‘All My Love’ by Noah Kahan – Lyrics & Meaning

While Noah Kahan has his fair share of weighty songs about mental health struggles and various addictions, it's not all doom and gloom for our Vermont native, who also has a masterful skill of encapsulating the human experience and the joys and pitfalls of growing up.

On his breakout record, 2022's Stick Season, which includes the career-defining title track, as well as beloved fan-favorites like 'She Calls Me Back,' 'Northern Attitude,' 'Everywhere, Everything,' 'Orange Juice' and more, he does just this to a T.

Balancing the bitter-sweet relationship he has with his hometown and the internal struggles he's faced over the years, he also distills hope and levity into tales of young love and maturation in 'All My Love.'

Though Stick Season has enjoyed many lives over the last two years, including the deluxe We'll All Be Here Forever version and the reimagined Forever edition, 'All My Love' has been a mainstay from the start and become a standout moment in every one of Kahan's live shows since its release.

As ever produced by Kahan alongside his trusty collaborator, Gabe Simon, 'All My Love' takes on his signature sweet spot that sits somewhere between folk, alternative and pop, creating a gorgeously textured tapestry of genres and sounds.

It's bright and upbeat, with a kick drum keeping time and organic, acoustic instrumentation taking the reigns throughout.

At just over four minutes long, it's one of the most fun and lighthearted Kahan songs thus far, which is only compounded when witnessed during his thrilling live shows.

"How have things been? Well, love, now that you mention it
My folks still talk, they speak in these two-words sentences
I'm sayin' too much but you know how it gets out here
No winter coat could keep out all the cold of your atmosphere"

We start the tune with Kahan seemingly meeting up with an old friend. As they ask him how things that been since they last saw each other, which must've been a while ago, he notes that there's some tension with his parents who we can deduce have gotten a divorce.

Worried that he's over sharing and letting this person in too much to the darker parts of his life, he explains that their energy and aura have a profound effect on him that he can't quite explain.

"We once sang
Retrograde, we'd shake the frame of your car
Now I know your name, but not who you are
It's all okay
There ain't a drop of bad blood, it's all my love

You got all my love while I'm still out here
With the pills and the dogs, if you need me, dear
I'm the same as I was, it's all okay
There ain't a drop of bad blood, it's all my love
You got all my love
You got all my love"

Flashing back to years gone by, he remembers the times that they used to spend together and how intimately he used to know them. Now, after all this time and because of whatever happened between them, there's a distance and disconnect that's resulted in Kahan not really knowing who they are anymore.

He doesn't fret over this, though. Regardless of the time that's passed or the distance that now sits between them, he underlines that this other person still has "all [his] love."

Though not much as changed in his world, and he's still more or less the same person that he was back then, he reiterates that no matter what, he'll always be there for this person whenever they need him.

There's no bad blood between them whatsoever, only love.

"Write me a list of how it is, of how it was, of how it has to be
You burrowed in under my skin, what I'd give to have you out for me
I still recall how the leather in your car feels
And at the end of it all, I just hope that your scars healed"

Asking this person to set the rules or boundaries that exist between them now, Kahan notes that he's never forgotten about this person and the ways that they've shaped his life.

Still finding himself reminiscing on the olden days, he ultimately just wishes for the best for this other person, regardless of the capacity he remains in their life.

"Well, I leaned in for a kiss thirty feet from where your parents slept
And I look so confident, babe, I swear, I was scared to death
My hands gripped the wheel, I smiled stupid the whole way home
Well, those five words in my head, you said, 'I'll never let you go'"

After going through the chorus once again, we find Kahan thinking back on the evening they just shared, which evidently included a little moment of intimacy outside of their parent's house.

Now understanding that this is an old flame that Kahan just hasn't been able to get over, he notes that while he was the picture of confidence when he leaned in for that kiss, he was actually scared to death as he felt there was so much riding on that moment.

Giddy with joy as he drove home, he kept replaying that moment and repeating what she said to him, giving him hope that maybe there's a path still open for them in the future.

"Oh, I sing
Retrograde, we'd shake the frame of your car
Now I know your name, but not who you are
It's all okay
There ain't a drop of bad blood, it's all my love"

As is the case for most of Kahan's music to date, the singer hasn't shared much in regard to 'All My Love' and its origins.

Written solely by the Grammy-nominated hitmaker, it's impossible to tell if it's an autobiographical offering from the artist or if it's just another one of his intoxicatingly relatable songs that have become the soundtrack of our lives over the last few years.

How have things been? Well, love, now that you mention it
My folks still talk, they speak in these two-words sentences
I'm sayin' too much but you know how it gets out here
No winter coat could keep out all the cold of your atmosphere

We once sang
Retrograde, we'd shake the frame of your car
Now I know your name, but not who you are
It's all okay
There ain't a drop of bad blood, it's all my love

You got all my love while I'm still out here
With the pills and the dogs, if you need me, dear
I'm the same as I was, it's all okay
There ain't a drop of bad blood, it's all my love
You got all my love
You got all my love

Write me a list of how it is, of how it was, of how it has to be
You burrowed in under my skin, what I'd give to have you out for me
I still recall how the leather in your car feels
And at the end of it all, I just hope that your scars healed

We once sang
Retrograde, we'd shake the frame of your car
Now I know your name, but not who you are
It's all okay
There ain't a drop of bad blood, it's all my love

You got all my love while I'm still out here
With the pills and the dogs, if you need me, dear
I'm the same as I was, it's all okay
There ain't a drop of bad blood, it's all my love
You got all my love
You got all my love

Well, I leaned in for a kiss thirty feet from where your parents slept
And I look so confident, babe, I swear, I was scared to death
My hands gripped the wheel, I smiled stupid the whole way home
Well, those five words in my head, you said, "I'll never let you go"

Oh, I sing
Retrograde, we'd shake the frame of your car
Now I know your name, but not who you are
It's all okay
There ain't a drop of bad blood, it's all my love

You got all my love and it's still out here
With the pills and the dogs, wind chill this year
Stole the word from my tongue, it's all okay
There ain't a drop of bad blood, it's all my love
You got all my love

You got all my love
You got all my love
You got all my love
You got all my love

--

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