If Then
Oddly enough, we (Jon Howard and Kyle Rictor) met following a short corresp… Read Full Bio ↴Oddly enough, we (Jon Howard and Kyle Rictor) met following a short correspondence via Twitter. I had just gotten off of a 3 month solo tour and Jon had a few days off from touring with Paramore when we decided that it would just be easier to communicate in person. So, we grabbed some coffee and became friends…in real life. We were both looking for somewhat of a change creatively in our lives. Not a departure really, I still loved being an artist and writing songs and Jon still loved (and loves) playing with Paramore and producing. We were just restless. After many conversations and even more cups of coffee we realized that the cure for our restlessness was the same. We wanted to write, produce, track, and perform the best art we could create. We both wanted to lay down the ever present motivation of provision and simply bring to light the music our hearts sang in the dark, even if it crashed and burned. Move a few weeks forward and General Ghost was born. I scheduled out a week from both my jobs and Jon scheduled out a week from producing other projects and we holed up in the studio. Everyday we met at 8am and finished between 6 and 7pm. After 70+ hours of writing and recording and starting over, we had the beginnings of "Give Me To The Waves". Our first EP as a band and the tangible expression of our restlessness. We plan to release "Give Me To The Waves" for free in the next month and can't wait to share with you what makes our heart's sing. Sing with us at www.generalghost.com.

If Then
General Ghost Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

If you never lose nothing
If you never really lose nothing
Then you never lose

If never tried to quit
Holding on to what will make you sick
Then you never quit
I'd rather fail every time
Then to know I'd never tried
Never lived, never died
Just for an easy life, life, life.

If you never love someone
If you never really love someone
Then you never love

If you never want to feel
Anything that ever seems too real
Then you never feel

I'd rather fail every time
Then to know I'd never tried
Never lived, never died
Just for an easy life, life, life.

I'd rather fail every time
Then to know I've never tried
Never lived, never died




Just for an easy life, life, life.
Life, life, life.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of General Ghost's song "If Then" explores the idea that one cannot experience the highs without the possibility of experiencing the lows. The first verse highlights the importance of loss and failure in life because it allows an individual to truly appreciate the things they have when they have them. The second verse touches on the idea that to truly love someone, one must open themselves up to the possibility of pain and heartbreak that may come with it. The chorus emphasizes that it is better to try and fail than to never try at all or live a life without any risks.


The lyrics of "If Then" encourage listeners to embrace the ups and downs of life, suggesting that by doing so, individuals learn what is truly important to them. The song speaks to the human experience of wanting to protect oneself from pain and uncertainty, but reminds us that to live a fulfilling life, we must be willing to take risks and potentially experience failure. By choosing to face difficult situations head-on, we are able to grow and learn.


Line by Line Meaning

If you never lose nothing
If you never experience losses in life


If you never really lose nothing
If you never experience any real loss


Then you never lose
Then you never truly experience the feeling of losing anything


If never tried to quit
If you have never attempted to give up


Holding on to what will make you sick
Persisting on things that harm you


Then you never quit
Then you have never stopped doing things that damage you


I'd rather fail every time
It's better to fail repeatedly than to never try


Then to know I'd never tried
Than to regret never attempting or putting effort


Never lived, never died
Without experiencing life's ups and downs


Just for an easy life, life, life.
Just to lead a hassle-free life


If you never love someone
If you have never loved anyone


If you never really love someone
If you have never loved anyone truly


Then you never love
Then you never experience the feeling of loving someone


If you never want to feel
If you do not wish to experience various emotions


Anything that ever seems too real
Anything that seems like something that is difficult to face or deal with


Then you never feel
Then you never truly experience the feeling of various emotions


I'd rather fail every time
It's better to fail repeatedly than to never try


Then to know I've never tried
Than to regret never attempting or putting effort


Never lived, never died
Without experiencing life's ups and downs


Just for an easy life, life, life.
Just to lead a hassle-free life


Life, life, life.
Life is precious and worth experiencing to its fullest




Contributed by Hannah I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS
Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Search results not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

@yobrosiah

General Ghost never missed with a song. But I do miss their music. Incredible stuff

@stephencolor2010

What happened to them?

@redhotchilipepper432

My sister introduced me to this band, and a few years later this song pops into my head. That's how you know a band really left an impression on you.

@jcumpian16

OMFG!!!! THIS BAND IS MY NEW OBSESSION!

@Fulumirani

Why haven't I heard about these guys before now? They're incredible.

@alisonchia6539

They definitely need more views

@MaddieBullock

AMAZING SONG!!!

@mersheddi

i love how the related videos are all about ghosts :P

@mogiepickles

This song is so awesome. :-)

@0o0o0o0oleelah

i love this song :)

More Comments

More Versions