“Shameika” is the second song off Fiona Apple’s fifth album, Fetch the Bolt Cutters.
The March 2020 New Yorker profile of Fiona Apple explains the inspiration behind this song:
In “Shameka” [sic] she celebrates a key moment in middle school, when a tough girl told the bullied Apple, ‘You have pote...
[Verse 1]
I used to walk down the streets
On my way to school
Grinding my teeth to a rhythm invisible
I used my feet to crush dead leaves like they had fallen from trees
Just for me, just to be crash cymbals
[Pre-Chorus]
In class, I'd pass the time
Drawing a slash for every time
The second hand went by a group of five
Done twelve times was a minute
[Chorus]
But Shameika said I had potential
Shameika said I had potential
Shameika said I had potential
Shameika said I had potential
[Verse 2]
I used to march down the windy, windy sidewalks
Slapping my leg with a riding crop
Thinking it made me come off so tough
I didn't smile, because a smile always seemed rehearsed
I wasn't afraid of the bullies, and that just made the bullies worse
[Pre-Chorus]
In class, I'd pass the time
Drawing a slash for every time
The second hand went by a group of five
Done twelve times was a minute
[Chorus]
But Shameika said I had potential
Shameika said I had potential
Shameika said I had potential
Shameika said I had potential
[Bridge]
Hurricane Gloria in excelsis deo
That's my bird in my tree
My dog and my man and my music is my holy trinity
Hurricane Gloria in excelsis deo
That's my bird in my tree
My dog and my man and my music is my holy trinity
[Verse 3]
Tony told me he'd describe me as pissed off, funny, and warm
Sebastian said I'm a good man in a storm
Back then I didn't know what potential meant
And Shameika wasn't gentle and she wasn't my friend but
She got through to me and I'll never see her again
She got through to me and I'll never see her again
I'm pissed off, funny, and warm
I'm a good man in a storm
And when the fall is torrential, I'll recall
[Chorus]
Shameika said I had potential
Shameika said I had potential
Shameika said I had potential
Shameika said I had potential
[Verse 3]
Tony told me he'd describe me as pissed off, funny, and warm
Sebastian said I'm a good man in a storm
Back then I didn't know what potential meant
But Shameika wasn't gentle and she wasn't my friend
But she got through to me and I'll never see her again
She got through to me and I'll never see her again
I'm pissed off, funny, and warm
I'm a good man in a storm
And when the fall is torrential, I'll recall
[Chorus]
Shameika said I had potential
Shameika said I had potential
Shameika said I had potential
Shameika said I had potential
Shameika said I had potential
Shameika said I had potential
Shameika said I had potential
Shameika was written by Fiona Apple.
Shameika was produced by Amy Aileen Wood & Fiona Apple.
Fiona Apple released Shameika on Fri Apr 17 2020.
Shameika is real. When I first wrote the song, I was not entirely convinced she existed. Because I have this one memory and it’s a very big memory for me. But maybe I created this person. My third-grade teacher, Linda Kunhart, was my favorite teacher. I’ve kept in touch with her over the years. She...
“Shameika” was nominated and won for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance at the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards, marking Apple’s ninth and tenth nomination at the award show.