He's saying he will choose to live on, to "be." (Later in the song, he says "love is alive and not dead.") "Hang from your lips" seems to echo the wording in a Hamlet soliloquy where Hamlet finds the remains of an old servant and reminisces about the facial features (lips) of the beloved servant that used to "hang" from the skull. Kind of morbid. There is definitely a life versus death motif in this song. Gallows is mentioned. The "threads" of colors in her eyes are like the rope of the gallows that "stop" him and "steal his breath."
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He wrote this song in 15 minutes. He was in a bar and overheard people talking and one said to the other, "I'll be your crying shoulder" and he grabbed a napkin and proceeded to write the song.
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My interpretation of the song is that he will be by her side through the thick and thin no matter what. Even give his life for her. He will try and lift most of her worries off her shoulder. In other words, keep her happy and smiling because it hurts him to see her any other way. She is so beautiful,in his eyes inside and out, that he can't help but admire her. The song is about the strongest type love between two people. The type of love that gets stronger with time and never losing its meaning.
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This song to me, is about a man who really likes this girl, and tells how amazing she is to him, ( and he is trying to tell her that he will be anything and everything for her, he may mess up( hence " ill be love's suicide")
Here is my Full interpretation::
"The strands in your eyes that color them wonderful
Stop me and steal my breath." -saying how wonderful this woman is and it well, makes him speechless.
"And emeralds from mountains thrust toward the sky
Never revealing their depth."- I believe he is still referring to her eyes and that she can still be extremely deep not only in her beauty but her words. with a comparison to emeralds that something amazing.
"Tell me that we belong together,
Dress it up with the trappings of love."-meaning he is trying for her love and he is adding to what he is saying with complements(not exactly sure here)
"I'll be captivated,
I'll hang from your lips,
Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above."- He will stay in captivation in her, loving her forever, and keep from hurting her feelings.
"I'll be you crying shoulder, I'll be love's suicide"- he will always be there for her and he will sometimes mess up but try not to.
"I'll be better when I am older, I'll be the greatest fan of your life." - he will be more expierienced when he is aged. and he will worship her more than anyone has ever worshiped her before/will.
"And rain falls angry on the tin roof
As we lie awake in my bed.
You're my survival, you're my living proof.
My love is alive -- not dead." -Obviously while they're lying together in bed it is storming outside, his only reason for living is her, she is his living proof to that his love is alive and not -- dead.
"And I've dropped out, I've burned up, I've fought my way back from the dead.
I've tuned in, turned on, remembered the things that you said"-he has been dumped by her, she has torn him to pieces with words, but he fought his way back from the pain and its all because of what she said. but he will always be there for her(as the chorus repeats it's basically implying that) -
After his concert, I asked him what the lyrics "love suicide" mean. He said it means whatever the words mean to you. He said the meaning of the lyrics could change and don't mean the same to him now that they did when he first wrote them. I think they mean that someone is willing to give up the total unconditional love from someone as long as they share life together.
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I looked up the song for an interpretation of "I'll Be Love's Suicide". When I read that the song started as a conversation between a girl who had a breakup and a guy who told her, "Baby, I'll be your crying shoulder", I got it. He was telling her he would be the death of the love she had for the guy that broke up with her. He was saying "I'll be the one who helps you move on".
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Ill be loves suicide means ill die for you. without a second thought.(:
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I actually met a former member of the Edwin McCain band who explained to me how this song came about. They were at a bar and a drunken girl was upset over a break up and another drunken guy said "Baby, I'll be your crying shoulder", and Edwin started scribbling onto a napkin the lyrics that would someday make this song.
I just love how a drunken conversation was turned into the ballad it is today.
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