Sam Smith

Released: October 27, 2017

Songwriter: Sam Smith Poo Bear Dominic Jordan Jimmy Giannos

Producer: Steve Fitzmaurice Jimmy Napes

[Intro]
I've been burnin', yes, I've been burnin'
Such a burden, this flame on my chest
No insurance, to pay for the damage
Yeah, I've been burnin' up since you left

[Verse 1]
I've been smokin', oh, more than twenty a day
Blame it on rebellion, don't blame it on me
Wish I was younger back to the nineteenth of May
I had an open mind, swore to never change

[Pre-Chorus]
Funny how time goes by
Had respect for myself that river ran dry
You reached a limit, I wasn't enough
It's like the fire replaced all the love

[Chorus]
I've been burnin', yes, I've been burnin'
Such a burden, this flame on my chest
No insurance, to pay for the damage
Yeah, I've been burnin' up since you left

[Verse 2]
Oh, if you ever called, I will run straight back
Give you my forgiveness and the shirt off my back
No friends to turn to, yeah, I messed up that
Wish we could smoke again, just for a day, oh

[Pre-Chorus]
Funny how time goes by
Had respect for myself that river ran dry
You reached a limit, I wasn't enough
And it's like the fire replaced all the love

[Chorus]
I've been burnin', yes, I've been burnin'
Such a burden, this flame on my chest
No insurance, to pay for the damage
Yeah, I've been burnin' up since you left

[Outro]
Yeah, I've been burnin' up since you left
Oh, I've been burnin' up since you left

Sam Smith was born on 19th May 1992 and grew up in a rural village on the border of Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire, the nearest town being Bishops Stortford. They’re the oldest of three siblings and are said to be close to their younger sisters. Their mother is a successful City of London trader and their father a stay-at-home dad who brought up the children.

Smith showed an early talent for singing, and their parents responded by arranging singing lessons from the age of eight with professional jazz singer and songwriter, Joanna Eden. At the early age of seventeen, they left school to pursue their dream, living in a small one-bed flat and working in a London pub, but ended up isolated and beset by loneliness.

Sam knew they were gay, they said, for as long as they could remember. They suffered bullying at school and were shocked to find that even in London—close to gay communities—they were subjected to homophobic attacks. These negative experiences, combined with an inherently emotional nature, inform their songwriting and delivery. The soulful, beautifully rich tone of their voice and the subject of the lyrics ‘speak’ to many people and have led to their success.

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