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.”
Rise Again
NEEDTOBREATHE Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Make it wider, stronger, til it's too tall for us to touch
Heaviness is on me I don't see, we might be whole again
We might be better off in the wake of a bitter end
Oh I know I'm gonna rise again
Set my sights on where I'm going
And my goodbyes to where I've been
Singing farewell king of the broken
So long my friend
We could always count on the same things
The ups and the downs like time
We crawl through the abyss then we came through the other side
Heaviness is only temporary the daylight will soon break in
The sunlight can change a heart in the wake of a bitter end.
Oh I know I'm gonna rise again
Set my sights on where I'm going
And my goodbyes to where I've been
Oh I know I'm gonna rise again
Singing farewell king of the broken
So long my friend
I could see us moving on, I can feel that coming on strong
We'll never start all over like this and I still can't believe it
I could see us moving on, I can feel that coming on strong
We'll never start all over like this and I still can't believe it
I could see us moving on, I can feel that coming on strong
We'll never start all over like this and I still can't believe it
I could see us moving on, I can feel that coming on strong
We'll never start all over like this and I still can't believe it
Oh I know I'm gonna rise again
Set my sights on where I'm going
And my goodbyes to where I've been
Oh I know I'm gonna rise again
Singing farewell king of the broken
So long my friend
The lyrics to NEEDTOBREATHE’s song Rise Again speak to the pain and challenges that come with broken relationships, but also to the hope of starting anew. The first verse reveals the singer’s experience of separation and division that seems to be insurmountable. However, the singer is hopeful that something good can emerge from the ashes of the bitter end. The song moves to the chorus, where the singer finds strength in determination and intentionality. The words “Set my sights on where I’m going” indicate that the singer feels a sense of responsibility for their future and the direction of their life. The repetition of the line “Oh, I know I’m gonna rise again” emphasizes the singer’s refusal to be defeated by the challenges they’ve faced.
The following verses speak to the power of resilience and perseverance. The singer acknowledges the difficulties of the journey but emphasizes that they will “come through the other side”. The phrase “heaviness is only temporary” is a reminder that pain and hardship are not eternal, and that a new day will dawn. The bridge of the song brings a sense of closure as the singer recognizes that they will never “start all over like this” again. The song ends with the chorus repeating, emphasizing the message of determination and hope.
Line by Line Meaning
I know how it started the walls that we build to separate us
We are aware of how the walls that we build come up between us and cause separation.
Make it wider, stronger, til it's too tall for us to touch
These walls get greater, stronger and put too much of a distance between us stop any communication.
Heaviness is on me I don't see, we might be whole again
We are burdened and we don't see it coming. But we could end up complete and healed again.
We might be better off in the wake of a bitter end
After the most difficult situation, we could still end up better off compared to how we were initially.
Oh I know I'm gonna rise again
Set my sights on where I'm going
And my goodbyes to where I've been
Oh I know I'm gonna rise again
Singing farewell king of the broken
So long my friend
A period of goodbye marks an opportunity to rise again; we set our sights towards where we are headed and just like a king, we say goodbye empty places while singing to our new beginning.
We could always count on the same things
The ups and the downs like time
We crawl through the abyss then we came through the other side
Time after time, we can always depend on the same things both good and bad in equal measure. As we struggle through the most difficult times, we come out on the other side but not unscathed.
Heaviness is only temporary the daylight will soon break in
The sunlight can change a heart in the wake of a bitter end.
Heavy situations are temporary as a bright light will soon bring a new dawn. Such situations give us a different perspective and provide a new direction.
I could see us moving on, I can feel that coming on strong
We'll never start all over like this and I still can't believe it
We can see the success coming, and we sense the triumph coming strongly. We know we may never come across a situation like this, and we still can't believe it.
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Bear Rinehart, Bo Rinehart
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind