Stephen Kellogg (born November 28, 1976, in Westchester, Pennsylvania) is a… Read Full Bio ↴Stephen Kellogg (born November 28, 1976, in Westchester, Pennsylvania) is an American singer-songwriter. He founded his band Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers in 2003. They went on hiatus in Autumn 2012 and in December 2012 Kellogg began working on a solo record, his first solo release since 2002.

It's said that the musical urge in Kellogg started with a mixture of his dad's records (Cat Stevens/Jim Croce) and his sister's (Mötley Crüe/Bon Jovi). The songwriting of the former and the showmanship of the latter was the beginning of the musical attitude that pervades Kellogg's work today. Kellogg got his start recording and touring while attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst from 1994-1998. He independently released several solo albums before being signed to Universal Records in 2004.

www.stephenkellogg.com

I Almost Missed You
Stephen Kellogg Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You were fast asleep when I came home
Breathing like a baby, looking so alone
I wanted to wake you because I'd had this crazy thought
That I needed you to hear in case we didn't get to talk

Driving down the highway, I was coming from the show
The dreadful wind and rain, the car just lost control
And I'm thinking to myself as we skid across the road

I do not need to know those things that angels know

If anything should ever happen
I wanted you to know
I'd always want more days with you
A chance to share a laugh or two
I wouldn't have a choice just so you know
If I should ever go

I see us at a funeral and my heart begins to pound
With respect to my mortality, I can not stand that sound
What if you couldn't hear me but I could see your soft brown curls?
The echoes of a promise in a new born baby girl
So darling I just had to wake you, you're still half sleeping though
To tell you what I felt tonight, those things that the angels know

If anything should ever happen
I wanted you to know
I'd always want more days with you
A chance to share a tear or two

I wouldn't have a choice just so you know
If I should ever go

Overall Meaning

The Stephen Kellogg song 'I Almost Missed You' is a love ballad that explores the fear of losing a loved one and the desire to express one's feelings before it is too late. The opening verse describes the singer's experience of returning home to find his partner fast asleep, and his impulse to wake her up in order to share a thought he had while driving home. The subsequent verse reveals that the thought was prompted by a near-death experience the singer had on his way home in which he lost control of his car in dangerous weather conditions. The incident made him reflect on the fact that life is unpredictable and that he wants his partner to know that he cherishes every moment they have together.

The chorus repeats the central message of the song, which is the singer's desire to have more time with his partner in case something should happen to him. He wants to share laughter and tears with her and wants her to know that he wouldn't have a choice in leaving her if something were to happen. The final verse imagines a scenario in which the singer has passed away, and he reflects on how devastating it would be for his partner to attend his funeral without having heard his feelings about her. He wakes her up to express these feelings and reassure her that he loves her deeply in case he never gets the chance to again.

In summary, 'I Almost Missed You' is a poignant and heartfelt love song that urges us to express our emotions to those we love before it is too late. Kellogg's use of vivid imagery and emotive language creates a sense of urgency that is in keeping with the song's themes of mortality and love.

Line by Line Meaning

You were fast asleep when I came home
When I arrived home, you were already sleeping.

Breathing like a baby, looking so alone
Your breathing was very peaceful, but you looked lonely.

I wanted to wake you because I'd had this crazy thought
I had a strange idea and I felt the need to share it with you.

That I needed you to hear in case we didn't get to talk
I wanted to share something with you just in case we never have the chance to talk again.

Driving down the highway, I was coming from the show
I was driving back from a concert down the highway.

The dreadful wind and rain, the car just lost control
The weather was horrible and my car lost control due to it.

And I'm thinking to myself as we skid across the road
As the car was skidding across the road, my thoughts were focused on something specific.

I do not need to know those things that angels know
There are certain things that only angels should know, and I don't need to know them.

If anything should ever happen
In the event of something happening.

I wanted you to know
It was important for me to convey this message to you.

I'd always want more days with you
I would always want more time to spend with you.

A chance to share a laugh or two
An opportunity to share some laughter together.

I wouldn't have a choice just so you know
If something were to happen, I wouldn't be able to choose the outcome.

If I should ever go
If I were to pass away.

I see us at a funeral and my heart begins to pound
The thought of attending a funeral and the emotions attached to it are overwhelming.

With respect to my mortality, I can not stand that sound
The sound of a funeral reminds me of my own mortality, which I find difficult to come to terms with.

What if you couldn't hear me but I could see your soft brown curls?
What if I could see you but couldn't communicate with you?

The echoes of a promise in a new born baby girl
There's something special about the promise of new life, especially a baby girl.

So darling I just had to wake you, you're still half sleeping though
I had to wake you up to share my thoughts with you, even though you're still half asleep.

To tell you what I felt tonight, those things that the angels know
I needed to tell you about my thoughts and feelings from tonight, things that are almost as if they're known only by angels.

I wanted you to know
Once again, it was really important for me to convey this message to you.

I'd always want more days with you
No matter what, I would always want more time to spend with you.

A chance to share a tear or two
To be able to share some emotional moments together.

I wouldn't have a choice just so you know
Once again, I wouldn't be able to choose the outcome if something were to happen.

If I should ever go
Same as before, in the event of my passing away.

Contributed by Jasmine O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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