At some point I went to college in Philadelphia, did some music there (I was in an a cappella group called Off the Beat – yes, I know it’s a terrible name – and a killing rock band called Thriphtway named after a grocery store), and started writing songs in earnest while majoring in music composition (even took a class in Debussy and Bartok with George Crumb – only modern music dorks will know who that is). One song from a little production deal I had with Ruff House Records (think Digable Planets) in Philly wound up on my first album, Careen.
I moved to Los Angeles ‘cuz I didn’t really know where else you could make a living as a musician, and soon found myself working as a composer’s assistant and writing my songs in off hours. Made my first album during these off hours, and started playing shows and being a musician for real, kinda late by most people’s standards.
I’ve done a bunch of music industry stuff that people generally like to enumerate in their bios – far be it from me to break tradition. I won the Overall Grand Prize for the USA Songwriting Competition, I was a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition, got 2nd prize in the Just Plain Folks awards, & I’ve been one of Music Connection’s top 100 unsigned artists a couple years running. Lots of my songs have been on TV and in movies, some quality, some not so quality (you decide which is which) – Arrested Development, Office Space, Ghost Ship, Road Rules, Real World, Sleepover, The Hills, What About Brian, lots more. I ran down the aisles at the Oscars singing with Ellen. The Diamond Wink tour took me all over Europe opening for Alanis Morisette, and I’ve supported Jamie Cullum & Glenn Tillbrook (Squeeze) touring here in the U.S. Oh, and I opened for the Stones (yup, the Rolling ones) on the road with Tim Burgess in the UK, and I’ve played at lots of music festivals (SXSW, CMJ, V Festival in England). This year I sang on the Oscars, which was a riot. I also write score for video games and TV shows and produce other artists as well (Sara Bareilles’ Careful Confessions and Naimee Coleman’s new stuff, of late).
So I just came out with my Tall Buildings, my 4th full length album. Linus of Hollywood (The Charlatans, Puff Daddy, OPM) produced it, Dave Trumfio (Wilco, OK Go, Rilo Kiley) mixed it, and my usual band of lunatics played it – Adam Marcello on drums, Carson Cohen on bass, and Steve Mazur on guitar. Come see us play music – you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, it’s a riot."
Gabriel Mann's "My Little Box" was a part of "Ghost Ship"'s Soundtrack.
When We Are One
Gabriel Mann Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
confess to you like a sister...
not even an image of you for company.
I would sit there for hours
waiting for you to finish,
but you're mountains and rivers away from me now...
from me now...
But you know your power
and you turn it on,
like you've done it all before.
You pull away
just when you know that I need you more.
And you're so laid back
when you twist me and I crack
There's a moment when distance is done -
when we are one,
when we are one.
I have one vivid memory
of meeting you in the summer.
You were not very much younger than you are.
You sang to me like a siren,
came and made me your prisoner.
But I know you're a friend and a foe to me now...
to me now...
But you know your power
and you turn it on,
like you've done it all before.
You pull away
just when you know that i need you more.
And you're so laid back
when you twist me and i crack
There's a moment when distance is done -
when we are one,
when we are one.
When we're one... (4x)
There's a moment when distance is done -
when we are one,
when we are one.
The lyrics to Gabriel Mann's song When We Are One are a reflection of a complicated relationship between two people. The first verse establishes that the singer is confessing their feelings to the other person, who is referred to as a sister. The absence of the other person is emphasized in the line "not even an image of you for company." The singer patiently waits for the other person to finish with their life obligations, but they are far away. The second verse recalls a moment from the past when the two met in the summer, and the other person had a bewitching quality that made the singer feel imprisoned.
The chorus repeats the central theme: the other person knows their power over the singer, and they can turn it on and off at will. They pull away just when the singer needs them the most, and they seem to enjoy watching the singer struggle with their laid-back demeanor. The bridge introduces the idea that there is a moment when the distance between them disappears, and they become one. The repetition of the line "when we are one" emphasizes the hopeful desire for that moment to materialize.
Line by Line Meaning
I call you up by the lamplight, confess to you like a sister...
I confide in you in the dark, sharing my deepest secrets as if we were family.
Not even an image of you for company.
I don't even have a picture of you to keep me company when I miss you.
I would sit there for hours waiting for you to finish,
I would patiently wait for you to finish whatever you were doing, even if it took a long time.
but you're mountains and rivers away from me now... from me now...
But now you're far away from me, separated by mountains and rivers.
But you know your power and you turn it on, like you've done it all before.
You're aware of your ability to captivate me and you use it on purpose, as if you've done it many times before.
You pull away just when you know that I need you more.
You always seem to distance yourself from me at the exact moment when I need you the most.
And you're so laid back when you twist me and I crack
You seem calm and relaxed when you manipulate me into feeling broken and vulnerable.
There's a moment when distance is done - when we are one, when we are one.
There's a moment when our physical distance and emotional barriers disappear and we feel completely united as one.
I have one vivid memory of meeting you in the summer.
I have one clear memory of when we first met, during a summer season.
You were not very much younger than you are.
You were about the same age as you are now.
You sang to me like a siren, came and made me your prisoner.
You entranced me with your singing, like a mythical siren, and made me your captive.
But I know you're a friend and a foe to me now... to me now...
But now I understand that you can be both a trusted friend and a dangerous adversary to me.
When we're one... (4x)
Repeated chorus emphasizing the moment of emotional unity.
There's a moment when distance is done - when we are one, when we are one.
Reiteration of the moment of emotional unity.
Contributed by Penelope F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.