Part of Me and Giving Up On You

[ocelot]

These are two of my favourite songs on the album. I love the mysteriousness of Part of Me and the simplicity of Giving Up On You.

[shavonfan]

I have to agree with you because often times when I am playing this album, I find myself repeating those two songs a few times! They are two very different songs for the exact reasons you have mentioned. Isn't it amazing how Lara completely throws herself into a song?

[S.C.]

I love "Part Of Me". It is very mysterious, but, very concise. I like "Giving Up On You", but, only in certain parts. I know it sounds strange, but, I can not get into the song as a whole.

[shavonfan]

It's a simple song and meant to be. For that reason, I think it is done beautifully.

[shavonfan]

I just listened to "Giving Up On You", and it hit me as to why this song means so much to me. Too many times in a broken relationship, one of two things happens. One, the person becomes completely broken and at a total loss, as if life cannot possibly go on without this relationship. I think this idea is expressed in many country songs...lol. And second, the person becomes completely bitter and hateful, as if there is nothing but total regret for ever having met the person in the first place. This is too often expressed in pop and rock songs. But in this song, there is an effort to stand somewhere in between the two extremes. In this song, the beauty in her voice, and the simplicity in the song itself suggests that she is not lost nor hateful in all that has befallen her in this relationship. She is still in love with the whole idea of love, and not at all in the mood to regret or hate or become bitter over what never developed. No, she simply comes to the conclusion that love is something that is worth fighting for, and he simply isn't the one that is willing to fight for it...so why fight for him being the one. She'll move on, integrity intact. She'll keep love alive in her heart until one day it comes to her in someone who wants it also. But as far as this person is concerned, he just doesn't have it. No hate, no bitterness, no regrets.....and no integrity lost. Wow! You don't find that kind of of song on Billboard! I love this song!

[ocelot]

I've been listening to these two songs alot again. "Part of Me" I find just blows me away every time. It's like she's saying you can look in my eyes see that there's darkness there but in truth you can't see a thing about me; There is stuff that you believe about me but that's because I let you believe it, but it's nowhere close to the real thing. She also saying that because the person is in essence so far away that they don't have what it takes to be a part of her, which I find to be so powerful.

"Giving Up On You" I agree with you Mark about this song. The fact that she's keeping her integrity by giving up on the relationship because he simply doesn't love her enough. It is a song that you won't find on Billboard. It's real, about real emotions, and there are so many relationships you hear about that are like this. The love she wants simply isn't there, and you got to more on, it's not good to fight for something that isn't there, so you give up the fight. I love how Lara doesn't feel she has write songs in the extremes or make things to be more than they are, and create revengeful songs that aren't her. Her songs have become truly special because of that.

[shavonfan]

"Part Of Me" and "Giving Up On You" are two songs of Lara's that I visit often, and consider them amongst my favorites. In "Part Of Me" I hear a woman saying that she has a world of beauty inside that she will never reveal to him because he "just doesn't have what it would take...to be a part of me." I think of a scene that is full of beauty and stirs a sense of wonder upon viewing, but requires that someone turn on the light in order to see it. Lara is saying that she is not turning on that light for him. The part about the angels not flying and not having wings is actually biblically true. Being from the spirit-world it has always been easier to depict and explain angels as having wings, but nothing in the Bible supports that idea. It's just a symbol, or an image, or a metaphor to help us understand spiritual things. Lara seems to me to be saying that she is not a symbol, or an image, or a metaphor. She's the real thing! What you see is what you get! "I Am Who I Am." And finally, what I get from "these arms are my heart" is just a very good word picture of Lara's refusal to allow him in to her heart. You have to envision Lara here with her arms. A person says a lot with their body. If you stand with your arms crossed, it is an indication that you are closing yourself off from someone, and not allowing them in. If you stand with your arms open wide, it means that you are allowing the person into your life. Here it seems she is standing with her arms crossed and saying that her whole person, including her body is telling him that she is not allowing him in to be a part of her.

[ocelot]

I can totally see your interpretation of "Part of Me". The thing I find about that song is there is so much mystery in the lyrics that it can mean different things at different times. I love the lines "You don't know; I won't let you see me; I will hide, I will lie; As true as can be", it just says so much and yet says so little. A person can be who they are but hide so much about themselves, they can show a side of themselves but in a way lie because they are not showing everything that they are, I think in a way that is what Lara is doing she won't let this person see the whole person that she is. I think that is also what the verse about angels is about, you may believe you know what you are talking about but you really don't know anything about it. I love how you said it about the "These arms are my heart" part. This is one song I find that everytime I try to figure it out there is more that I see in between the lyrics in what it could mean. I think songs that are like that are true classics, and in my view "Part of Me" is a classic.

[shavonfan]

Yeah, I agree with everything you have stated.