"What I Really Meant to Say" is a debut song written by Cyndi Thomson, Tommy Lee James and Chris Waters. It was released in March 2001 as Thomson's debut single, as well as the lead-off single from her debut album My World. The song reached the top of the Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) chart, giving Thomson her only Number One single on that chart. It also made her the third country music artist that year to reach Number One with a debut single.