Released: March 13, 2015

Featuring: John Legend

Songwriter: Jimmy Napes Elvin Smith Sam Smith

Producer: Jimmy Napes Steve Fitzmaurice

[Verse 1: Sam Smith]
Yes I do, I believe
That one day I will be where I was
Right there, right next to you
And it's hard, the days just seem so dark
The moon, the stars are nothing without you
Your touch, your skin, where do I begin?
No words can explain the way I'm missing you
Deny this emptiness, this hole that I'm inside
These tears, they tell their own story

[Pre-Chorus: Sam Smith]
Told me not to cry when you were gone
But the feeling's overwhelming, it's much too strong

[Chorus: Sam Smith]
Can I lay by your side, next to you, you?
And make sure you're alright
I'll take care of you
I don't want to be here if I can't be with you tonight

[Verse 2: John Legend]
I'm reaching out to you
Can you hear my call ?
This hurt that I've been through
I'm missing you, missing you like crazy

[Chorus: Sam Smith & John Legend]
Can I lay by your side, next to you, you?
And make sure you're alright
I'll take care of you
I don't want to be here if I can't be with you tonight

[Outro: Sam Smith & John Legend]
Lay me down tonight, lay me by your side
Lay me down tonight, lay me by your side
Can I lay by your side, next to you, you-ou

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.