Leaving To Returning (2015) is a loose chronicle of Rue’s life in New York City from 2013 - 2014. It features David Cole from Rubblebucket on drums. The video for “Heaven,” directed by Daniel Feighery and shot with a drone at Coney Island, world premiered at the Palm Beach International Film Festival, won Best Music Video at the Sene Film Fest, and Best Storytelling Award at the InterDrone Conference. “Snowfall” is Rue’s first foray into political songwriting and addresses income inequality, police brutality, and Occupy Wall Street. The track “Killing” was featured on Songpickr’s 2015 Best Songs playlist.
The New New Colossus (2015) only contained one overtly political track but it was enough to draw the attention of Al Jazeera English who did a profile on Rue in early 2016. The title track was written about Syrian refugees in response to vulgarity littering social media at the time. Infintesmal Records from Jacksonville, FL got excited about the holiday song in the package, “The Ghost of New Years Past,” and released the EP as a limited edition cassette in March 2016.
Broken Window (2016) was written in the midst of fledgling sobriety. The album moves from nihilism to hope over its twelve tracks. It was recorded on the road with parts performed by friends all over the country then finished at Studio 76 in Brooklyn. Three singles came out leading up to the record release, two of which, “Blue Skies and Telephone Poles,” and “Stories,” were featured on the iTunes homepage. “73 Seconds of Truth” addresses the Challenger explosion in 1986 and became an unexpected fan favorite during the tour. The video for “Crowd Into Trains” that Rue wrote, directed, and edited was shot in New York City over Thanksgiving.
Speak My Mind was recorded at The Bomb Shelter in Nashville, TN and produced by Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes, Langhorne Slim, Caitlin Rose, Hooray for the Riff Raff). Also featured on the tracks are multi-instrumentalist Jon Estes (John Paul White, Phosphorescent) and Grammy Award winning drummer Derrek C Phillips. The tracks were recorded to tape without the use of any computers. “Speak My Mind” was written the day after the election and is an honest response to the hateful rhetoric of the Republican president’s message during the campaign. “One More American” addresses police brutality.
*****
Rue has shared the stage with Lydia Loveless, Tom Maxwell (Squirrel Nut Zippers), Superhuman Happiness (Stuart Bogie - Antibalas, Arcade Fire), Benjamin Scheuer (The Lion), Blue Healer, Donna Missal, and Walter Salas-Humara (the Silos).
*****
Discography:
Speak My Mind EP (2017)
Broken Window (2016)
The New New Colossus EP (2015)
Leaving To Returning (2015)
Never Met a Girl I Didn’t Love EP (2015)
Alone Again Relax (2014) - out of print
Losing Her EP (2012)
Beside You
Rue Snider Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I tried to pretend she was you but she wasn't
Wherever you are
I hope you have somebody who loves you
That's something I haven't got
I spent a month with an English girl traveling around Cambodia
I thought she'd be enough to erase you but she wasn't
I hope that he's really good to you
But not as good as I was
The streets I walk are on places you've never been
But the stars above are the same ones we could see
When I was beside you
I gave my all to an LA girl while she was living in Manhattan
I held her for a while close to my heart until she broke it
I hope you're warm tonight and that you're not lonely
But if you are you probably deserve it
The streets I walk are on places you've never been
But the stars above are the same ones we could see
When I was beside you
When I was beside you
When I was beside you
When I was beside you
In Rue Snider's song "Beside You," the lyrics depict a sense of longing and yearning for someone who is no longer present in the singer's life. The song unfolds as a series of encounters with different women in various locations, highlighting the futile attempts to replace or forget about the person they truly desire.
The opening verse describes a passionate encounter with a French girl in a hotel by the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. Despite their intimate connection, the singer acknowledges that she is not the person they truly want. The lyrics express a hope that wherever the desired person is, they have someone who loves them, while the singer laments that this is something they themselves lack.
The following verse recounts a month spent with an English girl while traveling around Cambodia. Similar to the previous encounter, the singer had hoped that this relationship would help them forget about their unrequited love, but it falls short of their expectations. The lyrics express the wish that the person who holds the desired person's heart treats them well, but not as well as the singer believes they did.
The third verse introduces an LA girl who resides in Manhattan. The singer gives their all to this person, holding them close to their heart, only to experience heartbreak. The lyrics express a hope that the desired person is warm and not lonely, but there's a touch of bitterness suggesting that if they are alone, they might deserve it.
Throughout the song, the singer's experiences are contrasted with the absence of the person they truly desire. The streets they walk on are in places the desired person has never been, highlighting the distance between them. However, the stars above remain a constant reminder of the shared experiences they once had, emphasizing the sense of longing and nostalgia for the time they were "beside" each other.
Line by Line Meaning
I made love to a French girl in a hotel by the Mekong Delta in Vietnam
I had a physical encounter with someone in a foreign land, attempting to replace the feeling of being with you.
I tried to pretend she was you but she wasn't
I deceived myself into believing that this person could fill the void you left, but they could never compare to you.
Wherever you are
No matter your current location
I hope you have somebody who loves you
I desire for you to have someone in your life who deeply cares for you.
That's something I haven't got
Unfortunately, I lack such a person in my own life.
I spent a month with an English girl traveling around Cambodia
I had a prolonged period of time with someone from England, hoping it would help me forget about you.
I thought she'd be enough to erase you but she wasn't
I believed that this person would be sufficient to remove all traces of you from my mind, but I was mistaken.
Whoever holds your heart
The person who currently has your affection
I hope that he's really good to you
I genuinely wish for him to treat you with utmost kindness and care.
But not as good as I was
Yet, I want you to remember that no one can ever love you as intensely as I did.
The streets I walk are on places you've never been
The paths I traverse lead me to locations you have never experienced firsthand.
But the stars above are the same ones we could see
Despite the physical distance between us, we still share the sight of the familiar stars in the night sky.
When I was beside you
During the time when we were together, physically close to each other.
I gave my all to an LA girl while she was living in Manhattan
I dedicated myself entirely to someone from Los Angeles, even though they resided in New York City at the time.
I held her for a while close to my heart until she broke it
I embraced her affectionately, cherishing her presence, until she inflicted emotional pain and shattered my heart.
I hope you're warm tonight and that you're not lonely
I sincerely desire for you to be comfortable and surrounded by warmth, without feeling isolated or alone.
But if you are you probably deserve it
However, if you do happen to experience loneliness, it may be a consequence that you deserve.
When I was beside you
During the time when we were together, physically close to each other.
When I was beside you
During the time when we were together, physically close to each other.
When I was beside you
During the time when we were together, physically close to each other.
When I was beside you
During the time when we were together, physically close to each other.
Lyrics © RUE SNIDER
Written by: Rue Snider
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind