Elefante, along with founding Kansas members Kerry Livgren and Dave Hope, left Kansas at the end of 1984. All three by that point had become born again Christians, and began recording contemporary Christian music after leaving Kansas. Livgren and Hope formed the band AD, while Elefante pursued a solo career. John Elefante, along with his brother Dino Elefante, would go on to form the band Mastedon, as well as becoming noted as record producers under the Pakaderm Records label (motto "The Rock Stomps Here") for a number of contemporary Christian recording artists, including Sweet Comfort Band, Petra, Guardian and X-Sinner.
A song by John Elefante called "Young and Innocent" (co-produced with legendary producer David Foster) is found on the soundtrack to the 1985 film, St. Elmo's Fire. He also guested on the song "We Need Jesus" on Petra Praise 2: We Need Jesus, together with Foreigner's Lou Gramm and Petra's John Schlitt.
Elefante has won three Grammy Awards as well as multiple Dove Awards.
Talk To Me
John Elefante Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With anyone
Afraid of who I really was I'd hide behind a wall
Where no one could see
Then the stones that formed the wall began to crumble
And your whisper knocked me off my feet
And took me to my knees
I hear more than just words, I can hear down in your soul
So talk to me, I'll do more than listen
I stood where you're standing
And I know just how you feel
Talk to me, talk to me
Aimless I'd go searching for a twisted play on words,
That made me feel I was alright
Striving for perfection when the only perfect thing I had
Was weakness
Then strength began to build in me
All it took was Your words to get me to my knees,
And You said...
Talk to me, let's have a conversation
I hear more than just words, I can hear down in your soul
Won't you talk to me, I'll do more than listen
I stood where you're standing and I know just how you feel
Talk to me, I've been right where you are
I know every breath you take, every feeling in your heart
Talk to me, tell me what you're feeling
Know I'm always here for you, whenever you need me
And the stones that formed the wall began to crumble
All it took was Your words to get me to my knees
The lyrics of John Elefante's Talk To Me speak of the struggle of opening up to others and being true to oneself. At some point in life, the singer was hesitant to share his thoughts and feelings with anyone and instead chose to hide behind a wall. He was afraid of revealing his true self to the world and chose to live behind a mask. However, everything began to change when the wall started to crumble, and he was knocked off his feet by someone's whisper.
The tone of the song shows this sudden transformation in the singer's life as he learns to open up and share his true self with someone. He is now fully committed to letting down his guard and revealing his true feelings to someone who can understand him. The bridge of the song emphasizes this change as he goes on to sing about the various ways he used to cope with his emotions, such as going out in search of a twisted play on words. However, all it took was someone who could truly listen and understand him to make him feel better.
Talk To Me is an inspirational song that resonates with anyone who has ever struggled with self-doubt and the fear of exposing themselves to the world fully. The song emphasizes the importance of sharing our thoughts and feelings with someone who can understand us and assure us that everything will be all right.
Line by Line Meaning
I recall a time in my life when I was scared to share my heart
With anyone
I remember feeling too afraid to express my true self to others in the past.
Afraid of who I really was I'd hide behind a wall
Where no one could see
Due to fear of being judged, I chose to hide behind walls and not reveal my true self to anyone.
Then the stones that formed the wall began to crumble
And your whisper knocked me off my feet
And took me to my knees
Gradually, my defenses began to fall apart, and it was your words that left me so overwhelmed that I fell to my knees.
When you said, talk to me, let's have a conversation
I hear more than just words, I can hear down in your soul
So talk to me, I'll do more than listen
I stood where you're standing
And I know just how you feel
Talk to me, talk to me
You urged me to share my innermost thoughts, offering a compassionate listening ear and a genuine desire to know and understand me.
Aimless I'd go searching for a twisted play on words,
That made me feel I was alright
Striving for perfection when the only perfect thing I had
Was weakness
Then strength began to build in me
All it took was Your words to get me to my knees,
And You said...
I used to distract myself with deceptive language, as it gave me a false sense of security. I was trying to be perfect, but in reality, I was flawed. Gradually, I began to develop a sense of strength, and your words humbled me and made me more aware of myself.
Won't you talk to me, I'll do more than listen
I stood where you're standing and I know just how you feel
Talk to me, I've been right where you are
I know every breath you take, every feeling in your heart
Talk to me, tell me what you're feeling
Know I'm always here for you, whenever you need me
You emphasized that you are always willing to listen to me, to empathize with me, and that you relate to what I am experiencing because you have been through it before.
And the stones that formed the wall began to crumble
All it took was Your words to get me to my knees
After hearing your words, the barriers which separated me from others began to break down, making me emotionally vulnerable and humble.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: DINO ELEFANTE, JOHN ELEFANTE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind