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.”
Restless
NEEDTOBREATHE Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I thought we were doing fine
But I was wrong
Your voice came down the line
Forced me to the thought of life
If you were gone
We're just tired of talking to the busy sounds
We?re all the ghosts of who we used to be
We might know, if we could see
Don't look now 'cause I can't escape
I get so restless
We won't know until it's too late
But I'll have years to think of
The way I'd do the things I did
Just to chase the pain away
We're here now and I can change
But I'm still restless
Push, the urge away
To wake up feeling just the same as yesterday
Time, it heals the pain
But painful is the angry heart when time remains
We?re just tired of walking through the faceless crowd
We keep our lonely eyes locked on the ground
And if my legs could run me into you
Then we might know, we might know
In the song "Restless" by NEEDTOBREATHE, the singer receives a phone call that shakes him up, forcing him to confront the thought of losing someone important. The first verse implies that things were going well until that point, but now the singer is grappling with the idea of life without this person. The chorus describes the restlessness that this realization brings, emphasizing the feeling of being stuck in a cycle of pain and regret. The second verse speaks to the difficulty of moving on from heartbreak, with time being both a healer and a reminder of what has been lost. The final lines suggest that the singer and the person he's addressing are both feeling lost and disconnected, but they might find some solace in each other if they can find a way to connect.
Overall, "Restless" is a song about grappling with loss and regret, and feeling stuck in a never-ending cycle of pain. It speaks to the difficulty of moving on from heartbreak and finding a sense of purpose or direction in life. The lyrics are emotive and powerful, with the chorus in particular conveying a deep sense of restlessness and longing.
Line by Line Meaning
Just before you called
I was feeling content with the way things were before receiving your phone call
I thought we were doing fine
My perception of the relationship before the call was good
But I was wrong
The call changed my perception and showed me that things were not as good as I thought
Your voice came down the line
The phone call was the catalyst for the change in my perception
Forced me to the thought of life
The call made me confront the realities of life and the potential for loss
If you were gone
The call made me consider what life would be like without you
We're just tired of talking to the busy sounds
The constant noise and distractions in life make conversation difficult and tiring
The hardest heart still breaks when it goes without
Even the toughest individuals can be affected by loneliness and isolation
We?re all the ghosts of who we used to be
The passage of time changes us all, and we are all haunted by past versions of ourselves
We might know, if we could see
If we could see the future or have the ability to read minds, we might have a better understanding of things
Don't look now 'cause I can't escape
I am unable to avoid the uneasy feelings and restless thoughts
I get so restless
My restless thoughts and feelings are causing me discomfort
We won't know until it's too late
We may not realize the importance of something until it is too late to make a change
But I'll have years to think of
If I do not make a change, I will have many years to reflect on my decisions
The way I'd do the things I did
I will regret not making changes and doing things differently in the past
Just to chase the pain away
I was doing things to try and alleviate the emotional pain I was experiencing
We're here now and I can change
I am currently in a position to make changes and avoid future regret
But I'm still restless
I am still struggling with feelings of restlessness and discontent
Push, the urge away
I must resist the urge to remain in my current pattern of behavior
To wake up feeling just the same as yesterday
I do not want to wake up each day feeling the same restlessness and discontent
Time, it heals the pain
Time has a way of making painful experiences easier to bear
But painful is the angry heart when time remains
The longer one holds onto pain and anger, the harder it becomes to heal and move on
We?re just tired of walking through the faceless crowd
The lack of connection and community in modern society can be exhausting
We keep our lonely eyes locked on the ground
We try to avoid eye contact and intimacy with others to shield ourselves from potential hurt
And if my legs could run me into you
If I had the ability to control my fate and be with you, I would do whatever it takes
Then we might know, we might know
If we were together, we might finally have the answers and clarity we seek
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Nathaniel Rinehart, William Rinehart
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind