Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: folk
Song Meaning of “That Wasn’t Me” by Brandi Carlile
‘That Wasn’t Me’ by Brandi Carlile is a song about betrayal and the power of deception. The narrator is looking back on a past relationship with hard-won wisdom, recounting how the other person lied and deceived her. They take on a false persona in order to win her affection, leading her to fall in love with a false version of them.
The song opens on a somber note, with guitar strums and Carlile’s soft vocals lamenting how she’d been tricked into a false sense of security: “The night kept teasing me / All promises would be broken in the morning”. The mournful melody of the song paints a vivid picture of what the narrator had gone through – a difficult journey of realizing the truth and acknowledging the lies.
The chorus brings forth the realization that she had been deceived and that she had not been the one controlling the situation. Carlile sings “That was never me / Since I had to take that from somebody else” – the pronouns me and I repeating throughout the chorus in order to keep the focus on the narrator’s grief and her newfound understanding.
The song then looks to the future, the narrator reminding herself that she will no longer be the victim of deception and will no longer be vulnerable to someone playing false with her. She pledges to never again let another take control of her destinny. She asserts her need to remain in control of her own life, singing “Once again, I’m learning to stand” – a declaration of strength and resilience.
In conclusion, ‘That Wasn’t Me’ is a powerful song about the power of deception and the strength it takes to move past it. Carlile’s raw, emotive vocals bring the lyrics to life, capturing the narrator’s feelings and her determination to rebuild and take control of her own life.