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.”
Point Me in the Right Direction
Jesse Ruben Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The day before he went off to fight
"How can you be so sure?" said the young man to his lover
As he held her close that night
He said "While I'm gone will you be waiting?
No one knows the state I'm in.
Point me in the right direction."
"I shot a man today," wrote the soldier in his letter
"and I held his hand as he died.
I shouldn't feel ashamed, But he deserved much better.
They say it gets easier with time."
He said "I'll be back before the winter
Battlefields are not my fate
Point me in the right direction
Its not too late, for me
Too late, for me
To wonder,
"Why is this happening
Lives are shattering,
And I am to blame."
"I can't believe I'm home." Said the soldier to his mother
But she could not hear him through the tears
She said "What happened to the little boy who left us last September?
This face looks aged beyond its years"
He said "enemies are not the answer,
No one knows the state I'm in
Point me in the right direction."
"what did I learn about war?" said the soldier to a mirror
As he watched his innocence fade
He said "the fighting has not ended, bombs are still dropping
And I can't see the difference that they've made
The song "Point Me in the Right Direction" by Jesse Ruben is about a soldier who goes to war, and his journey from being innocent to becoming a broken man. The first verse of the song describes the hesitation of the young man before going to war. He’s not sure what he’ll face or how he’ll cope with it. The soldier asks his father and lover to point him in the right direction, seeking guidance from those closest to him, and trying to find some moral direction. The second verse of the song shows the soldier struggling with the reality of war. He shoots someone, but despite feeling a sense of guilt, he reassures himself that it will become easier with time. He promises to return before winter and asks for guidance once again.
In the final verse of the song, the soldier returns home, but the war has changed him significantly. He feels responsible for the lives shattered by the war, wondering what he has learned about war. The song emphasizes how wars affect not only soldier's lives but the lives of those around them. It’s a vivid depiction of the trauma, pain, and confusion war can cause.
Line by Line Meaning
What do I know about war? said the young man to his father
The young man is uncertain about going to war and seeks knowledge from his father.
How can you be so sure? said the young man to his lover
The young man is not confident about his own abilities and seeks assurance from his lover.
"While I'm gone will you be waiting? No one knows the state I'm in. Point me in the right direction."
The young man is worried about leaving his lover behind and wants her to give him guidance while he's gone.
"I shot a man today," wrote the soldier in his letter "and I held his hand as he died. I shouldn't feel ashamed, But he deserved much better. They say it gets easier with time."
The soldier is struggling with the guilt of killing someone but is trying to justify it as part of his duty.
He said "I'll be back before the winter Battlefields are not my fate Point me in the right direction Its not too late, for me Too late, for me To wonder, "Why is this happening Lives are shattering, And I am to blame."
The soldier is trying to remain positive and hopes to return before winter, but he also reflects on the destruction and devastation that is happening because of him.
"I can't believe I'm home." Said the soldier to his mother But she could not hear him through the tears She said "What happened to the little boy who left us last September? This face looks aged beyond its years"
The soldier is shocked at what he's been through and has changed a lot, making it difficult for his mother to recognize him.
He said "enemies are not the answer, No one knows the state I'm in Point me in the right direction."
The soldier is disillusioned with the idea of enemies and is seeking guidance from someone who understands what he's been through.
"what did I learn about war?" said the soldier to a mirror As he watched his innocence fade He said "the fighting has not ended, bombs are still dropping And I can't see the difference that they've made
The soldier reflects on how the war has changed him and how he can't see any real positive impact of the fighting even though the bombs are still dropping.
Contributed by Chloe B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.