'Call For You' by Cameron Whitcomb – Lyrics & Meaning

Cameron Whitcomb has never been one to shy away from the darker and harder topics of life in his songs.

Creating a catalogue of autobiographical tunes that recount his journey of addiction and now recovery, the Canadian native's debut record, The Hard Way, is abounding in songs that feel somewhere between a gut punch and a warm embrace.

Among the album's offerings, listeners can find the vulnerable 'Call For You,' which finds Whitcomb asking for help, as we all do trying to navigate this crazy thing called life.

A little over three-and-a-half minutes long, 'Call For You' finds Whitcomb in rare form with a lone acoustic guitar joining his harrowing vocals.

Utterly wearing his heart on his sleeve, you can hear the conviction in his delivery, making for one of the most poignant listens on The Hard Way.

"When I was young
Before I grew
Back when friends were friends forever and the skies were always blue
When I was small
Two feet tall
The only woman in my life was the angel I called mom

Oh it gets hard
And it goes fast
But I know that you’d pick up no questions asked"

The song opens with our narrator reminiscing on his childhood.

Back when things were easy and nothing could be too terrible, there was only one person who he viewed as otherworldly: his mom. She could do no wrong and she was always there whenever he needed her.

Now, as years have gone on and things have changed, as friends have drifted apart and life has gotten harder and harder, our singer still holds that relationship with his mom close to his heart. Despite all of the changes he's undergone, nothing has changed in their relationship.

"If they told me I ain’t making bail
Got one phone call from county jail
I’d call, I’d call for you
If my bus broke down in Devil’s Pass
I’d walk until my legs collapsed
I’d crawl, I’d crawl to you
The world is full of hands
That hold you when it’s worth it
But you gave me a chance
When they thought I was worthless
So when I fall like I do
I’ll call for you"

Giving examples of how deep their love and affection goes, our singer notes that if he only had one call to make, locked up and alone in jail, it would be to his mom. Similarly, if he was stuck on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, she's be the one he reached out to and he would do whatever he needed to return to her side.

Looking at the world broadly, our narrator expresses that there are plenty of people who are there for you when everything is going well. Everything is there to extend a hand or pick you up when you're on top of the world or when it's convenient. Yet, when everything has gone to hell and there's no one left around him, he knows that his mom will pick up. Every single time.

"Now I’m old
Well, old enough
To know my friends are not my brothers
And the world can really suck
When it rains
It seems to pour
But you’re always there with dry clothes
When I show up at your door

‘Cause it gets hard
And it goes fast
But I know that you’d pick up no questions asked"

As he's gotten older and a little wiser about how the real world works, our singer understands that his friends, while might love him and care for him, aren't flesh and blood like he thought when he was younger.

There's no way to escape the obstacles and valleys of life, but he knows that he'll always have someone beside him to walk with.

"If they told me I ain’t making bail
Got one phone call from county jail
I’d call, I’d call for you
If my bus broke down in Devil’s Pass
I’d walk until my legs collapsed
I’d crawl, I’d crawl to you
The world is full of hands
That hold you when it’s worth it
But you gave me a chance
When they thought I was worthless
So when I fall like I do
I’ll call for you"

Speaking to Holler ahead of the album's release, Whitcomb explained that when writing 'Call For You,' he had his mother in mind, but the heart of the tune goes much deeper than that.

"I remember the lowest parts of my life. I was thinking about who you call on in the lowest parts of your life, when people don't want anything to do with you. Now people want to hang out with. Now people are interested and text me all the time, but back then, I only had a few people that I could call on. My mom's the main one in mind, but it could be my dad, my brother, my best friend or whoever." Continuing on, he adds, "That song is for, when nobody else will pick up, who you know is going to pick up no matter what."

When I was young
Before I grew
Back when friends were friends forever and the skies were always blue
When I was small
Two feet tall
The only woman in my life was the angel I called mom

Oh it gets hard
And it goes fast
But I know that you’d pick up no questions asked

If they told me I ain’t making bail
Got one phone call from county jail
I’d call, I’d call for you
If my bus broke down in Devil’s Pass
I’d walk until my legs collapsed
I’d crawl, I’d crawl to you
The world is full of hands
That hold you when it’s worth it
But you gave me a chance
When they thought I was worthless
So when I fall like I do
I’ll call for you

Now I’m old
Well, old enough
To know my friends are not my brothers
And the world can really suck
When it rains
It seems to pour
But you’re always there with dry clothes
When I show up at your door

‘Cause it gets hard
And it goes fast
But I know that you’d pick up no questions asked

If they told me I ain’t making bail
Got one phone call from county jail
I’d call, I’d call for you
If my bus broke down in Devil’s Pass
I’d walk until my legs collapsed
I’d crawl, I’d crawl to you
The world is full of hands
That hold you when it’s worth it
But you gave me a chance
When they thought I was worthless
So when I fall like I do
I’ll call for you
Yeah, I’ll call for you
Yeah, I’ll call for you
Yeah, I’ll call for you

If I lost my life at twenty-three
You’ll hear me through those cedar trees
I’ll call, I’ll call for you
And it won’t fix a broken heart
But know that every decent part of me
Was all from you

The world is full of hands
That hold you when it’s worth it
But you gave me a chance
When they thought I was worthless
So when I fall like I do
I’ll call for you
I’ll call for you

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For more on Cameron Whitcomb, see below:

Cameron Whitcomb

Artist