All That Matters

Song credits

Guitars: Cait Leary and Kevin Harper
Engineering & Mixing: Kevin Harper at kleesounds
Nashville, TN
Mastering: Adam Grover at Sterling Sound
Nashville, TN

All That Matters lyrics handwritten in purple pen on kraft cardstock.

I stay up late and I sing songs to my living room I wake up early and watch the sunrise from the middle of the street And then I sleep all afternoon And I allow myself to dream of you Because it seems that the rules don't matter anymore I call my mother to let her know that I'm watching her favorite TV show I call my brother and we get wasted on the phone And then I sleep all afternoon And I wish that I was next to you Because it seems that our dreams are all that matter anymore And there's people outside and they're fighting for life And I'm just stringing words together But I'm starting to understand So I'll plant flowers in the cracks of the sidewalk and my headspace I'll wave to neighbors and I'll open my mouth to the rain And then I'll call you on the phone And I'll say the things that I left out before Because it seems that love is all that matters Yeah it looks like love's the only thing that matters Anymore

Behind the song

I wrote “All That Matters” during the COVID lockdown in 2020, when the world got very small and the questions got very loud. There were lots of phone calls to family and friends, strange sleeping hours, and the growing suspicion that I had spent quite a bit of my time on things that didn't really matter.

I sent a demo to my longtime musical collaborator, Kevin Harper, who began working on it at his studio, kleesounds, in Nashville, Tennessee. We later recorded the song live in the studio together. When live shows returned, we played it for our friends at The 5 Spot in Nashville—a song born in isolation finally getting to spend some time in a room full of people. Magic.

From my living room to a Nashville stage, the conclusion stayed the same: love is all that matters. Go tell your people.