In the years that followed, the band was separated geographically, while Fabian pursued an Architecture degree at the University of Florida and Daniel left Florida to attend Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Nonetheless, during this period, Boyce Avenue assembled at every available opportunity to collaborate musically. It was not until October of 2004 and the subsequent months, however, that Boyce Avenue would really come into its own. Daniel, who had recently graduated from law school, reconnected with the band in Florida as its full-time bassist, and Alejandro, at the age of 18, launched into writing the band's first original song, "Find Me." In the following months, the band performed locally in its hometown of Sarasota, and in April of 2005, the band hit the stage at Pine View High School for the last time. The band's performance at the Mr. Pine View competition, an event which Alejandro would go on to win, was covered in the local press.
Upon Alejandro's graduation from high school, he joined Fabian at the University of Florida, in Gainesville, where the band refined its signature sound playing out in traditional venues like Market Street and Side Bar. In October of 2006 and the months that followed, the band recorded its first three singles at Nickel and Dime Studios near Atlanta, Georgia. The project was engineered by Kris Sampson (Train, the Black Crowes) and produced by Don McCollister (Sister Hazel, Third Day). In 2007 and 2008, Boyce Avenue was honored in several songwriting competitions judged by a host of accomplished and renowned music industry artists, professionals, and executives. The band qualified as a Southeast Semifinalist in the 2007 IMWS competition; "All The While" was selected as a Semi-Finalist in the 2007 International Songwriting Competition, and as one of twelve Lennon Award Winners in the 2007 John Lennon Songwriting Contest; "Find Me" was selected as a Finalist in the Pop category for the U.S.A. Songwriting Competition; and "Hear Me Now (piano acoustic)" was selected as a finalist in the Best Group/Duo category for the IAMA songwriting competition, and as a finalist in the 2008 International Songwriting Competition.
Focused on the completion of a debut album, Boyce Avenue took a hiatus from its public performance schedule to write, produce, and record additional singles. In July of 2007, the band returned to Atlanta, Georgia, this time to record three songs at the Electron Gardens Studio in the historic Biltmore Hotel. These songs were engineered by Gary Pfaff and Tim Delaney, and were produced by Boyce Avenue. In October of the same year, the band finished tracking for the debut album with the recording of two songs at RMP Studios in Orlando, Florida. The final three songs for the album, "Dare To Believe," "On My Way," and "Hear Me Now (piano acoustic)" were engineered at RMP Studios by Veit Renn (Jennifer Hudson) and Adam Barber (Creed, Shinedown, Alterbridge), and were produced by Boyce Avenue.
The debut album, titled “All You’re Meant To Be,” was released by Boyce Avenue on March 25, 2008. All of the songs were mixed by Austin Deptula (Eisley, New Found Glory), and the entire project was mastered by Rodney Mills (Pearl Jam, REM, Sheryl Crow). The physical album is available worldwide exclusively through Storenvy, while the download versions can be found on iTunes/Amazon.com/Rhapsody/Napster/eMusic. Since the album's release, it has been written about in CNN Money, the Kings of A&R, and in other press, its songs have been featured on various MTV shows, and the band has established itself as one of the top 8 Artists of All-Time on YouTube, with over 90 million hits. Most recently, "All You're Meant To Be" has been licensed for sale nationwide in the Philippines through MCA Music, and is on path to Gold status. On the strength of the band's touring success in the United States and the Philippines, the band launched a worldwide tour in 2009.
For the First Time
Boyce Avenue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah they're making us crazy
Don't give up on me baby
Oh these times are hard
Yeah they're making us crazy
Don't give up on me baby
While i'm drinking jack all alone in my local bar
And we don't know how, how we got into this mad situation
Only doing things out of frustration
Trying to make it work but man these times are hard
She needs me now but i can't seem to find the time
I got a new job now in the unemployment line
And we don't know how, how we got into this mess is it a god's test
Someone help us cause we're doing our best
Trying to make it work but man these times are hard
But we're gonna start by
Drinking old cheap bottles of wine
Sit talking up all night
Saying things we haven't for a while, a while yeah
We're smiling but we're close to tears
Even after all these years
We just now got the feeling that we're meeting
For the first time ooh
She's in line at the dole with her head held high
While i just lost my job i didn't lose my pride
And we both know how, how we're going make it work when it hurts
When you pick yourself up you get kicked to the dirt
Trying to make it work but man these times are hard
But we're gonna start by
Drinking old cheap bottles of wine
Sit talking up all night
Doing things we haven't for a while, a while yeah
Smiling but we're close to tears
Even after all these years
We just now got the feeling that we're meeting
For the first time ooh
Drinking old cheap bottles of wine
Shit talking up all night
Saying things we haven't for a while
We're smiling but we're close to tears
Even after all these years
We just now got the feeling that we're meeting
For the first time ooh
For the first time
For the first time
For the first time
Oh these times are hard
Yeah they're making us crazy
Don't give up on me baby
Oh these times are hard
Yeah they're making us crazy
Don't give up on me baby
Oh these times are hard
Yeah they're making us crazy
Don't give up on me baby
The song "For the First Time" by Boyce Avenue talks about a couple going through hard times in their relationship, both financially and emotionally. The first verse introduces the two characters, the woman being stuck in bed with a broken heart while the man is drinking at a bar. They seem lost about how they got to this point but are trying to make it work despite their frustration. The second verse shows how much they need each other but are struggling to find a balance between work and their relationship. They've been through tough times before but it feels like they are just meeting for the first time because of the newfound appreciation they have for each other. The song ends with them pledging to support each other through the struggles and asking each other not to give up.
The lyrics tell a relatable story of the struggles that come with relationships and how it takes hard work and dedication to make things work. The song acknowledges the hardships of life and relationships but emphasizes the importance of not giving up on each other. The chorus is simple yet impactful, repeating how hard times can be but asking the other person not to give up.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh these times are hard
The current situation is difficult and challenging.
Yeah they're making us crazy
The situation is causing us to feel overwhelmed and stressed.
Don't give up on me baby
Please don't give up on our relationship during these hard times.
She's all laid up in bed with a broken heart
She's feeling emotionally wounded and unable to function.
While i'm drinking jack all alone in my local bar
I'm trying to escape my problems and numb my pain with alcohol.
And we don't know how, how we got into this mad situation
We're unsure how we ended up in this challenging circumstance.
Only doing things out of frustration
Our actions are motivated by our feelings of anger and helplessness.
Trying to make it work but man these times are hard
We're putting in effort to fix our relationship, but it's difficult given the current circumstances.
She needs me now but i can't seem to find the time
Although she requires my support, I'm struggling to prioritize my time effectively.
I got a new job now in the unemployment line
My new job is to search for work while collecting unemployment benefits.
And we don't know how, how we got into this mess is it a god's test
We're uncertain why we're facing these challenges and wondering if there's a higher purpose behind them.
Someone help us cause we're doing our best
We need assistance because we're giving it our all but still struggling.
But we're gonna start by
We'll take action to overcome our struggles by doing the following:
Drinking old cheap bottles of wine
Sharing inexpensive wine to reconnect and unwind.
Sit talking up all night
Engaging in deep conversation for an extended period of time.
Saying things we haven't for a while, a while yeah
Expressing emotions and thoughts we haven't shared in some time.
We're smiling but we're close to tears
We're putting on a positive front despite feeling emotional and overwhelmed.
Even after all these years
Despite being together for a long time, we're still facing new challenges.
We just now got the feeling that we're meeting
We're starting to reconnect in a meaningful way after feeling disconnected for some time.
She's in line at the dole with her head held high
She's standing in line to receive benefits with dignity and self-respect.
While i just lost my job i didn't lose my pride
I may have lost my job, but I still have my self-respect and dignity intact.
And we both know how, how we're going make it work when it hurts
We're aware of the challenges we're facing, but we'll still work at our relationship despite the pain.
When you pick yourself up you get kicked to the dirt
When you try to improve your situation, life can still knock you down.
For the first time
We're experiencing a new beginning in our relationship.
Oh these times are hard
The current situation is difficult and challenging.
Yeah they're making us crazy
The situation is causing us to feel overwhelmed and stressed.
Don't give up on me baby
Please don't give up on our relationship during these hard times.
Contributed by Nathan D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@boyceavenue
Stream all our covers on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube Music: https://smarturl.it/BAacousticcovers
@prideismylife5041
i love him so much
@fungusfc
Yeay omg KL finally 💖
@purwowidhiyanto2816
Indonesia, when?
@17_chloe
+boyceavenue Italy <3
@beatrizbueno9090
+boyceavenue please, do a cover of ''the man who can't be moved'' by the script. This song is amazing as you
@ewerd7061
I want him to sing "the man who cant be moved
@yolandajerome9561
yesss
@user-ce8uk4dh2f
me too
@tiafa9076
me toooooo :)