When NEEDTOBREATHE’s Bear and Bo Rinehart set out to write the songs that appear on the band’s new album, The Reckoning, they felt something bigger awaited them. It wasn’t just commercial success either. The band’s last album The Outsiders hit No. 9 on Billboard’s Rock Albums chart, went Top 20 on the Top 200, saw the band sell out venues such as Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium and Chicago’s House of Blues, and score an impressive number of placements in blockbuster films and numerous prime time television-shows.
With their reputation as a must-see live act built from non-stop touring, the Rinehart brothers, pastor’s sons who hail from the rural South Carolina town of Possum Kingdom, along with drummer Joe Stillwell and bass player Seth Bolt, were determined to create a statement-making album that truly captured the magic behind this genuinely appealing rock band.
Lyrically, all roads lead from the album’s title, which Bear says has several different meanings, one of them being the justification of accounts. “I like the idea that you put in all this work and at some point it comes to a peak -- that’s the reckoning time.”
What the band emerged with is a timeless-sounding album rooted in classic American rock and roll, unafraid to veer off into unexpected directions. Songs such as “Maybe They’re On To Us” address the paranoia of wondering whether people know too much about the band. “It also asks, ‘Are we still driven in the same way?’ We’re always questioning ourselves,” Bear says. Even the songs that may sound light-hearted on the surface, like “White Fences,” “Slumber,” and “Drive All Night,” explore serious themes. “’White Fences’ is about the American dream of growing up in a big house with a white picket fence, but when the dream is broken and things don’t pan out the way you planned, asking who’s going to fix it,” Bo says. “’Slumber’ is meant to be about how beauty is all around you but you just can’t see it because of the funk you’re in,” Bear says. “It speaks to something that we really care about which is giving yourself a chance.” And there’s “Drive All Night,” a galloping barnstormer that Bear sees as a statement on the false idea that one can run away from one’s problems.
With their intriguing melodies and bright choruses, the songs on The Reckoning are certain to translate in the live setting, something that is crucial to the band. “The worst thing that could happen is you get done playing and people don’t think about you again. We’ll do whatever it takes to force people to make a decision about our band, whether they love us or not. It makes for more passionate fans.”
Nothing Left To Lose
NEEDTOBREATHE Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And my feet hit the floor
Is my will enough to move on
When we fight to get back
The love that we've lost
Will my hands be enough to push on
Tell me will I have enough to go on
We are strong
We can't watch it go for nothing
Watch until it's gone
And we are down
But we can choose
We've got nothing else to live for
Nothing left to lose
Love is just like a war we can't win
We can give, we can give, we can give
When we stand in the face of the world falling down
In your hands you hold the pen
What's your answer for the end
'Cause we are alive
We are strong
We can't watch it go for nothing
Watch until it's gone
And we are down
But we can choose
We?ve got nothing else to live for
Nothing left to lose
Oh, Oh, I've got nothing left
Nothing left to lose
Oh, Oh, I've got nothing left
Nothing left to lose
When there's nothing that we can?t afford to sacrifice
There's no way they can put out your fire
There's no way they can put out my fire
'Cause we are alive
We are strong
We can't watch it go for nothing
Watch until it's gone
And we are down
But we can choose
We?ve got nothing else to live for
Nothing left to lose
Oh, Oh, I've got nothing left
Nothing left to lose
Oh, Oh, I've got nothing left
Nothing left to lose
The song Nothing Left to Lose by NEEDTOBREATHE explores the concept of perseverance in times of hardships. The lyrics discuss the struggle to move on when life gets tough, and the internal debate of whether or not it is worth it to continue pursuing love or other goals. The opening lines, "When my dreams are over/ And my feet hit the floor/ Is my will enough to move on," sets the tone for the rest of the song, acknowledging the difficulty of starting the day when everything seems to be going wrong.
The chorus, "We are alive/We are strong/We can't watch it go for nothing/Watch until it's gone/And we are down/But we can choose/We've got nothing else to live for/Nothing left to lose," highlights the idea that strength can be found in the midst of adversity. The determination to fight for what's important, even when it seems like all is lost, is a common theme throughout the song. The bridge, "When there's nothing that we can't afford to sacrifice/There's no way they can put out your fire/There's no way they can put out my fire," encourages perseverance in the face of opposition and discouragement.
Overall, Nothing Left to Lose is a song about courage and resilience, and the decision to keep going even when it seems like everything is falling apart.
Line by Line Meaning
When my dreams are over
What happens when my hopes and dreams are no longer a possibility?
And my feet hit the floor
What will happen when I have to carry on with my life even though my dreams are no longer an option?
Is my will enough to move on
Am I strong enough to continue on with my life even when things don't go the way I wanted them to?
When we fight to get back
When we are trying to reclaim something that we've lost,
The love that we've lost
When we've lost something we truly cared about,
Will my hands be enough to push on
Am I capable enough to keep pushing forward and keep on fighting for what I care about?
Tell me will I have enough to go on
Am I confident that I will have enough strength to continue to pursue my dreams regardless of the challenges that come my way?
'Cause we are alive
We're here, and that means something!
We are strong
We're capable of handling the challenges that come our way!
We can't watch it go for nothing
We can't stand idly by and let our lives go to waste!
Watch until it's gone
We need to appreciate what we have while it's here – before it's gone!
And we are down
When times are tough,
But we can choose
We have the power to make choices that will help us get through those tough times!
We've got nothing else to live for
When things are tough, there's nothing left to lose - the only way is up!
Love is just like a war we can't win
Sometimes, love feels like a battle that we cannot triumph over.
We can give, we can give, we can give
However, we still continue to try our best to make it work.
When we stand in the face of the world falling down
In times of absolute turmoil, when everything feels like it's collapsing around us,
In your hands you hold the pen
We are the ones who control our own narrative/destiny/future?
What's your answer for the end
What will be the outcome of the story of our lives, which we are writing right now?
When there's nothing that we can?t afford to sacrifice
When we have nothing left to lose,
There's no way they can put out your fire
Nothing can extinguish your passion and aspirations!
I?ve got nothing left
I've hit rock-bottom,
Nothing left to lose
I've lost everything, so that means I can push forward without any fear!
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind