Stages Song Stories vol. 3 – All In/Questions

Howdy frans! I thought it’d be fun to do a series on the stories behind the tracks on Stages (be sure to download the album for FREE if you haven’t already!). It IS a concept album after all. It tells the story of a failed relationship from a very personal perspective. Today’s tracks – “All In” and “Questions”.

Previous Song Stories:
Stages Song Stories vol. 1 – BTW/Love Will Find Me 
Stages Song Stories vol. 2 – The One That Got Away 

All In (Stage 3 – the relationship; enamor)

I see it all the time. A new relationship forms and immediately the two people are inseparable. Community that was once important to both people gets pushed aside and now every waking moment is spent together. This is the “honeymoon period”. Merp.

It’s so easy to confuse this enamor for love. In my experience, it’s easy to fall into this trap when you’re trying to find joy and contentment in your significant other (or anything really – a career, alcohol/drugs, etc…). I’ve absolutely done that. And no relationship ever, in life, ever ever, will last if either person is doing this. Find your joy in God, first and foremost. And be joyful and complete by yourself, so that when you finally find your person, you will come together for something greater.

Questions (Stage 4 – the breakup; insecurity, sadness)

Breakups suck.

…okay, I’ll provide a little more insight into the tune than that! Mister Tony Neely, our bassist, realized that in the first iteration of the Stages EP there wasn’t a song about the breakup. I was all like “Aw snap, you’re totes right brochacho.” So I wrote Questions. It’s specifically about being the dumpEE, rather than the dumpER. What I’ve learned is that no one HAS to like you. And only one dating experience (for most people) ever really works out anyway. However, it’s so easy to get down in the dumps and consumed with questions after a breakup. “What’s wrong with me?” “How didn’t this work out? I gave the very best I could and it wasn’t good enough.” “Could I ever be loved?”

I wrote this song using a cut capo. That’s how I achieved the open sound of the guitar part. It has a similar lick to “Passenger” from my last record, The Sound. One time at a concert we played these songs back to back. It was nearly IMPOSSIBLE to play the correct licks because my brain is dumb. Kept flip-flopping ’em. At practice, I jacked it up nearly every time. Thankfully, at the show I didn’t screw up. Phew!

Lyrics:

All In

It’s funny how
you came back around
when I thought you’d gone away for good
In the here and now
I wanna shout it out
That I know I’m here to stay
Well I can’t speak for you
But I hope you are too

You are everything I’ve ever wanted
You are everything I’ve never had, and
I am trying not to jump the gun
But knowing that you are the one for me
I’m all in

You are all I want
You are all I need
That I never knew existed
I thank God
every day
‘Cause I know I could have missed it
I don’t know how you feel
but I hope that it’s real
But I can’t speak for you

You are everything I’ve ever wanted
You are everything I’ve never had, and
I am trying not to jump the gun
But I know that you are the one for me
And I’m praying that I’m all you need me to be
‘Cause I’m all in

Questions

I gave it all
I gave the very best of me
And you returned the favor
I did you right
Then seemingly overnight
You changed your mind forever

Questioning
Everything
Of what I knew
Of what could be
Questioning
What I believed
Of you and me
And who I am inside
Could I ever be loved?

About the Stages EP: Practically everyone has experienced a failed romantic relationship. At every phase of Matt Adler’s own past failed relationship, he wrote a song. These tunes have been compiled into an indie rock EP – Stages. Through this album, the listener is able to gain insight into all phases: contentment and non-expectation, excitement and relational discovery, enamor, the end, bitterness, recovery, confidence in the future, and hope.
So many folks are in similar seasons of life. The hope and prayer is that these songs can speak to people, wherever they may be. It’s important to realize that you are not alone. You are never the only person that goes through something. And ultimately, for most, only one dating experience will ever actually be a success. It’s the failures that make you more aware of what you do need and want for your life. Your person is out there, living his/her life right now. You’re not going to miss him/her, so be patient and know that you are loved.

Best friends came together to arrange this album and to define a brand new sound, infusing indie rock and organic elements with electronic drums and soundscapes. Fans of Gungor, Imagine Dragons, The Afters, and Muse will enjoy this album. Download the album for FREE here!