About
Written by Robbie Williams and Norwegian songwriter Boots Ottestad, Get a Little High appeared as a B-side to Sexed Up and on In and Out of Consciousness, and was also included on the U.S. edition of Escapology. A slow-burning acoustic ballad, it mixes melancholy with wry self-awareness, charting Williams’ search for escape through fleeting highs — chemical, emotional and spiritual. Its understated beauty and introspective tone make it one of the most enduring of his early-2000s B-sides.
Built around a gentle guitar rhythm and intimate vocal, the song finds Williams reflecting on guilt, repetition and self-medication. “It’s only natural to feel like you’re sinking, it’s only human to be so unprepared,” he sings, confronting vulnerability with unusual simplicity. The chorus — “You get a little high, you get a little low, just a face to get you through getting by” — encapsulates both resignation and resilience.
I think it’s me talking to myself, really — about coping, about surviving. Doing what you have to do to get by. It’s a sad song, but it’s kind too.Robbie Williams
Performed live for AOL Sessions in 2003, where Williams jokingly signed off with “John Mayer, eat your heart out,” the track showcases his gift for conversational songwriting and emotional understatement. Get a Little High remains a fan favourite for its raw honesty and reflective tone — a quiet confession set to one of Williams’ most graceful melodies.
Lyrics
The thunder of a scream
And you realise that it was yours
You don't know what to tell them
'Cause you don't know where you've been
And you've been there so many times before
It's only natural to feel like you're sinkin'
It's only human to be so unprepared
Don't worry baby, if you get a little high
It's just a phase to get you through getting by
So you get a little restless and you get a little wasted
It's just a little light entertainment
Embrace it, it might just save your life
You always say you're sorry
But you never know what for
And it's been happenin' more and more
Act your age and not your shoe size
And blah blah blah blah blah
That's your role model slammin' the door
So it's only natural to feel the guilt of a nation
It's only human, when you're young you're gonna cry
Don't worry baby, if you get a little high
It's just a phase to get you through gettin' by
So you get a little restless and you get a little wasted
It's just a little light entertainment
Embrace it, it might just save your life
So where else can you go to
'Cause no one's given you the book
About what to say and how to feel
And what you should and shouldn't 'a took
It's feelings that you fearing that's why
You step outside your mind
Don't look back 'cause if you don't crack
You get to sing this lullaby
You get to sing this lullaby
Don't worry baby, if you get a little high
It's just a phase to get you through getting by
So you get a little restless and you get a little wasted
It's just a little light entertainment
Embrace it
Don't worry baby, if you get a little high
It's just a phase to get you through getting by
You do lots of complainin' and do nothing to change it
Well that's a little light entertainment
Embrace it, it just might save your life
Or it just might change your life
Credits
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Vocalist
Robbie Williams -
Songwriter
Robbie Williams, Boots Ottestad