Hey there stranger
Do you remember?
You were a part of my life
Early December
Think I remember?
Sentiment cuts like a knife
The seasons are changing
Life's rearranging
Full of good times
Would a have beens
It's all your fault
And where've you been
And how times goes
And though I don't even know
How to fill in the spaces
And the love you've erased in my life
Are you where you wanted to be?
Did you get there easily?
Did I make you sacrifice?
Did you make a sharp left
When you should have turned right?
Are you where you wanted to be?
Did you sell off all of your gold
Did you trade it in?
Did you wait for love
Or settle for somebody to hold?
And barely symphonic
But strangely ironic
Moments contained in one glance
Oh how I adored you
But now I'm ignored by you.
Nowhere a tint of romance
And now it's vaguely familiar
I think I remember sharing every single intimacy
It doesn't seem so strange to me that we barely entertained
Even the politest of phrases
But sometimes at night
I conjure you up in my mind.

Are you where you wanted to be?
Did you get there easily?
Did I make you sacrifice?
Did you make a sharp left
when you should have turned right?
Are you where you wanted to be?
Did you sell off all of your gold
Did you trade it in?
Did you wait for love
Or settle for somebody to hold.
While I was busy
Perfecting the art
Of deflecting compliments
I took it too far
And I let her rip one right through my heart
Of battle stations we're building
You and I just grew apart
We grew apart

While I decided
To make everyone else happy
I just put aside
My foolish pride
I guess I denied
My own desire
I was too busy pleasing
Every please
I forgot how to breathe
Or question anything
Or ask why?
Am I?

Am I where I wanted to be?
Did I get here easily?
Did I make a sacrifice?
Did I take a sharp left
When I should have turned right?
Am I where I wanted to be?
Can I sell off all of my gold?
Can I trade it in?
Will I wait for love
Or settle for somebody to hold.
I'd settle for somebody to hold now
You know that I've been up and I've been down
I've been picked up and spun around
I'd do it all again
If I could just have somebody to hold now
I just need somebody to hold me now
Could somebody hold me now?
I just want somebody to hold me now
I'd do it all again



Lyrics submitted by violeta

Track duration: 06:12

"Where You Want to Be [Original Demo Recording]" as written by Darren Hayes, Rick Nowels

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., EMI Music Publishing

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Where You Want To Be song meanings
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14 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:I Think this song is about the break-up of Savage Garden.(Early December,think I remember?)Because Savage Garden split in December.This song is amazing,it's so emotional.I think it's just Darren letting out his feelings about the split because, in his words,'I didn't want the band to break up.I never wanted the band to break up.'That's all it is I reckon.
    Flag DHFFLon January 14, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I Think this song is about the break-up of Savage Garden.(Early December,think I remember?)Because Savage Garden split in December.This song is amazing,it's so emotional.I think it's just Darren letting out his feelings about the split because, in his words,'I didn't want the band to break up.I never wanted the band to break up.'That's all it is I reckon.
    Flag DHFFLon January 14, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I Think this song is about the break-up of Savage Garden.(Early December,think I remember?)Because Savage Garden split in December.This song is amazing,it's so emotional.I think it's just Darren letting out his feelings about the split because, in his words,'I didn't want the band to break up.I never wanted the band to break up.'That's all it is I reckon.
    Flag DHFFLon January 14, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I don't think he is wondering about the present. I think he is asking if you "are" where you "wanted" to be in the past...that is what the song is about, in my opinion, the contrast between your former thoughts about how your life would be and your former goals and preconceptions. If getting there, and achieving what you wanted to, made you happy, or you realized that happiness was in fact somewhere else. I think the song talks about coming to terms with that.
    Flag Gabigson June 06, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Hey there stranger
    Do you remember?
    You were a part of my life
    Early December
    Think I remember?
    Sentiment cuts like a knife
    The seasons are changing
    Life's rearranging
    Full of could've dones
    Would've beens
    It's all your fault
    And where have you been
    And how time goes
    And now I dont even know
    How to fill in the spaces
    of the love you erased in my life

    Are you where you want to be?
    Did you get there easily?
    Did they make you sacrifice?
    Did you make a sharp left
    When you should've turned right?
    Are you where you want to be?
    Did you sell off all of your gold
    Did you trade it in?
    Did you wait for love
    Or settle for somebody to hold?

    And barely symphonic
    But strangely ironic
    Moments contained in one glance
    Oh how I adored you
    But now I'm ignored by you
    No evidence of romance
    And now it's vaguely familiar
    I think I remember sharing every single intimacy
    It doesn't seem so strange to me that we barely entertained
    Even the politest of phrases
    But sometimes at night
    I conjure you up in my mind

    Are you where you want to be?
    Did you get there easily?
    Did they make you sacrifice?
    Did you make a sharp left
    When you should've turned right?
    Are you where you want to be?
    Did you sell off all of your gold
    Did you trade it in?
    Did you wait for love
    Or settle for somebody to hold?

    While I was busy
    Perfecting the art
    Of deflecting compliments
    I took it too far
    And I let a ripple run right through my heart
    Of battle stations we're building
    You and I just grew apart
    We grow apart

    While I decided
    To make everyone else happy
    I just put aside
    My foolish pride
    I guess I denied
    My own desire
    I was too busy pleasing
    To ever be pleased
    I forgot how to breathe
    Or question anything
    Or ask why?
    Am I?

    Am I where I want to be?
    Did I get here easily?
    Did I make a sacrifice?
    Did I take a sharp left
    When I should've turned right?
    Am I where I want to be?
    Can I sell of all of my gold?
    Can I trade it in?
    Will I wait for Love
    Or settle for somebody to hold

    I'd settle for somebody to hold now

    You know that I've been up and I've been down
    I've been picked up and spun around
    I'd do it all again
    If I could just have somebody to hold now
    I just need somebody to hold me now
    Could somebody hold me now?
    I just want somebody to hold me now
    I'd do it all again

    this is how i think they are, though you might be right when you say he sings "wanted" and not "want"....
    Flag christina201288on May 25, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I don't think the lyrics are right.
    Flag christina201288on May 24, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Thank you. I've had some free time after graduating and now it's time for me to get a job!.

    haha...did you read my comment on "Memories Are Designed To Fade"?...that's a Savage Garden hidden-treasure favourite for me...Again, dealing with regrets and memories.

    About passion and feelings...I guess some people do "feel" more than others...or at least don't forget so easily and dwell and fight estrangeness more than others. And there are not so many people like Darren, you and I, I guess they move on more easily with everything.

    We'll see, Miss, time will tell. But I do know this particularly song deals with heavy issues and specially questioning yourself (and your decisions, and probably the distance you take) because of how things come out, and dealing with other people's indifference - which still hits me, when you know they're not there anymore. At least the way that it used to be. Birthdays, Holidays, a movie or a song, or anything really, can remind me of people I miss. And I just wonder if they ever feel the same. And will they ever know?.

    Again, you want to go back and relive but you can't. It all has changed...
    Flag Gabigson March 11, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Wow. That really hit me hard. I totally understand and empathize with you. First off, congrats on graduating (even if it was a while back now!) and secondly, I'm sorry that you had to lose friends. That is never, ever easy. It's actually one of the hardest things to do in life. I don't know if it's just you, Darren, and I who feel this way about losing people and not ever forgetting them because they played such a huge role in your life, or if everyone feels this way. I guess we'll never know, but I am glad to know there are other people out there who take any kind of relationship as seriously as I do. I just find it so unbelievable that people can move on with little or no fear, regrets, or emotions.
    To me, once you are a big part of my life, you always will be in a way. I guess it's our passion again...we do everything with everything we have. I personally think it's a good thing, even if it makes things hurt more, I think it's still worth it. And if Darren is right, you may not feel like this forever because he believes memories are designed to fade. ;) I don't know if I agree with that, but that's another story for another time.
    Flag Misseveruson March 08, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Miss, I think you're right...it has to be one of the saddest things. I'm 24, I graduated after my first post (wow) and even though I'm satisfied with it...something is missing. I guess I'm not the only one to blame about our separation, but for a couple of years in my life (2000-2002) I really became close for the first time in my life to a group of people that would share everything with me (including the guy I talk so much in all the posts lol)...and all of the sudden, for several reasons, they were gone. I felt devastated. I've got some new friends now, but the feelings are just not the same. People (I think not everyone feels this way, or there wouldn't be separation) are not replaceable, and I still miss them with all my heart and wonder how can they just move on without caring too much about all those magical moments we live together...
    At the time (2003) it was the most haunting song I'd ever heard, I couldn't believe Darren could reflect this pain so well, and how he comes from anguish to honest sadness...in the end, he just wishes he would have someone to hold as well... :(

    I remember sending an aproximate translation to all those people that were estranged and that somehow I blamed for it...but I don't really know what they thought about it (probably that I "feel too much", like always).

    I wonder if I'll ever get over this feeling...or will I have to carry all this people inside of my heart and head forever, while they get on with their lives?. If they only knew the pain that unwanted abscence brings to one's existence...makes you feel guilty, like you've done something wrong to make them leave...when I guess it's just life most of the times...People moving out, people having serious relationships...but that part of life (and growing "old") hurts like hell.
    Flag Gabigson March 07, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:One of my all time favorites. I really like Gabigs take on it, so I won't say much.
    But I do agree that it's a very heartfelt song. About regrets, about sacrifices that may have been made in the name of love. About how it's so sad how you can be so close with someone for so long, and have them be the center of your world to having them not in your life at all... to having them be a mere memory that you think of once in a while. I think that's one of the saddest things in the world, how relationships fall apart. It shows how fragile they are and that nothing may ever really be "real". I think we can all relate to some degree about what he is talking about. A very haunting song, which I think whoever hears it, will not soon forget.
    Flag Misseveruson March 04, 2006   Link

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