'Who I Am' by Johnny Blue Skies – Lyrics & Meaning

As media outlets questioned his Album of the Year nomination for 2016’s A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, Sturgill Simpson boldly entered the conversation creating t-shirts emblazoned with “Who the *%!k is Sturgill Simpson?”.

Simpson’s sense of humor has always been faithfully intact, yet that question has remained more seriously at the center of his music. A constant seeker of self-growth he has continued to question his purpose.

With a new era, Simpson, now Johnny Blue Skies, enters the conversation with a direct answer to not only the name change but the original question itself.

‘Who I Am’ is a tender ode to self-discovery and acceptance of change. One of the only pure country tracks on Johnny Blue Skies’ Passage Du Desir, ‘Who I Am’ is superbly reminiscent of the stripped back outlaw anthems like Waylon Jennings ‘My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys.’

In comparison to the rest of Passage Du Desir, the production is noticeably sparse and at times selectively hushed.

The strumming of an acoustic guitar along with soft background vocals allow the focus to be on Johnny Blue Skies delivery. His vocals are more reserved and thoughtful in nature making the song feel like a critical conversation with the listener.

"I’ve lost friends and I’ve lost heroes
I’ve lost everything I am even my name
Been going through changes and finding clarity
And comfort in just knowing nothing ever stays the same"

Right off the bat, Skies doesn’t hold back. He immediately notes not just the losses in his life, but the significant name change to launch this new era of his journey. More impactfully, he shares his acceptance of all the changes that his life has brought him in the last few years.

Further, he finds stability in understanding that his world is constantly shifting and along with it his relationships are evolving and sometimes ending.

It’s a universal sentiment that’s deeply moving.

"They don’t tell you when you’re born it's gonna be this way
They don’t tell you until you die it's all a sham
They don’t ask you what your name is when you get up to heaven
And thank God I couldn’t tell her if I had to who I am"

Even with a new moniker, the same sense of humor remains fully alive as on the singalong chorus.

It’s relatable in nature, notating the journey from birth to death that every living thing experiences at some point. However, Skies is in on the joke, sharing that no one told him “it’s gonna be this way,” almost asserting that he might've chosen otherwise had he been given all the information up front.

Skies happily reimagines heaven, fully altering storied visions of St. Peter standing alongside a gate with a scroll of names. Instead, he asserts that no one will care about anything earthly, implying that something like a name at that point truly wouldn’t matter.

Tying his glorious vision together, he designates God as a woman and exclaims his relief at the nameless space since he wouldn’t be able to describe who he was on Earth anyway.

"And there’s some nights I just wanna die
But then comes morning and the light from that blue sky
But I can’t see the sunshine through the thunder in my eyes
It's too late now for therapy to save me
And that old radio still won’t play me"

With brutal honesty, Skies details his own mental health journey and the struggles he faced as a result.

In comparison to the heavenly focused chorus, he roots his struggles on Earth, noting that even all of the blessings of life and nature can’t shield him from his own mind.

Though never one willing to keep it heavy, he jokes that even counseling or therapy would “be too late now” for him, almost insinuating that he’s too far gone. He takes it one step further by mentioning Simpson’s lack of radio play for his previous albums and the connection is a singular one.

Ever so slightly, he’s highlighting the impacts that his career and notoriety have had on this life. Even with all the success, there is still the possible longing of wanting to belong.

"I can hold down the line
but I can’t kick the can
Life ain’t fair and God is cruel
But at least she ain’t the man"

Acknowledging his experiences, he holds firm to his path in life with full hearted acceptance. Even though there are difficulties at times, he knows that he is making the right choices for his own development as he carves out his own path one step at a time.

Skies doesn’t see the world through rose colored glasses, though he is willing to offer a silver lining. That while he believes God to be cruel, he’s thankful that “she ain’t the man.”

I've lost friends and I've lost heroes
I lost everything I am, even my name
Been going through changes and finding clarity
And comfort in just knowing nothing ever stays the same

They don't tell you when you're born it's gonna be this way
They don't tell you until you die it's all a sham
They don't ask you what your name is when you get up to Heaven
And thank God
I couldn't tell her if I had to who I am

There's some days I ain't okay
And there's some nights I just wanna die
Then comes morning and the light from that blue sky
But I can't see thе sunshine through the thunder in my еyes

It's too late now for therapy to save me
And that old radio still won't play me
I can hold down the line, but I can't kick the can
Life ain't fair and God is cruel, but at least she ain't the man

They don't tell you when you're born it's gonna be this way
They don't tell you when you die it's all a sham
They don't ask you what your name is when you get up to Heaven
And thank God
I couldn't tell her if I had to who I am
I couldn't tell her if I had to who I am

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