Emerging onto the national music scene from his home base of Boston, Ryan Montbleau has been described as something of a Martin Sexton by way of Van Morrison and Stevie Wonder. Yet Ryan Montbleau Band’s music is difficult to pigeon-hole or neatly categorize. It is original yet familiar—a fresh sound full of firmly-rooted ingredients, including Americana, folk, blues, ragtime and ’70’s R&B and soul. Whereas the band’s intriguing instrumentation and arrangements (not to mention top notch chops) help to create this unique sound, all is firmly anchored by Montbleau’s water-tight lyrics and unmistakable voice.
Having begun his career playing Boston’s coffee shops and folk venues as a solo artist with an infectious, percussive, fingerpicking guitar style, the charismatic Ryan Montbleau has evolved into the front man for the eclectic ensemble that bears his name. Make no mistake—this is a band in every sense of the word and is powered by the dynamics of Matt Giannaros (acoustic upright bass, electric bass, vocals), Laurence Scudder (viola), Jason Cohen (piano, organ, clavinet, Rhodes, Moog) and James Cohen (drums).
Their first collective album, One Fine Color, was released on Valentine’s Day, 2006 and shows a cohesive vision rarely seen among young artists today. Several thousand copies have sold so far and the album has been raved about by music lovers of all types and, perhaps most notably, all ages (from senior citizens to infants and everyone in between). One Fine Color showcases the timeless songwriting, invigorating energy, and humble, honest sincerity that has allowed Ryan Montbleau Band to expand its passionate fan base one show, and one listen at a time.
This combination of art and personality creates that magical bond between performer and audience that Ryan Montbleau Band is fortunate to have in these cynical times. Sustaining the band through the years as they toured incessantly, virtually living on the road, they have already established a large, passionate following throughout the country.
Draw the Line
Ryan Montbleau Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I felt that I would know you forever, whether or not mine
Forever's never that far away when you're on the south side of 23,
and the good things in your life you're sure will be there for all time.
Well, forever never rendered and it ended on the day,
it ended on the day you drew the line.
Draw the line.
Make pretend the time you knew me was a drunken night you threw way.
Not years of your young life, never two kids in love and alive.
Never a sacred place wher eyou could hang your mind,
and I've been known from time to time, but I draw the line.
I lost my will to live, yeah, to live, there for a while.
I thought that I could not go on
without that little fairy dust number on my dial.
And, of course, the digits still remained,
but to me the greatest pain was hearing how severely,
how severely your voice changed.
From hot to cold,
from life to death,
In a single breath and made me look at my wrist
and maybe wonder if I could draw the line...
No, no, no,
Draw the line.
Push it away.
Make pretend the time you knew me was a fairytale from yesterday.
Long gone, and not real life,
Only two kids in love and a lie.
Never a sacred place where I should hang my mind,
And I've been known from time to time but I draw the line.
And if I saw you in the moonlight,
And those eyes were still the same
I'd be so quick to say I'm sorry for every causing you pain.
And if I found myself so Lucky,
To be standing by your side,
I'd be so quick to tell you all I've learned since we said,
Since you said, goodbye.
I've learned that made up sorrows cancel out tomorrow's blessing,
distress my confidence, mess up my mind.
Little made up pleasures build a world I cannot measure up to
When I've got to see the world through closed eyes.
Igorning the possibilities,
thinking only of I and mine and me,
trusting only what wanted to see inside.
Little made up sorrows cancel out tomorrow's blessing.
I've done my time and I draw the line.
Whoa, I draw the line.
Push it away.
Make pretend the time you knew me was a drunken night in Winnipeg,
Not years of your young life.
Never two kids in love and alive.
Never a sacred place where you could hang your mind,
And I've been known from time to time,
I've been known from time to time,
But I draw the line.
I draw the line.
The lyrics of Ryan Montbleau Band's song "Draw the Line" seem to be about a past relationship that has gone sour. The singer seems to have lost contact with the person they used to know and the relationship has ended on bad terms. The first verse implies that the singer feels they lost the right to know the other person because they kept them waiting for too long. The lyrics mention Forever never rendering, representing that the idea of forever is just a concept and it ultimately ended on the day that person drew the line. The second verse is more emotive, with the singer saying that they "lost my will to live there for a while" because of the pain they felt of hearing that person's voice change, which may have represented a personality shift.
The chorus "Draw the line, Push it away, Make pretend the time you knew me was a drunken night you threw away" illustrates that the singer wants to forget about the other person and pretend the relationship never existed, which is a common response to a breakup. The repetition of "I've been known from time to time" in the final verse seems to suggest that the singer may have been at fault during the relationship at times, but ultimately draws the line and wants to move forward.
Line by Line Meaning
I lost the right to know you when I kept you standing by.
I feel like I don't know you anymore because I took you for granted for so long.
I felt that I would know you forever, whether or not mine
I thought we would always be connected, whether we were together or not.
Forever's never that far away when you're on the south side of 23,
When you're young, you feel like forever is just around the corner.
and the good things in your life you're sure will be there for all time.
You assume the good things in your life will always stay the same.
Well, forever never rendered and it ended on the day,
Forever never came true and our relationship ended on that day.
it ended on the day you drew the line.
Our relationship ended the day you decided to put a stop to it.
Draw the line.
Put a stop to our relationship.
Push it away.
Put it out of your mind and move on.
Make pretend the time you knew me was a drunken night you threw way.
Pretend that our relationship was just a drunken mistake.
Not years of your young life, never two kids in love and alive.
Don't think about the years we spent together, or the love we shared.
Never a sacred place where eyou could hang your mind,
There was never a place where you felt completely safe and comfortable with me.
and I've been known from time to time, but I draw the line.
I may have made mistakes in the past, but I won't continue to do so.
I lost my will to live, yeah, to live, there for a while.
I was depressed and didn't feel like living for a time.
I thought that I could not go on
I didn't think I could keep living without you.
without that little fairy dust number on my dial.
Without some sort of magic that could make everything better.
And, of course, the digits still remained,
My phone still had your number in it.
but to me the greatest pain was hearing how severely,
The worst thing was hearing how much you had moved on.
how severely your voice changed.
How different your voice sounded when you spoke to me.
From hot to cold,
From passionate to indifferent.
from life to death,
From vibrant to lifeless.
In a single breath and made me look at my wrist
It happened so quickly that it stunned me.
and maybe wonder if I could draw the line...
It made me question whether I too should stop caring.
No, no, no,
But ultimately, no.
And if I saw you in the moonlight,
If I ran into you late at night.
And those eyes were still the same
If I could see in your eyes that you still cared about me.
I'd be so quick to say I'm sorry for every causing you pain.
I would apologize for any hurt I caused you.
And if I found myself so Lucky,
If we somehow reconnected and got back together.
To be standing by your side,
To be with you physically and emotionally.
I'd be so quick to tell you all I've learned since we said,
I would immediately let you know how much I've grown and changed.
Since you said, goodbye.
Since you broke up with me and moved on.
I've learned that made up sorrows cancel out tomorrow's blessing,
I've realized that making up problems can ruin future happiness.
distress my confidence, mess up my mind.
It can make me anxious and ruin my self-worth.
Little made up pleasures build a world I cannot measure up to
Focusing on petty things leads to an unfulfilling life.
When I've got to see the world through closed eyes.
When I stop seeing the world clearly.
Igorning the possibilities,
Refusing to consider other options.
thinking only of I and mine and me,
Focusing solely on my own wants and needs.
trusting only what wanted to see inside.
Believing only what aligns with my view of the world.
Whoa, I draw the line.
I won't let myself continue living like that.
Push it away.
Reject those negative thoughts and behaviors.
Make pretend the time you knew me was a drunken night in Winnipeg,
Imagine that our relationship never really happened, that it was just a brief mistake.
Not years of your young life.
Not a significant part of your past.
Never two kids in love and alive.
Never a happy time where we felt passionately about each other.
Never a sacred place where you could hang your mind,
There wasn't a spot that felt like a haven for you to turn to.
And I've been known from time to time,
I haven't always been perfect either.
I've been known from time to time,
I've had my moments of weakness as well.
But I draw the line.
However, I won't allow myself to continue like that.
Contributed by Alex L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@brothermanbrenden1607
Nostalgia
@AdamandtheNumbers
Such a great tune Ryan!