Notice me
Take my hand
Why are we
Strangers when
Our love is strong
Why carry on without me?

Everytime I try to fly
I fall without my wings
I feel so small
I guess I need you baby
And everytime I see you in my dreams
I see your face, it's haunting me
I guess I need you baby

I make believe
That you are here
It's the only way
I see clear
What have I done
You seem to move on easy

And everytime I try to fly
I fall without my wings
I feel so small
I guess I need you baby
And everytime I see you in my dreams
I see your face, you're haunting me
I guess I need you baby

I may have made it rain
Please forgive me
My weakness caused you pain
And this song is my sorry

Ohhhh

At night I pray
That soon your face
Will fade away

And everytime I try to fly
I fall without my wings
I feel so small
I guess I need you baby
And everytime I see you in my dreams
I see your face, you're haunting me
I guess I need you baby




Lyrics submitted by spickly

Everytime song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

181 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +5
    General Comment

    I believe that the song and the video coinside more closely than people think. I don't really think it's about reincarnation as in reborn physically, but more so mentally. Britney and Justin were having problems. Things went wrong. Britney felt like a part of her died. She and Justin tried to get back together (hence the guy saving her in the bathtub) but things didn't work out. Britney was reborn then, because a part of her life was gone. She no longer was the same person after her breakup with justin. So long, goodbye, the end. Take a hike :)

    TraLaLaon June 20, 2005   Link
  • +5
    General Comment

    Britney Spears is miles away from anything I would listen to, I admit I have a broad taste but I tend to lean towards guitar driven music, rock, hard rock, some metal but basically anything that is finely crafted and meaningful.

    Perhaps that's why I respect this song so much because it is the opposite of anything she has ever done and because she wrote it herself. Whilst every other song I have heard by her has been throw away trash with over processed vocals and hollow lyrics this song has true feeling, it's written from real experience and as a result everyone can relate to it.

    It's not even as if she has attempted to display a hidden intelligence or depth, the lyrics are very simple but drip with meaning and sentiment and for the first time you can actually hear her natural voice and it sounds half decent! Even the live SNL rendition on youtube goes a long way to answering those who claim she is unable to sing.

    If it was any other song by her I would hate it but this song is just so beautifully honest and mournful and while normally she is one of the worst offenders for spewing artificial nonsense with no relevance to anyone's life but this song is the opposite, even the piano goes through you, the first time I heard it my spine tingled and as much as I HATED to admit it I loved the song right away.

    This is such a simple song but it's sincerity is undeniable and that is why you will find the most unlikely people admitting to liking it.

    I'm a big, hairy, grumpy kinda fella but 30 seconds of this song has me wanting to blub like a baby and reaching for my phone to text my wife how much I love her.

    Like I said, all her other music is awful but this song connects with me in a way only a few songs ever have, it's tragic and fragile and honest and it's beautiful because of those things.

    I didn't choose to like this song, it pained me to admit I liked this song but I truly believe there are few people who's hair doesn't stand on end when listening.

    This song is so different, so superior to anything else she has ever done because it has EFFORTLESS SINCERITY.

    IMO

    deefatmanon August 16, 2010   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    I don't really like Britney Spears all that much, but I have to agree that the suicide stuff is all fake. You need to re-watch the video and it shows her bleeding from the head, then she sinks. The video is talking about reincarnation. Right when she dies, a new baby is born.

    LostProphets417on April 23, 2004   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    This is the ONLY song that I like from Britney Spears. I think it's rather relaxing in some ways.

    xangelicxon August 26, 2005   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    This song is just so gentle and pretty. I love it. Beautifully sad.

    personno.1on July 26, 2007   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    she wrote this song. she puts her fingers more in this work. you can feel her emotion. it's so britney spears. so good.

    sdlucianon March 21, 2010   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation

    The meaning of this song is so obvious its hilarious that so many people have got it wrong! It is so obviously about Britney and Justin.

    Notice me - Justin is ignoring her and focussing on moving on with his life and it upsets her Take my hand - she wants him to pay her attention again Why are we Strangers when Our love is strong - she knows they both still love eachother and wants to get back together but they're strangers now because he's too stubborn and proud to give her another chance, and won't let her back into his life Why carry on without me? - she knows he still loves her but won't admit it so she asks him 'what is the point of carrying on without me because we both know you still love me'

    Everytime I try to fly I fall without my wings I feel so small - everytime she tries to move on she messes up (random las vegas marriage, kf marriage etc.) and feels like crap I guess I need you baby - she is reluctantly admitting she needs him and she made a mistake And everytime I see you in my dreams I see your face, it's haunting me I guess I need you baby -she cant stop thinking about him

    I make believe That you are here It's the only way I see clear - she imagines he's there coz it makes it easier, which anyone who has gone thru a break up with someone they love can probably relate to What have I done - she admits she made a mistake with the cheatin You seem to move on easy - it hurts her that he's movin on easy, gettin successful and more famous gfs like cameron Diaz

    And everytime I try to fly I fall without my wings I feel so small I guess I need you baby And everytime I see you in my dreams I see your face, you're haunting me I guess I need you baby

    I may have made it rain - the rain are his tears which she caused by cheating, also doubles as a ref. to the rain in CMAR Please forgive me - she asks for his forgiveness My weakness caused you pain - her weakness refers to her cheating which hurt him And this song is my sorry - her apology

    Ohhhh - she's longing and miserable

    At night I pray That soon your face Will fade away - she knows he wont come back and so even though she longs for him she knows she has to forget him so she prays his face will fade from her mind

    And everytime I try to fly I fall without my wings I feel so small I guess I need you baby And everytime I see you in my dreams I see your face, you're haunting me I guess I need you baby

    It seems like they were in love but Britney cheated (hence why he was so bitter, because if it was his doing he wouldnt really make bitter songs like "cry me a river" and "what goes around comes around.") She cheated and he broke it off even though he still loved her, she still loved him but initially didnt care that much about the split, but after he started to move on she realised she missed him and wanted him back and loved him, but it's too late because even if he still loved her, he was too proud to give her another chance because she hurt him so much; she knows she messed it up and this song was her apology to cry me a river, and he replied to this with "what goes around comes around."

    LeiNotton October 08, 2009   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    This is the first and one of the three songs out of all Britney's songs that I love. I'm so surprised (impressed) that this song was actually written by her. How come this is even better than those written by professionals? The lines are simple, yet the feeling within is strong. 'Everytime I see you in my dreams I see your face, you're haunting me' Those unforgettable faces do haunt us somehow. It's usually hard for broken pairs to move on, and obviously it's been tough, extremely tough for her to, and Justin was already moving on quite well. Not a Britney fan, but undeniably this is a touching song, it made me wanna pray for her. It's a touching, miserable, sad song ('this song is my sorry')and I've to say, I love it.

    ycmmduzkon April 08, 2010   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    This song is about what she did to Justin Timberlake. I look back and he released "Cry me a River" in 2002, and she released "Everytime" in 2003.

    She's basically saying she's sorry for everything she did.. "My weakness caused you pain, and this song is my sorry"

    This is one of my favorites by her... They were young..it didn't work. Poor thing..I am sure that song had some painful meaning for her..

    mizzmoxxieon August 04, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    i was never a huge fan of Brit, until this song. Hearing reminded me of all the times i've felt broken, sad and hurt by guys. I think it touches all girls, but esspecially those in situations similar to this. It's cool to hear songs like this from her. It's really heartfelt, and desrcibes my love life perfectly. I love the part "i make believe that you are here, its the only way i see clear."

    forelsket segon April 15, 2004   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Album art
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Album art
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version. Great version of a great song,
Album art
When We Were Young
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Album art
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.