Rector took piano lessons as a small child but did not begin playing music seriously until he picked up the guitar in high school. He began writing songs in tenth grade and formed a band called Euromart the following year. Euromart made an EP and played club shows in Tulsa, but dissolved when the members left for college.
After high school, Rector attended the University of Arkansas where he studied marketing. During his freshman year he recorded a self-titled EP that featured the song “Conversation”, which won the Grand Prize in the pop category of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest in 2006. He is the youngest person ever to win the award for the pop category. The EP grew popular in surrounding states, and by his sophomore year, Rector began touring frequently on weekends and during breaks in the school year. In 2008 Rector released his first full-length record, Twenty Tomorrow, followed by Songs That Duke Wrote in 2009. In 2009 Rector was given the NAMA award for best singer songwriter in Northwest Arkansas. During his college career at the University of Arkansas he played approximately 200 shows.
In June 2009 Rector moved to Nashville with his wife to pursue songwriting and to continue his career as an artist. On November 28, 2009 he released Jingles and Bells, a Christmas album composed of classic Christmas songs. Rector arranged the songs and played all the instruments on the album. He released his most recent album Into The Morning on February 16, 2010. Through word of mouth, the record peaked at #5 on the iTunes pop chart, #10 on the iTunes overall chart, and #11 on Billboard Heatseekers.[3] Immediately following the release, Rector co-headlined the “Three Amigos” tour throughout the eastern half of the United States with fellow Nashvillians Steve Moakler and Andrew Ripp. Later in the spring of 2010 he toured with both Dave Barnes and Five for Fighting.
His song “After All” was used in the June 15, 2010 episode of the ABC Family show Pretty Little Liars.
Albums
Year Title
2007 Twenty Tomorrow
2008 Songs That Duke Wrote
2010 Into the Morning
2011 Something like This
EPs
Year Title
2006 Ben Rector
2009 Jingles and Bells
Singles
Year Title
2010 Summer Candy
And Then You Love Someone
Ben Rector Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I find myself about as far as I can go
It culminated late last night
From pointed fingers starting fires that burned since years ago
We've fallen out of love."
I said "friend, you learn to love to feel the words you hate to hear
Just shut your mouth and then the truth comes stinging clear
And then you love someone, but not 'til then
You love someone"
Haunted by computer screens
The world around him
Grass was greener on the other end
She could see it in his eyes
The love had left and it had died
And she was left that way
With nothing left for her to say
So she said "Love, you learn to love to feel the words you hate to hear
Just shut your mouth and then the truth comes stinging clear
You find you're wrong and it's your problems all along
And then you love someone but not 'til then
You love 'til then you love."
It took love to finally see the pointed fingers back at me
A silent mouth, a broken heart, a sword retired.
A silent mouth, a broken heart, a sword retired.
So a sword retired
It's a sword retired
Yes a sword retired
It's a sword retired
I said "Friend, you learn to love to feel the words you hate to hear
Just shut your mouth and then the truth comes stinging clear
You find you're wrong and it's your problems all along
And then you love someone but not 'til then
You love someone"
The lyrics to Ben Rector's song, "And Then You Love Someone," tell a story of love lost and the journey towards finding love again. The singer's friend confesses that he's fallen out of love with his partner, and he's not sure what to do. The singer then advises his friend to learn to love, even the words he hates to hear. It's only when he does this that the truth will become clear. The singer suggests that it's also essential to accept one's flaws and work on them before really loving someone. The song's story then shifts to a woman who's left with nothing to say after her lover stopped loving her. She too advises herself to shut her mouth and learn to love, even the words she hates to hear. The song closes by reflecting that it takes love to see the faults back in oneself, and when one is willing to put down the sword of blame, one can finally love someone again.
Line by Line Meaning
He said "John I do believe I've seen Virginia to the end
He told John that he thinks he's reached the end of his relationship with Virginia.
I find myself about as far as I can go
He has reached his limit in the relationship.
It culminated late last night
The breaking point was reached the night before.
From pointed fingers starting fires that burned since years ago
Their problems had been brewing for years and were caused by blame and resentment.
We've fallen out of love.
Their love for each other has dissipated.
I said "friend, you learn to love to feel the words you hate to hear
When someone loves you, they are willing to hear difficult truths.
Just shut your mouth and then the truth comes stinging clear
Sometimes, you need to be quiet and listen to painful truths in order to learn and grow.
You find you're wrong and it's your problems all along
Often times, the problems in a relationship lie within oneself and not necessarily in the other person.
And then you love someone, but not 'til then
One can only truly love someone when they have learned to accept their flaws and work on their own issues.
Haunted by computer screens
In today's modern society, people can be consumed by technology.
The world around him
Technology can make it difficult to connect with the world and those around us.
Grass was greener on the other end
He thought that other relationships were better than his current one.
She could see it in his eyes
His partner could tell that he no longer loved her.
The love had left and it had died
Their love had completely faded away and vanished.
And she was left that way
His partner was left feeling hurt and alone.
"Love, you learn to love to feel the words you hate to hear
His partner tells him that, in order to grow and improve one's relationship, they need to be willing to hear tough truths.
It took love to finally see the pointed fingers back at me
He realized that he, too, played a role in the problems in the relationship.
A silent mouth, a broken heart, a sword retired.
He realizes that it's better to keep quiet than to cause more damage, and that he is hurt and no longer fighting for the relationship.
It's a sword retired
He is no longer fighting for the relationship.
Yes a sword retired
He is at peace with his decision to stop fighting for the relationship.
You love someone
One can only truly love someone when they have learned to accept their flaws and work on their own issues.
Contributed by Anna H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.