Rhoads is said to have bought his first 4 track recorder while in 9th grade and began recording his own songs. He moved to Nashville in 2001, but it was not until 2007 that he started work on his debut album Dead Language with producers Robin Eaton, and Lij Shaw.
Rhoads often plays piano and acts as music director for Universal recording artist Erin McCarley.
He has toured and recorded with fellow Nashville musicians for a project called Ten Out of Tenn.
www.ksrhoads.com
Dark Hotel
k.s. rhoads Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Got a broken string, a broken wing
And everything makes me wanna cry.
And my only love's gone away to stay
Can't even look forward to the end of the day
To come home to her at night.
Oh, Lord, give me peace
And bring me hope.
I need a little, just a little.
Give me strength.
I need a little, just a little.
An offering of faith.
I need a little, just a little.
Bring me hope.
I need a little so I can hold on.
A dreamer in a dark hotel
Like a silver coin drowin' at the bottom of a well.
The blue bird's back, singin' in the willow
Washin' his wings in the water in my pillow.
So wake me up in autumn leaves
To the part of me that still believes
There's beauty on the other side of the river.
Oh, Lord, give me peace
And put my sorry, singin', sad old soul to ease.
And bring me hope.
I need a little, just a little.
Give me strength.
I need a little, just a little.
An offering of faith.
I need a little, just a little.
Bring me hope.
I need a little so I can hold on.
Oh, get me out of this wishing well.
A dreamer dying in a dark hotel.
Break me out of this prison cell.
Only love can save me now.
The opening verse of "Dark Hotel" by K.S. Rhoads presents the listener with a vivid image of a broken man, both physically and emotionally. His "voice is broken" and he has a "broken string, a broken wing." He is overwhelmed by the weight of his loneliness and his "only love's gone away to stay," leaving him with nothing to look forward to at the end of the day. The singer longs for peace, strength, and hope to ease his sorrowful soul.
The second verse introduces the metaphor of a "dreamer in a dark hotel," which serves as a symbol of the singer's inner turmoil. The dark hotel represents his isolation and despair, and the silver coin in the well and the blue bird singing in the willow evoke a sense of lost beauty and longing. The singer asks to be awakened in the midst of autumn leaves, to be reminded of the possibility of beauty on the other side of the river.
The chorus repeats the singer's plea for peace, hope, and strength in the face of his overwhelming sadness, and acknowledges that only love can save him from his prison cell. The song is a raw, emotional expression of a person coping with profound loneliness and loss, searching desperately for a glimmer of hope and light in the darkness.
Line by Line Meaning
My voice is broken
My voice is strained and tired
Got a broken string, a broken wing
I am metaphorically damaged, just like a string on a guitar or the wing of a bird
And everything makes me wanna cry.
I am extremely emotional and easily moved to tears
And my only love's gone away to stay
The person I love has left me and won't be coming back
Can't even look forward to the end of the day
I am so down that I can't even find any joy in the idea of going home at the end of the day
To come home to her at night.
I long for the comfort and safety of being at home with the person I love
Oh, Lord, give me peace
I pray for inner calm and tranquility
And put my sorry, singin', sad old soul to ease.
I hope that my soul can be healed and my singing voice can be restored
And bring me hope.
I desperately need a reason to be optimistic
I need a little, just a little.
Even the smallest bit of hope and positivity would make a difference to me
Give me strength.
I need the strength to keep going when everything feels overwhelming
An offering of faith.
Faith in something greater than myself would help me find meaning and purpose
Bring me hope.
I am reiterating my desperate need for hope
I need a little so I can hold on.
Hope is what would allow me to keep pushing through this difficult time
A dreamer in a dark hotel
I am lost and struggling, like a dreamer who can't find their way in a dark place
Like a silver coin drownin' at the bottom of a well.
I feel buried and trapped like a coin that has fallen to the bottom of a well
The bluebird's back, singin' in the willow
There is a glimmer of hope and beauty represented by the bluebird, even in my sorrowful state
Washin' his wings in the water in my pillow.
Even my tears are not enough to wash away the sadness I am feeling
So wake me up in autumn leaves
I long for a fresh start and renewal, symbolized by the changing of the seasons
To the part of me that still believes
I hold onto the small part of me that still has faith and hope that things will get better
There's beauty on the other side of the river.
I have faith that if I can persevere, there will be something beautiful waiting for me in the future
Oh, get me out of this wishing well.
I feel like I am stuck in a place where nothing will ever change, a wishing well where my wishes won't come true
A dreamer dying in a dark hotel.
My emotional state is so low that I feel like a dreamer who is slowly losing their will to live
Break me out of this prison cell.
I want to be freed from the emotional prison that I am trapped in
Only love can save me now.
Love is the only thing that can pull me out of this dark place and give me hope for the future
Writer(s): Kevin Rhoads
Contributed by Nathaniel E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
thebeatoftheangels
as much as people dont want to admit it, CSI series have some awesome taste for picking up songs
Guillermo Acosta
Yes! The environment help...
Vicky
I miss CSI
patricia thomas
The chord changes in this song are hauntingly beautiful! Love it!
Vi
I heard this song on CSI and i googled the singer... this is awesome
Hannah Corrigan
Totally did the same! Best decision I think I've ever made!
Vi
Nice... :)
Guillermo Acosta
Did the same 5/28/20 !
Randy Pobst
Try "Chess". It's my new favorite song. Art. Tension. Cinematic interest. It plays in my head after the song ends. Great music.
Vicky
I miss CSI