There’s a bumper sticker that suggests the meaning of life is to live it. O… Read Full Bio ↴There’s a bumper sticker that suggests the meaning of life is to live it. Obvious, perhaps, but how often are we really fully engaged; reveling in the highs, crying out through lows, and daring to ask questions or speak our true feelings amidst wonder, fear, and mystery?

Young but uniquely experienced, Phillip LaRue has an admirable grip on how to live, and the proof is written all over his debut solo album, Let the Road Pave Itself. An organic set of songs for the digital age, it was tracked live in the studio to an old fashioned two-inch tape reel, warmly capturing the sound of Phillip and his friends playing real time rock that’s only ever concerned with life’s deepest matters of love and faith.   Most everything else can take care of itself.  Phillip’s path began in California. An athlete until sixteen, he picked up the guitar after getting sidelined by mononucleosis. Without premeditation, his new interest turned into a duo with his sister, Natalie, and they scored a record deal in Nashville where the family was about to relocate from Arizona. Three albums and four years of touring followed.  “I grew up on the road at that point,” recalls Phillip. “It was strange having people look up to me who were twice my age, but a fun way to see the world and find my true faith in the process.”

LaRue, as the group was known, charted several pop hits and called it a day after Natalie wed. Phillip moved to Florida and produced notable indie acts like Over the Rhine and Dave Barnes for a worship project based on the Psalms. Now back in Music City, he has recently written and produced rising band Tenth Avenue North and penned a hit for Brandon Heath while pondering his own return to upfront artistry.

“I had always considered the solo thing but wanted it to be completely authentic in its expression,” he says. “So much music is focus-grouped to death for fear of not being successful, and that’s a tough place to be creative from. I’m fortunate to have found a label that said, ‘You do what you do, and we’ll do what we do.’ That was my goal: to make a vulnerable record of my experiences that finds its way to wherever God wants it to go.”  Let the Road Pave Itself does indeed have an honest, freewheeling spirit that instantly sets it apart from the big machine. Catchy without trying to sound commercial, Phillip writes stay-in-your-head songs from the heart; real life musical stories about open-book faith, his closest loved ones, and struggling friends who don’t always believe as he does.  The album dawns with “Chasing the Daylight,” a stirring mid-tempo rocker that has seen dark times but still declares I want to chase the daylight like it’s the last day of my life.

“It’s in the unraveling of life that we find God even more,” Phillip says of the ultimately soaring song that matches the integrity of great writers like Neil Finn and David Gray.

Continuing to build his theme, the anthemic “Home” declares you only have one life to try to find out what it means to be alive as Phillip tries to point a frustrated soul searcher toward something more concrete than the hectic city streets. On “Erase and Rewind,” a billowing melodic piece reminiscent of Snow Patrol, another buddy’s admission of suicidal thoughts further tests the singer’s resolve.

“It broke my heart that he’d lose sight of the value of his life, his identity in God,” LaRue confesses. “It left me wishing we could simply go back to the way it used to be. I just want him to know that he’s loved.”

A different type of love takes center stage on “Don’t Be Deceived” as Phillip serenades his wife (also the muse of “Sleeping Beauty” and “All I Want”). Waxing philosophical about their older years and begging her to stay with him, come what may, he reminds her all we have is this life, love. You know it’s more than enough. The performance brings out the finest charms of Let the Road Pave Itself. Musicians Tyler Burkum (guitar), Cason Cooley (keys), and Will Sayles (drums) play to match the country soul-tinged ballad’s raw emotions led by Phillip’s unvarnished vocalizations, comparable to other pleasingly imperfect singers like Counting Crows’ Adam Duritz or The Verve’s Richard Ashcroft.

“I miss the vocal nuances I used to hear in the music my parents would put on at home,” he says. “You feel what they’re singing. That’s another reason I wanted to record live with a band and keep a lot of first takes without fixing them up. The songs are here as they really happened. The whole process was a beautiful collaboration. As the songwriter I may have been holding the paintbrush, but everyone helped choose the colors.”  For all these immediate songs on Let the Road Pave Itself, the most talked about tracks may ultimately be the commercially indifferent “Black and Blue” and “Mountains High and Valleys Low” for their unflinching takes on humanity and the heavenly.
 The former was written by Phillip after reading a poem his sister, Natalie, wrote about their younger sister, Brianna, who has cerebral palsy and now an inoperable brain tumor. With duly poetic lyrics and equally emotive accompaniment, it says you deserve to walk to run to fly—all the things I wanted for you in this life.

“It’s crazy how we feel obligated by our beliefs to explain everything,” Phillip says. “We can’t always do that. Brianna’s situation doesn’t match up; I can’t connect the dots. But I still believe and have a hope for her. And she has impacted more people than I ever will.”

“Mountains High and Valleys Low” closes the album by summing up life itself, an unassuming epic of doubt and faith whose words literally go from I long to believe to I believe.  
“I liked ending the record with that because it applies to all I’ve been singing about—faith, love, life—in a way that is vulnerable, sometimes broken, but always hopeful. I really want people to hear that honesty. If they don’t, what’s the point?”

Right there is the lasting appeal of Let the Road Pave Itself, an album unintentionally named by a friend who was convincing Phillip LaRue to share his personal yet universally relevant songs with the world once again after years outside the spotlight.

“I’m stepping back into this world, and I could care less about some of the details,” he says. “As far as being popular, I’ve kind of tasted and seen that. I still want great things to happen, but more importantly I just want to be me in the process. I still believe in the power of music and want people to find hope through this record. If I can throw a rock and make another ripple, then what a blessing.”

Embrace
Phillip Larue Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Just should fall into this
Without second guessing
All of us stucks
So let's run away love
Today
'Cauz there's nothing left for us to embrace
Except each other now
And I faith that you and I won't live for last
That you and I were made for this embrace
So, embrace
Just, go ahead and let go
There's no promises for tomorrow
You know, that's all, that's allright
And when you feel embarassed like
And you start to feeling sure?
When, there just all have to be your pride

And I'll hide you from this dawn world,
And the fist? That's spin around us go
You and I should just fall into this
Without second guessing
All of us stucks
So, let's run away love
Today
'Cauz there's nothing left for us to embrace
Except each other now
And I faith that you and I were made for this
That you and I were made for this embrace
Embrace
Embrace

And when our fears to collide
When we look our future's house when say?
And when our fears to collide
When we look our future's house when say?
You and me just say
You and me just say

So; let's run away love
Today
'Cauz there's nothing left for us to embrace
So; let's run away love
Today
'Cauz there's nothing left for us to embrace
Except each other now
And I faith that you and I won't live for last
That you and I were made for this embrace
So, embrace

Yes, embrace
Embrace...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Phillip Larue's song Embrace are a message of hope in difficult times. The opening lines, "It's raining again, but let's just pretend it's just stars falling off the roof" symbolize the need to find beauty in the midst of chaos. The singer then promises to protect and shelter his loved one from the storm of life, saying, "I'll make you bulletproof, and I'll hide you from this dawn world." The couple is encouraged to give in to their passion and not to hesitate or doubt, but to "just fall into this without second guessing." The chorus repeats the message that their love is the only thing worth embracing in a world where everything else seems to be falling apart.

The phrase "let's run away love" can be interpreted as a desire to escape from reality and live in a bubble of romantic bliss, but the song also acknowledges that there are no promises for tomorrow, and that the future may hold fears and uncertainties. However, the couple is encouraged to face their fears together and to trust that they were made for each other. The repetition of the word "embrace" reinforces the idea of physical and emotional connection as a way of finding strength and comfort in difficult times.

Overall, Embrace is a song about seeking refuge in each other's arms and finding hope in the face of adversity. It is a call to embrace love as a way of transcending the challenges of life.

Line by Line Meaning

It's raining again
Despite the weather, we can create our own reality.

But let's just pretend it's just stars falling off the roof
We can choose to see beauty and wonder in anything, even in the mundane.

It's just you and I now...
We are alone together, and that's all that matters.

So, let your head down
Relax and trust that everything will be okay.

I'll make you bulletproof
I will love and protect you from any harm.

And I'll hide you from this dawn world
I will shield you from the harshness of reality.

And the fist? That's spin around us go
We will face challenges, but we can tackle them together.

You and I / Just should fall into this / Without second guessing
Let's give ourselves completely to each other without any doubts or reservations.

All of us stucks / So let's run away love / Today
We all feel stuck sometimes, but we can escape from our troubles by running away with love.

'Cause there's nothing left for us to embrace / Except each other now
When all else fails, our love for each other is the only thing we can hold onto.

And I faith that you and I won't live for last / That you and I were made for this embrace
I have confidence that we will last forever, and that our love was meant to be.

Just, go ahead and let go / There's no promises for tomorrow / You know, that's all, that's allright
Let go of your worries and enjoy the present moment, because tomorrow is uncertain and that's okay.

And when you feel embarassed like / And you start to feeling sure?
When you are insecure or uncertain, I will be there to support you.

When, there just all have to be your pride
You don't have to be strong all the time, it's okay to be vulnerable.

And when our fears to collide / When we look our future's house when say?
When we confront our fears about the future, what will we say?

You and me just say
Together, we can face any challenge.

Yes, embrace / Embrace
In the end, all we need to do is embrace each other.

Contributed by Christopher K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

LaraKo TMT

7y↑4

It's rainning again
But let's just pretend it's just stars falling off the roof
It's just you and I now...
So, let your head down
I'll make you bulletproof
And I'll hide you from this dawn world
And the fist? That's spin around us go
You and I
Just should fall into this
Without second guessing
All of us stucks
So let's run away love
Today
'Cauz there's nothing left for us to embrace
Except each other now
And I faith that you and I won't live for last
That you and I were made for this embrace
So, embrace
Just, go ahead and let go
There's no promises for tomorrow
You know, that's all, that's allright
And when you feel embarassed like
And you start to feeling sure?
When, there just all have to be your pride

And I'll hide you from this dawn world,
And the fist? That's spin around us go
You and I should just fall into this
Without second guessing
All of us stucks
So, let's run away love
Today
'Cauz there's nothing left for us to embrace
Except each other now
And I faith that you and I were made for this
That you and I were made for this embrace
Embrace
Embrace

And when our fears to collide
When we look our future's house when say?
And when our fears to collide
When we look our future's house when say?
You and me just say
You and me just say

So; let's run away love
Today
'Cauz there's nothing left for us to embrace
So; let's run away love
Today
'Cauz there's nothing left for us to embrace
Except each other now
And I faith that you and I won't live for last
That you and I were made for this embrace
So, embrace
Yes, embrace
Embrace...

All comments from YouTube:

Angelo Velasco

4y↑3

It’s a personal favorite of whoever mans the music of at least 3 McDonald’s branches I have eaten at here in Manila. I should know because this song is neither on Spotify nor iTunes but this happens to play randomly. Whoever that person is, thank you for this blessing.

Emmanuel Gonzales

4y↑1

Same! Heard this song while I was reviewing at mcdonald's for my Board Exam. Got attached to it since. :)

CCas

11y↑4

He's so.. so magical

Elisabeth Lymburner

11y↑1

beautiful :) glad I stumbled across this, didn't realize you were still making music! You and Natalie were part of a big shift in the direction of my life.. starting in Brazil many many years ago... Have always loved your music, thanks for sharing and God bless !