"I never knew til you were gone how many pages you were on"

The song I will be analyzing this week is by Keith Anderson, one of my favorite country singers. It's sad, but also really beautiful with an incredible piano intro. The only way to hear the song is through his web site, keithanderson.com, or buy the single on iTunes, because it's from his second, unreleased album. The album, titled "C'mon," comes out May 20, the same week as my college graduation. Given the fact that I still have no idea what I'm doing after I graduate, it's a toss up between which of those things makes me more excited!

"I Still Miss You" Music and Lyrics by Keith Anderson, Jason Sellers and Tim Nichols

I've changed the pre-sets in my truck,
So those old songs don't sneak up.
They still find me, and remind me;
Yeah, you come back that easy.
I try restaurants I've never been to,
Order new things off the menu
That I never tried, cause you didn't like.
Two drinks in, you were by my side.

So clearly, this song is about a guy who is trying in every way he can to forget a girl who broke his heart. I love this verse because it's really true about the little things we do in life to try and deceive ourselves and forget our true feelings. But as he states, as the songs still manage to "find him," and we can really never forget what is buried beneath the surface.

I've talked to friends, talked to myself.
I've talked to god, I've prayed like hell,
But I still miss you.
I've tried sober, I've tried drinking,
I've been strong and I've been weak
But I still miss you.
I've done everything to move on like I'm supposed to;
But I'd give anything for one more minute with you.
I still miss you.

The above chorus was when this song really started connecting with me. Whenever you miss someone, people give you a million suggestions, and a lot of it is conflicting advice. Talk to your friends. Keep it inside. Drink. Don't drink. And Keith totally hits that point here- a lot of times, NOTHING works. You can try everything that you're supposed to do, but there is really no way you're going to stop missing the person. So is there a solution? Let's find out:

I never knew til you were gone
How many pages you were on
It never ends, I keep turning and
Line after line, you're there again.
I don't know how to let you go;
You're so deep down in my soul.
I feel helpless, so hopeless,
It's like a door that never closes.
No, I don't know how to do this...

The first line of this verse kills me because it is so. amazing. What a simple but lyrically beautiful way to say that you didn't realize how much you needed a person until they weren't there anymore. It's a very haunting statement. He continues with the book metaphor, which is cool. Then he gets to the really heart-wrenching part of the song, saying that he feels like he is never going to recover, and pretty much yelling the last line. It is so emotional and amazing!

I've talked to friends, talked to myself.
I've talked to god, I've prayed like hell,
But I still miss you.
I've tried sober, I've tried drinking,
I've been strong and I've been weak
But I still miss you.
I've done everything to move on like I'm supposed to;
But I'd give anything for one more minute with you.
I still miss you.

The chorus repeats twice at the end of the song, and I was a little disappointed. Not because I don't love the song, but because I wanted a happy ending! But as Keith points out, life doesn't necessarily give you that. Sometimes you can be doing all the right things, and taking all the right steps, but things still don't work out the way you want them to. The best you can do is know in your heart you can get through it, and continue on...because time is the only thing that can heal all wounds.

Wow, so that's too depressing (albeit beautiful) songs in a row. I PROMISE next week I'll do something slightly more uplifting!