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I Am... I Said Lyrics
L. A.'s fine the sun shines most the time
And the feelin' is laid back
Palm trees grow and rents are low
But you know I keep thinkin' 'bout
Making my way back
Well I'm New York City born and raised
But nowadays I'm lost between two shores
L. A.'s fine
But it ain't home
New York's home
But it ain't mine no more
I am
I said
To no one there
And no one heard at all not
Even the chair
I am
I cried
I am said I
And I am lost and I can't
Even say why
Leavin' me lonely still
Did you ever read about a frog
Who dreamed of being a king
And then became one?
Well except for the names and a few other changes
If you talk about me
The story's the same one
But I got an emptiness deep inside
And I've tried
But it won't let me go
And I'm not a man who likes to swear
But I never cared for the sound of bein' alone
And the feelin' is laid back
Palm trees grow and rents are low
Making my way back
But nowadays I'm lost between two shores
L. A.'s fine
But it ain't home
New York's home
But it ain't mine no more
I said
And no one heard at all not
Even the chair
I am
I cried
I am said I
And I am lost and I can't
Even say why
Leavin' me lonely still
Who dreamed of being a king
And then became one?
Well except for the names and a few other changes
If you talk about me
The story's the same one
But I got an emptiness deep inside
And I've tried
But it won't let me go
And I'm not a man who likes to swear
But I never cared for the sound of bein' alone
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The chair is a reference to the psychiatrist's chair. Diamond battled with this song for 6 months following a near-breakdown after divorce and a move from NY to LA. His failure to land the part of Lenny Bruce in the movie Lenny left him close to breaking point and Diamond was depressed. Diamond eventually took a 4 year sabbatical from performing after his landmark appearance at the Greek Theater in LA in 1972. I am I Said has a far deeper meaning than most casual listeners imagine. The song is a masterpiece by a great songwriter. By his own admission, Diamond spent months in psychotherapy and this song explains wonderfully his thoughts and feelings at the time. In Gestalt therapy, a patient projects his thoughts into an empty chair while a counsellor looks on making notes. This may well explain the meaning of the word chair. It is too easy to dismiss the 'chair' as a trite attempt to make a rhyme but Diamond is nothing but meticulous in his lyric writing and he has said that IAIS underwent countless rewrites until it said exactly what he wanted it to say. Diamond no doubt felt so alone and so alienated that he must have felt that no-one was listening to his tortured cries - not even the (psycho-analyst's) chair.
@shilo507 Very interesting, I didn't know that about Gestalt therapy. I always assumed the 'not even the chair' reference simply meant he was lonely and longing to talk to somebody but no matter how much he may cry out there was nobody to listen
@shilo507 Very interesting, I didn't know that about Gestalt therapy. I always assumed the 'not even the chair' reference simply meant he was lonely and longing to talk to somebody but no matter how much he may cry out there was nobody to listen
Is there any way he is being deep and philosophical with the resonance of Descartes(?) with the "I am" (I think therefore I am), then he's talking about how no one heard at all, which makes me think about, if no one is around to hear me, am I real (if a tree falls in the woods and no one hears it, did it make a sound?); so when "not even the chair" comes in, it makes me think of Plato's discussions about reality and "is this chair real" (he uses a chair as an example if I recall correctly). Probably totally off base and it means nothing and I'm just over-thinking the whole thing.
@montgomery67 I've struggled with depression from moving homes myself. I've also found it unbelievably hard to express how I feel with other people. I interpret his usage of "I am" in two ways:
@montgomery67 I've struggled with depression from moving homes myself. I've also found it unbelievably hard to express how I feel with other people. I interpret his usage of "I am" in two ways:
1.) As an incomplete sentence. When I finally started going to people for help, I stuttered and struggled to communicate. With tremendous emotion, the narrator wants to say "I am depressed" or "I am lonely" to let the world know, but is so wrought with sadness that he can't even bring himself to finish the sentence. I've been in this situation myself many times....
1.) As an incomplete sentence. When I finally started going to people for help, I stuttered and struggled to communicate. With tremendous emotion, the narrator wants to say "I am depressed" or "I am lonely" to let the world know, but is so wrought with sadness that he can't even bring himself to finish the sentence. I've been in this situation myself many times.
2.) As a statement against the world he feels is against him. Am I not a person? Am I not badly in need of happiness or at least consoling? Am I not worth anyone's time? I AM.
@montgomery67 I dont think you are off base at all. I think therefore I am and as God told Moses, "I am that I am." Becoming conscious of being I am can initially be quite traumatising and brings with it an over-pervading sense of loneliness upon the sudden realisation that there is no-one else to hear, no, not even the chair.
@montgomery67 I dont think you are off base at all. I think therefore I am and as God told Moses, "I am that I am." Becoming conscious of being I am can initially be quite traumatising and brings with it an over-pervading sense of loneliness upon the sudden realisation that there is no-one else to hear, no, not even the chair.
for this song is sad. It depicts being lonely and realizing that you are lonely or alone (emotionally). the saddest part of the lyric for me is that he is talking to the chair saying I am .... I cried to the chair and the chair can not hear him ( it has no ears). Making him even more alone. At one point in my life going through a failed relationship , trying to date and find someone new and not finding anyone who was worth it. And realizing myself I am in fact alone. It was sad phase for me. I just pictured myself alone, dying alone and not having anyone to even hear me say...I am ...
I have listened to this song a hundred times and always thought it was somewhat senseless. One day it came to me, "I am" is what God calls himself in the bible. It's arguable to me that in a fit of lonliness and dispair that a man should call out to God for help. But sometimes, no matter how hard you scream, he doesn't seem to hear you. He feels like even God has abandonded him. (But he hasn't)
It took me years before I realized this is what the line "I'm not a man who likes to swear" meant. I think what he's doing is saying "I am" to the world, affirming his existence despite the way the world seems to ignore him. But he also knows that this declaration is, in a conservative way, blasphemous. Whether or not he's directing cries to god, the song is a testament to emotional conflict that just about anyone can relate to.
It took me years before I realized this is what the line "I'm not a man who likes to swear" meant. I think what he's doing is saying "I am" to the world, affirming his existence despite the way the world seems to ignore him. But he also knows that this declaration is, in a conservative way, blasphemous. Whether or not he's directing cries to god, the song is a testament to emotional conflict that just about anyone can relate to.
I just created this account and was looking for someone to mention that "I AM" is how God refers to himself. Finally came across IknowIknow and Tomalak at the end! Thank you! I don't disagree with the other messages that he was alone, crying out, etc. But his choice of those two words is not just interesting, but I think intentional. God tells Moses that "I AM" is his name when he asks for his name to give to Pharoah. Neil is (purportedly) Jewish. It's in the Old Testament of the Bible and the...
I just created this account and was looking for someone to mention that "I AM" is how God refers to himself. Finally came across IknowIknow and Tomalak at the end! Thank you! I don't disagree with the other messages that he was alone, crying out, etc. But his choice of those two words is not just interesting, but I think intentional. God tells Moses that "I AM" is his name when he asks for his name to give to Pharoah. Neil is (purportedly) Jewish. It's in the Old Testament of the Bible and the Torah that God refers to himself by those words and very intentionally and prominently. Neil would know that. Also, I think Neil might be a "closet Christian", or perhaps open to the concept of just a "Higher Power". His songs indicate a sense of Christianity. And that's a good thing (not anti-Jewish here, please)! Just a strong believer in Jesus and I'm listening to Neil sing a Christmas song - Away In a Manger - as I write this.
Building Eralstud's historical account of the song, I'd add that the lyrics tell a story of a man in a period of transition. The story is one of a man struggling with loneliness and identity. Ultimately, he has no one to support him but himself, which is not enough.
This song was written by Neil when he moved to LA to audition for the part in the movie Lenny (the movie was based on the life of Lenny Bruce). He didn't get the part and he wrote this song about how he felt at the time, the first part was written on the first day he auditioned and the song was eventually finished after he was turned down. During an interview with Larry King, Neil described that he started writing this song because he felt like he was about to explode since his audition didn't go well.
The chair comment is completely uninspired and inane.
I get the point of his loneliness, but if this is an attempt to be poetic, it doesn't work.
The point is that he's reaching out and he's being so completely ignored that not even inanimate objects would care if they could. not even the chair that's sitting right next to him hears him calling out.
The point is that he's reaching out and he's being so completely ignored that not even inanimate objects would care if they could. not even the chair that's sitting right next to him hears him calling out.
And no one heard at all Not even the chair
What the hell does that mean????
The chair is a reference to the psychiatrist's chair. Diamond battled with this song for 6 months following a near-breakdown after divorce and a move from NY to LA. His failure to land the part of Lenny Bruce in the movie Lenny left him close to breaking point and Diamond was depressed. Diamond eventually took a 4 year sabbatical from performing after his landmark appearance at the Greek Theater in LA in 1972. I am I Said has a far deeper meaning than most casual listeners imagine. The song is a masterpiece by a great songwriter. By his own admission, Diamond spent months in psychotherapy and this song explains wonderfully his thoughts and feelings at the time. In Gestalt therapy, a patient projects his thoughts into an empty chair while a counsellor looks on making notes. This may well explain the meaning of the word chair. It is too easy to dismiss the 'chair' as a trite attempt to make a rhyme but Diamond is nothing but meticulous in his lyric writing and he has said that IAIS underwent countless rewrites until it said exactly what he wanted it to say. Diamond no doubt felt to alone and so alienated that he must have felt that no-one was listening to his tortured cries - not even the (psycho-analyst's) chair.
We weren't content to be a frog, so we strived to be a king. Success turned hollow, and life turned to quiet desparation, and the utter pain of existence. We've all been there.