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.”
Standing Strong
Jesse Ruben Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm trying to resist the twist in this road
There's no easy way to say "I told you so"
To someone you love
And I need a remedy
With time and its design there's no guarantee
It's a difficult task to ask for things you need
So I've drawn a line you shall not cross
Your audience is at a loss
Don't tell me I'm a worthless cause
I'm standing strong
And I must admit that I'm a bit trapped
I've avoided the scars so far by making you laugh
It's a delicate place to face the demons you have
With someone you love
So I've drawn a line you shall not cross
Your audience is at a loss
Don't tell me I'm a worthless cause
I'm standing strong
So loosen your grip on the chip on your shoulder
It's getting heavier as you've gotten older
And I'm gonna stand my ground
If you keep letting it way you down
So I've drawn a line you shall not cross
Your audience is at a loss
Don't tell me I'm a worthless cause
I'm standing strong
And every time you hear me sing these words
I hope they hit their mark I hope they burn
Your ears, and disappear
Like a lesson learned
I hope that the bomb won't explode
I'm trying to resist the twist in this road
There's no easy way to say "I told you so"
To someone you love
In Jesse Ruben's song "Standing Strong," the lyrics describe a difficult situation where the singer is trying to resist the twists and turns in their relationship with someone they love. The singer hopes that a bomb won't explode, essentially meaning that they hope the situation will not escalate or end badly. They are asking for a remedy but acknowledge that there is no guarantee that it will work. They have drawn a line that their loved one should not cross and are standing strong even though they feel trapped and aware of their own demons. The singer is essentially asking their loved one to let go of their chip on their shoulder and not let it weigh them down, standing their ground if necessary.
The theme of the song revolves around communication and the struggles that come with it. The singer has drawn a line and is trying to communicate to their loved one how important it is that they do not cross it. They are hoping for a resolution while acknowledging that it may not be a guaranteed outcome. The song also touches on how difficult it is to face your own demons, especially with someone you love. By the end of the song, the singer is hoping that their words will resonate with their loved one and hopefully result in a lesson learned.
Line by Line Meaning
I hope that the bomb won't explode
I hope that our relationship won't fall apart
I'm trying to resist the twist in this road
I'm trying to navigate the challenges in our relationship
There's no easy way to say 'I told you so'
There's no satisfaction in saying that I was right when something goes wrong
To someone you love
Especially when it's someone important to you
And I need a remedy
I need to find a solution to our problems
With time and its design there's no guarantee
Even with time, there's no guarantee that things will get better on their own
It's a difficult task to ask for things you need
It's hard to ask for help or what you need from someone you care about
From someone you love
Especially if it's someone you deeply care about
So I've drawn a line you shall not cross
I've set boundaries that you need to respect
Your audience is at a loss
Your actions are causing confusion and disappointment for those around us
Don't tell me I'm a worthless cause
Don't devalue my efforts or my worth as a person
I'm standing strong
I'm not letting your behavior bring me down
And I must admit that I'm a bit trapped
I'm feeling stuck in our relationship
I've avoided the scars so far by making you laugh
I've been avoiding confronting our issues by keeping things light and avoiding serious conversations
It's a delicate place to face the demons you have
It's hard to confront your own issues and the impact they have on our relationship
With someone you love
Especially with someone you care deeply about
So loosen your grip on the chip on your shoulder
Stop holding onto grudges or grievances
It's getting heavier as you've gotten older
Your negative emotions are taking a toll on you
And I'm gonna stand my ground
I'm not going to let your negativity bring me down
If you keep letting it weigh you down
If you continue to let your negative emotions control you
And every time you hear me sing these words
Every time we have this conversation
I hope they hit their mark I hope they burn
I hope my words have an impact and make you realize the gravity of the situation
Your ears, and disappear
I hope my words stay with you and have a lasting effect on your behavior
Like a lesson learned
Like something you will learn from and improve upon in the future
Contributed by Charlie W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.