Preview – Nothing Without Love (Nate Ruess)

I am nothing without love
I'm but a ship stuck in the sand
Some would say that I'm all alone
But I am, I'm nothing without love

I wanna hold her in my arms
She feelin' alone, she feelin' sad
I would take credit for what's wrong,
But I am, I'm nothing without love

Three years at sea after the storm
And this sinking ship of love you put me on
God, I wish a gust of wind would come
And carry me home
But I, I got nowhere to go
Now here you show up with the force of a wave
An' so I'm settin' my sail, I'm headed for the Empire State
Hey hey, I don't wanna lose this one
She made me feel hope, you know
I am, I'm nothing without love

Oh baby, show me a sign
Send up a signal that everything's fine
Come on, slide up right here by my side
You know that I wanna rest in your light

Na na na hey, na na na ooh
Na na na hey, na na na ooh
Na na na hey, na na na ooh
Na na na hey, na na na ooh
I wanna rest in your light
Na na na hey, na na na ooh
Na na na hey, na na na ooh
Na na na hey, na na na ooh
Na na na hey,

I am nothing without love
I'm just these thoughts without a pen
And I would take credit for this song
But I am nothing without love

Oh baby, show me a sign
Send up a signal that everything's fine
Oh just come on, come one, come on, come on right by my side
Don't you know that I, don't you know that I
I wanna rest in your light
I wanna rest in your light
I wanna rest in your light

'Cause I am, I'm nothing without love

I'M BUT A...= I'm only a...

STUCK= /stʌk/ (The past tense and past participle of stick) Unable to move; been stopped by an obstruction. A ship stuck in sand is very useless, so he believes that without love, he is useless. Without love in his life he is out of place.

I'M ALL ALONE= Alone means without company. "All alone" is simply more emphatic (we don't usually say "very alone").

I WANNA= (Informal) I want to.

HOLD= (hold somebody) Embrace.

FEELIN'= (Informal) Feeling.

TAKE CREDIT FOR= Accept recognition for something. Also to allow people to believe that one has done something praiseworthy, whether or not one actually done it. In this case he doesn’t mind bearing the burdens of what's was wrong.

SINKING SHIP OF LOVE= Sinking relationship.

GOD= /gɒd/ Short form of "oh my God!", so this word sometimes is used to express disappointment, disbelief, frustration, or the like. Literally, "God" is the name of the deity who created the Universe.

GUST= /gʌst/ A strong, abrupt rush of wind. He wishes that something ('a gust of wind') would bring him back to his previous state of happiness.

I GOT NOWHERE TO GO= To not make any progress or achieve anything. He feels totally lost, no place to go.

SHOW UP= To appear or arrive, to become visible. Someone came along and gave him that strong push ('the force of a wave') he was looking for.

AN' SO= 'And so' Therefore.

I'M SETTIN' MY SAIL= I'm starting a trip on a ship. Also 'make sail'; these expressions, dating from the early 1500s, originally meant "put the sails in position to catch the wind," and hence cause the vessel to move.

I'M HEADED FOR= Go towards, go to. He’s heading for the Empire State. (New York) He likely sees New York as a place of opportunity. A place to start fresh and begin anew.

THE EMPIRE STATE= The U.S. State of New York has been known by many nicknames, the most notable of which is The Empire State. Adopted as late as the 19th century, the nickname has been incorporated into the names of several state buildings and events. It is commonly believed to refer to the state's wealth and resources.

HOPE= /həʊp/ The longing or desire for something accompanied by the belief in the possibility of its occurrence.

YOU KNOW= (filler) Used parenthetically in conversation, as to fill pauses or educe the listener's agreement or sympathy.

SIGN= /saɪn/ Something that indicates or acts as a token of a fact, condition, etc, that is not immediately or outwardly observable.