Gavin Degraw
I don't need to be anything other
Than a prison guard's son
I don't need to be anything other
Than a specialist's son
I don't have to be anyone other
Than the birth of two souls in one
Part of where I'm going, is knowing where I'm coming from
[Chorus:]
I don't want to be
Anything other than what I've been trying to be lately
All I have to do
Is think of me and I have peace of mind
I'm tired of looking 'round rooms
Wondering what I've got to do
Or who I'm supposed to be
I don't want to be anything other than me
I'm surrounded by liars everywhere I turn
I'm surrounded by imposters everywhere I turn
I'm surrounded by identity crisis everywhere I turn
Am I the only one who noticed?
I can't be the only one who's learned!
[Chorus]
Can I have everyone's attention please?
If you're not like this and that, you're gonna have to leave
I came from the mountain
The crust of creation
My whole situation-made from clay to stone
And now I'm telling everybody
[Chorus]
I don't want to be [x4]
This song is an example of good poetry because of its use of figurative language, such as the line "I don't have to be anything other/Than the birth of two souls in one." I especially like this part because it is a creative way of saying he is content with his identity and who he was created to be. One typically wouldn't describe themself as a "birth of two souls in one."
Another example is the line "I'm tired of looking 'round rooms/Wondering what I've got to do/Or who I'm supposed to be." This conveys the message of the song, that he is sick of trying to be somebody else and just wants to be himself, without bluntly stating it. The phrase "looking 'round rooms" creates a visual picture of his fruitless searching, and helps to convey the deeper meaning of the song.
In the third stanza, he uses repetition in the lines, "I'm surrounded by liars everywhere I turn/I'm surrounded by imposters everywhere I turn/I'm surrounded by identity crisis everywhere I turn." By repeating the same basic phrase three times it enforces the fact that everyone around him seems to be living a fake life, and he almost can't find himself in it all. Then he contrasts this hopelessness with the question, "Am I the only one who noticed?/I can't be the only one who's learned!" This contrast makes him stand out against the rest of the world and reveals that he has learned to accept his identity.
Another example is the line "I'm tired of looking 'round rooms/Wondering what I've got to do/Or who I'm supposed to be." This conveys the message of the song, that he is sick of trying to be somebody else and just wants to be himself, without bluntly stating it. The phrase "looking 'round rooms" creates a visual picture of his fruitless searching, and helps to convey the deeper meaning of the song.
In the third stanza, he uses repetition in the lines, "I'm surrounded by liars everywhere I turn/I'm surrounded by imposters everywhere I turn/I'm surrounded by identity crisis everywhere I turn." By repeating the same basic phrase three times it enforces the fact that everyone around him seems to be living a fake life, and he almost can't find himself in it all. Then he contrasts this hopelessness with the question, "Am I the only one who noticed?/I can't be the only one who's learned!" This contrast makes him stand out against the rest of the world and reveals that he has learned to accept his identity.
