Released: May 26, 2014

Songwriter: Sam Smith Eg White

Producer: Steve Fitzmaurice Jimmy Napes Eg White

[Verse 1]
You know what I mean
It's like walking in the heat all day with no water
It's like waiting for a friend
Watching everybody else meet theirs on that corner
Or losing in an argument
Though you're right, can't get your thoughts in order

[Pre-Chorus]
Still I refrain from talking at you, talking on
You know me well, I don't explain

[Chorus]
But what the hell?
Why do you think I come round here on my free will?
Wasting all my precious time
Oh, the truth spills out
And oh, oh I, I've told you now

[Verse 2]
You know what I mean
Although I try my best I still let down the team
You're everything I want
Why should I resist when you are there for me?

[Pre-Chorus]
Still I refrain from talking at you, talking on
You know me well, I don't explain

[Chorus]
But what the hell?
Why do you think I come round here on my free will?
Wasting all my precious time
Oh, the truth spills out
And oh, oh I, I've told you now

[Bridge]
I've told you now
I've told you now
I've told you now
I've told you now

[Pre-Chorus]
Still I refrain from talking at you, talking on
You know me well, I don't explain

[Chorus]
But what the hell?
Why do you think I come round here on my free will?
Wasting all my precious time
Oh, the truth spills out
And oh, oh I, I've told you now
But what the hell?
Why do you think I come round here on my free will?
Wasting all my precious time
Oh, the truth spills out
And oh, oh I, I've told you now

Sam Smith

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.