Calum Scott - What I Miss Most

It must have been a year since
I was thrown across an ocean far from home (1)
Now life is making no sense
I'm riding in between the highs and lows

Ooh, when I wake in the morning, I
Ooh, it's the first on my mind

Maybe what I miss most (2)
It wasn't made of steel and stone
And maybe what I miss most
It wasn't born of skin and bone
Under the sun, above the waves
Under three crowns (3) when I'm far away
Maybe what I miss most

And maybe you'll never know
And maybe you'll never know
Maybe you'll never know

Life beyond the window
I'm jealous of the way that black bird flies
Free among the people
Those quarter million stories pass me by (4)

Ooh, lie awake in the moonlight, I
Ooh, it's the last on my mind

And maybe what I miss most
It wasn't made of steel and stone
And maybe what I miss most
It wasn't born of skin and bone
Under the sun, above the waves
Under three crowns when I'm far away
Maybe what I miss most

And maybe you'll never know
And maybe you'll never know
And maybe you'll never know

I remember at the table
All those faces, where did they go?
I imagine what it looks like
When I'm not there
I remember, every summer
But now the years are just a number
There's no backwards, time is faster
With everything I've left behind, oh

But maybe what I miss most
It wasn't made of steel and stone
And maybe what I miss most
It wasn't born of skin and bone
Cause under the sun, above the waves
Under three crowns when I'm far away
Maybe what I miss most

And maybe you'll never know
And maybe you'll never know
And maybe you'll never know


1 – In an interview with Billboard, Calum Scott says: “I had never been to the US prior to being signed. So for me, going that far away from home was such a big deal. <...> But also as a nod to anybody who works away from home, we live in a world where people do live and work away from where they were born. And I suppose it becomes relatable when you see it like that”.

2 – Calum states on Twitter, “‘What I Miss Most' ..a song about missing my hometown of Hull, but I wrote it in a way that it could be about missing anyone or anything! Love playing this one live!”.
Via Billboard: “What I Miss Most” is my nostalgia song. It's a complete tribute to my hometown”.

3 – In an interview with Billboard, Calum explains what this line means to him: “This is quite a cool link for me to my hometown because our city crest is three crowns underneath each other. We tried to emulate this in the music video. People who've watched the official video can see on that backpack he has three crowns on his back. It's just a little nod to my hometown. I didn't wanna make it too specific about Hull, but people who know me and know my story know that it's about Hull. Also, for people who live in Hull or have lived in Hull it also gives them a sense of pride. Because I'm a very proud Hull, man. Wherever I go I talk about where I'm from. I think it's nice that I have that nod to my hometown and that people”.

4 – Via Billboard: “I was basically saying how I get on a train and go back to London or the airport, and I would look out [the window] and see my hometown go by. The population of Hull is about a quarter of a million, so I've tried to work in some clever lyrics to specifically pay homage”.