Not that such anxiety is evident on the highly accomplished disc, the follow-up to Ruben’s self-released 2008 debut, Aiming for Honesty. Adding full-band accompaniment to his lush, soulful pop-rock, Ruben also stretches impressively as a writer on The Ones That Matter, achieving a near-novelistic sense of character and setting on finely hewn tracks like “A Lack of Armor,” “Bleeker and Sixth,” and “Unbreakable.” His relentless attention to detail pays off handsomely.
He makes no apology for meticulously fine-tuning all aspects of his work and presentation. “Every time you create something you have an opportunity to say something new – or at least something honest,” he says. “I take that opportunity seriously.”
Ruben’s expansive and deeply compassionate point of view has resonated strongly with an ever-growing audience, whom the performer has cultivated with virtually nonstop touring and persistent online networking; as a result, he’s sold some 5,000 copies of Honesty on his own.
He often receives emotional messages from fans declaring that his songs have crystallized their feelings, commemorated milestones in their lives and even helped repair broken bonds. “One woman wrote to me and said she and her daughter didn’t get along, but when she drives the girl to school every day they listen to my music – and it’s the only time they don’t fight,” he marvels. “The songs I wrote in my basement helped her relationship with her daughter. How could I ask for more than that?” Indeed, his compositions have connected so powerfully with listeners that several cover versions have been posted on YouTube.
Such moments of connection helped inspire the title of The Ones That Matter. Ruben had compiled a list of some 80 candidates, but it was in the aftermath of the recording process that he realized what the disc should be called.
“I was on an epic road trip,” he remembers of this epiphany. “I realized that as much as this album is about music, it’s ultimately a representation of who I am – and all that amounts to is all the incredible people I’ve surrounded myself with, and the places I’ve spent time, and the stories and jokes that came out of those experiences with those people. That’s when I understood that the only logical name for the album was The Ones That Matter.”
Recorded during a record-breaking snowstorm in Charlottesville, Virginia – where producer Chris Keup (Jason Mraz, OAR, Parachute) and partner Stewart Myers (Mraz, Lifehouse, Rachel Yamagata, Mandy Moore) have their studio – the disc afforded Ruben a chance to fully appreciate the devotion of his pals. “I had some of my best friends in the world come down to help me finish the record,” he relates. Other players on the disc include drummer Brian Jones (Mraz, Yamagata, Moore); and keyboardist Daniel Clark (Ryan Adams, kd lang, Moore). Meyers handled bass on several tracks.
The profound gratitude Ruben felt upon finishing the album snowballed in the coming days. “I wanted the title of this record to express my thanks to everyone who mattered – not just my friends who worked on the record, but their friends. The people who gave me a couch to crash on, made me dinner, drove me to the train station. Everyone who came to my shows, and walked up to tell me what the songs meant to them. I’m thanking them all with this record.”
A Lack of Armor
Jesse Ruben Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you and I, were drinking wine, watching candles melt
And when this is over, we can reconcile
Cause I'm staying out of New York for a while
And I tried to forget you but
The memories got stuck and now they're on display
And you're over, October
She said "I love you, don't say that enough,
But I been stumbling these times are tough"
And since I left you, I've counted every mile
Cause I'm staying out of New York for a while
And I tried to forget you but
The memories got stuck and now they're on display
And you're over, October
And now my back is turned to Broadway
Like a pilot when the engine dies,
I've abandoning my plans
And like a knight without his armor
I don't know who I am
How's life without me, only been a few days
But I have traveled many roads since we parted ways
I watched the sun set, cause it makes you smile
Cause I'm staying out of New York for a while
And I tried to forget you but
The memories got stuck and now they're on display
And you're over, October
And now my back is turned to Broadway
In Jesse Ruben's song A Lack of Armor, he addresses the challenges of letting go of a past relationship. The opening lyrics allude to a moment when the two were together, savoring each other's company, drinking wine and watching candles melt. However, the relationship ended and Ruben is left with memories that seem to be impossible to shake. He has even gone as far as leaving New York, not just physically but emotionally, in order to move on. The lyrics are both a reflection on the past and a hopeful sentiment for the future, as evidenced by the line "And when this is over, we can reconcile".
As the song progresses, Ruben tries to forget this past relationship, but the memories continue to haunt him, surfacing at unexpected times. The chorus, "And you're over, October, and now my back is turned to Broadway", speaks to the idea that with the end of the relationship, an entire world that was previously alive with possibility has now faded away. Ruben feels defeated, likening himself to a "pilot when the engine dies", referring to the feeling of helplessness when one's plans and dreams are suddenly uprooted.
Overall, A Lack of Armor is a poignant reflection on the pain of lost love and the struggle to move on. The lyrics are a reminder that memories can be both bittersweet and overwhelming, making it difficult to move on and find one's sense of identity.
Line by Line Meaning
Do me a favor, tell me how it felt
Please share how the experience we shared felt to you as it is important to me.
When you and I, were drinking wine, watching candles melt
When we were together and enjoying the simple pleasures of life.
And when this is over, we can reconcile
After everything is said and done, we can make things right again.
Cause I'm staying out of New York for a while
To deal with my emotions and move on, I need to be away from New York for a while.
And I tried to forget you but The memories got stuck and now they're on display
I tried to forget you but the memories keep coming back to me and now they are all I can think of.
And you're over, October And now my back is turned to Broadway
The time we shared is in the past, and now I am moving forward with my life.
She said I love you, don't say that enough, But I been stumbling these times are tough
Although she doesn't say it often, she loves me, but these are difficult times for her.
And since I left you, I've counted every mile
Since I walked away from you, I have been keeping track of every mile I travel.
Like a pilot when the engine dies, I've abandoning my plans
Just like a pilot who has to change course when the engine fails, I have had to abandon my plans after our relationship ended.
And like a knight without his armor, I don't know who I am
A knight without his armor is lost and vulnerable, just like I feel lost and unsure of who I am without our relationship.
How's life without me, only been a few days But I have traveled many roads since we parted ways
Although it has only been a few days since we split, I have traveled many paths and experienced many things since then.
I watched the sun set, cause it makes you smile Cause I'm staying out of New York for a while
I watched the sun set because it reminds me of you and makes me smile. However, I still need to stay away from New York to move on.
Contributed by Eliana C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.