Tim Rogner - vocals and guitar
Kyle Lewis - guitar
Scott Murphy - vocals and bass
Mike Leverence - drums
From The Ground Up
Allister Lyrics
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Before too long it started crumbling down
So I got out before the whole thing hit the floor
But you knew better I'd be back for more
And when I finally did it was strange to see
That you rebuilt it with no help from me
The same foundation but the rest is new
You made this it belongs to you
It all went by too fast
No time to react
Once you fire the shots
They can't be taken back
You spread your roots and make your things for all of me
The ground is soft but there's no room to breathe
You had to push and force into abnormal growth
We could have dreamed it if we took it slow
But from the highest branches there's much thinner air
And things are different when you're way up there
Now all I want is you to come back down
And start again on level ground
It all went by too fast
No time to react
Once you fire the shots
They can't be taken back
I went and left you for dead
But you just got up again
And every fight just seems to make you stronger
I tried to tear this apart
But it was blown from the start
'cause you just had to grab them all and run
from the highest branches there's much thinner air
And things are different when you're way up there
Now all I want is you to come back down
And start again on level ground
It all went by too fast
No time to react
Once you fire the shots
They can't be taken back
It all went by too fast
Never could react
Once you fire the shots
They can't be taken back
The lyrics of Allister's song "From the Ground Up" speak about a relationship that was built on an unstable foundation. Despite the shaky start, both individuals tried to make it work, but things fell apart. The singer left before the relationship completely crumbled, but the other person stayed and rebuilt their life without help. The result is a new beginning that belongs entirely to the other person. This creates a feeling of being left behind in the singer, but they acknowledge that it was their own decision to leave. They regret things moving too fast, felt like they didn't have time to react, and realized that once you say or do something, it can't be taken back. It is apparent that the other person fought hard to make things work and rise above the struggles that came with the relationship, becoming much stronger as a result.
The lyrics further go on to speak about how even though the other person rebuilt their life, it still feels uncomfortable, and the singer wants to start over on level ground. They emphasize that things are different on the high branches, and it's easy to lose sight of what's important, making it essential to come back down to earth and start again. The singer acknowledges that their attempts to tear things apart were unfruitful and applauds the strength displayed by the other person in building their life again. They hope to take things slower and work together to build something more sturdy and substantial.
Line by Line Meaning
We built this up together on a shaky ground
We started something together, even though it was risky and unstable
Before too long it started crumbling down
It didn't take much time before our venture began to fail
So I got out before the whole thing hit the floor
I left before everything completely fell apart
But you knew better I'd be back for more
You had a feeling I would come back and try again
And when I finally did it was strange to see
When I returned, it was surprising to see that you had rebuilt without my help
That you rebuilt it with no help from me
You were able to reconstruct everything on your own
The same foundation but the rest is new
The basis of our project remained the same, but everything else was different
You made this it belongs to you
You were able to make it your own creation
You spread your roots and make your things for all of me
You expanded and created something for both of us
The ground is soft but there's no room to breathe
Our situation was delicate and tense, with little room for error
You had to push and force into abnormal growth
You had to strive to make our project way bigger than it should be
We could have dreamed it if we took it slow
If we had gone slower and been more methodical, we could have achieved our goals
But from the highest branches there's much thinner air
When you achieve your goals, things change and can become more difficult
And things are different when you're way up there
Things can be drastically different when you reach the top
Now all I want is you to come back down
I want you to return to where we started from
And start again on level ground
To start over on equal terms
I went and left you for dead
I abandoned our project and gave up
But you just got up again
You continued on without me
And every fight just seems to make you stronger
The struggles you faced made you become more resilient
I tried to tear this apart
I attempted to destroy our project
But it was blown from the start
It was doomed from the very beginning
'cause you just had to grab them all and run
Because you had the knowledge and savvy to make it work
It all went by too fast
Everything happened too quickly
No time to react
We didn't have the chance to respond appropriately
Once you fire the shots
Once things start, it's hard to stop them
They can't be taken back
We can't go back and undo what we've already done
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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