‘Call Your Mom’ by Noah Kahan – Lyrics & Meaning

TW: Suicide, Depression, Anxiety.

For information and support on any issues raised in this story, help is available via the National Institute of Mental Health.

Since releasing his first few singles in 2017, Noah Kahan has never shied away from singing about the hard topics.

Mental health is a cornerstone of his songwriting, spanning from musings on anxiety and depression, to addressing the stigmas around medication and the reality of suicidal ideation. While these things are no doubt weighty and difficult to sing about, Kahan does it with such care and sincerity, making heavy songs also feel like a warm embrace.

This is also true of his breakthrough record, Stick Season, which has produced a plethora of versions since its release in 2022, including the expanded We'll All Be Here Forever edition in June of 2023. Adding another seven songs to the already loved and lauded collection, the deluxe version found instant fan-favorites 'Your Needs, My Needs,' 'Dial Drunk,' 'You're Gonna Go Far' and more included, including the guttural 'Call Your Mom.'

Kahan has had an abundance of first-hand experience when it comes to his own mental health, as well as that of people he's close to. 'Call Your Mom,' while not confirmed to be based on true events in the Vermont native's life, clearly comes from a raw and vulnerable place, as he chronicles one of his dear friends attempting suicide and begging them to just keep fighting, one day at a time.

A calming electric guitar opens and maintains 'Call Your Mom,' with Kahan's soothing falsetto ringing through. It's a rather subdued start as a low kick drum keeps the time through the first chorus, ever so slightly building in intensity as we plod along.

By the time we arrive at the bridge, Kahan's falsetto is stripped away and replaced by a near-scream as he pleads for understanding and effort from the person he's talking to. The band joins in, building the ballad into something altogether bigger, bolder and more evocative that how it began.

In fall of 2023, as part of the third iteration of Stick Season, Kahan unveils the Forever phase of the record, which included a handful of reimagined versions of his songs featuring artists that have shaped and inspired him. On the project, fellow singer-songwriter Lizzie McAlpine was tapped to join him on 'Call Your Mom.'

Taking over the second verse and chorus, and trading off stanzas of the bridge, McAlpine's steady croon evokes equally as much conviction and sincerity as the original, inducing chills from start to finish.

"Oh, you're spiralin' again
The moment right before it ends, you're most afraid of
But, don't you cancel any plans
'Cause I won't let you get the chance to never make them

Stayed on the line with you the entire night
'Til you let it out and let it in"

The song begins with Kahan addressing someone who it would seem has a long history with mental health struggles. Alluding to "the moment right before it ends," we get the feeling that perhaps this person is contemplating suicide.

As any good friend would, Kahan urges them to keep fighting, staying on the phone with this person all night just to remind them that they aren't alone and that they are loved.

"Don't let this darkness fool you
All lights turned off can be turned on
I'll drive, I'll drive all night
I'll call your mom

Oh, dear, don't be discouraged
I've been exactly where you are
I'll drive, I'll drive all night
I'll call your mom

I'll call your mom"

In a moving and vividly painted portrait of the reality of mental health, Kahan explains that even though it feels dark and inescapable right now, it won't be that way forever. This song echoes a similar sentiment shared by the iconic Professor Dumbledore in Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban, who said: "Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."

Empathizing with his friend, Kahan goes on to say that he knows exactly what they're feeling as he's experienced struggles of his own over the years that have left him feeling low and hopeless.

Yet, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, and Kahan will do whatever it takes to get his friend there, even if it means losing sleep, driving across state lines or calling their mom to let them know what's going on.

"Waiting room, no place to stand
His greatest fears and wringing hands and the loudest silence
If you could see yourself like this
If you could see yourself like this, you'd have never tried it

Stayed on the line with you the entire night
'Til you told me that you had to go"

We flash forward in time a bit as Kahan is now in a hospital waiting room, assumedly following his friend's attempt to take their life. The silence is deafening, as Kahan and likely his friends family wait to see what the doctors say.

Kahan explains that if his friend would've known how this was going to play out they never would have attempted it, seeing the effect it's had on the people closest to him and realizing that perhaps they didn't actually want to go, but just wanted the thoughts and feelings to stop.

"Medicate, meditate, swear your soul to Jesus
Throw a punch, fall in love, give yourself a reason
Don't wanna drive another mile wonderin' if you're breathin'
So, won't you stay, won't you stay, won't you stay with me?"

As Kahan, and later on McAlpine, plead with their friend, they offer up different options and resources that have been proven to help with mental health struggles, including the use of medications, going to therapy and even finding religion and purpose beyond themselves.

Urging the friend to go out and feel the parts of being human, like falling in love or getting in to fights, Kahan simply wants his friend to have a reason to keep going and doesn't want to spend any more time wondering if they've made an irreversible decision.

Desperately, Kahan asks if his friend will stay with him and take on this life, with all its ups and downs, together, one day at a time.

"Don't let this darkness fool you
All lights turned off can be turned on
I'll drive, I'll drive all night
I'll call your mom

Oh, dear, don't be discouraged
I've been exactly where you are
I'll drive, I'll drive all (night) night
I'll call your mom"

As ever, Kahan remains pretty tight lipped about his songs and their origins, and the same can be said about 'Call Your Mom.'

An undeniable staple in Kahan's live shows over the last couple of years, the singer has explained that no matter how many times he sings the heartbreaking tune, it's always a difficult one due to the intense emotions that underpin it.

Taking to Twitter last summer, Kahan explained: “For those asking about ‘Call Your Mom’ live, just know that it is difficult for me to perform that one live every night. I’m hoping I learn to perform it with more composure but for now it’s very much a work in progress.”

Oh, you're spiralin' again
The moment right before it ends, you're most afraid of
But, don't you cancel any plans
'Cause I won't let you get the chance to never make them

Stayed on the line with you the entire night
'Til you let it out and let it in

Don't let this darkness fool you
All lights turned off can be turned on
I'll drive, I'll drive all night
I'll call your mom

Oh, dear, don't be discouraged
I've been exactly where you are
I'll drive, I'll drive all night
I'll call your mom

I'll call your mom

Waiting room, no place to stand
His greatest fears and wringing hands and the loudest silence
If you could see yourself like this
If you could see yourself like this, you'd have never tried it

Stayed on the line with you the entire night
'Til you told me that you had to go

Don't let this darkness fool you
All lights turned off can be turned on
I'll drive, I'll drive all night
I'll call your mom

Oh, dear, don't be discouraged
I've been exactly where you are
I'll drive, I'll drive all night
I'll call your mom

Medicate, meditate, swear your soul to Jesus
Throw a punch, fall in love, give yourself a reason
Don't wanna drive another mile wonderin' if you're breathin'
So, won't you stay, won't you stay, won't you stay with me?

Medicate, meditate, save your soul for Jesus
Throw a punch, fall in love, give yourself a reason
Don't wanna drive another mile without knowin' you're breathin'
So, won't you stay, won't you stay, won't you stay with me?

Don't let this darkness fool you
All lights turned off can be turned on
I'll drive, I'll drive all night
I'll call your mom

Oh, dear, don't be discouraged
I've been exactly where you are
I'll drive, I'll drive all (night) night
I'll call your mom

I'll call your mom

--

For more on Noah Kahan, see below: