Today we released "The Gate" from Brandon Hampton. Below Brandon shares some of his thoughts on the origin and meaning of the song.
"This song The Gate was actually written in several parts throughout a 1-2 year period back in 2009. I was sitting at a beautiful, haunting grand piano that belonged to my friend's grandmother before she passed. It was in the hills of Missoula Montana, and I began to picture myself and friends of mine who previously had such high hopes for love and yet found themselves feeling the failure of it not working out. The looming question that I had to ask myself in the aftermath of failed relationship was “what’s wrong with me?”
The song begins by identifying that something is held back or hasn’t been broken through yet. The sense of losing in love can lead to a feeling of having given the best parts of ourselves to no reward. That it was for lost when the relationship failed. But I wanted to tell myself and others that the best parts, the precious parts are not lost, but rather hidden until real love has been able to scale the gate of our hearts and call it out of us.
In full vulnerability, I had no idea that the day I walked in to begin recording this song, that would be the same day my Fiancé at the time would call off our engagement. I wondered if I could even be present enough to get anything done, but of all the songs to record, this one was invading my life at the most seemingly bizarre intersection of time. A song that was written in 2009 now had new meaning and I wasn’t sure I could bear the weight of that new meaning, let alone try and attempt to capture it.
But I sang it anyway, almost as if I had to tell myself it wasn’t over for me… that I could still carry on. We thought about re-recording the vocals, (that’s usually what happens in the studio, you do a quick pass or two and then later really execute the vocals), but everyone in the room agreed that there was no way we could recapture the vulnerability that came across the mic in those moments: me wrestling with this new meaning in my life.
The process of trying and failing, and trying again, and over time feeling like there’s not much left to give, can cause the heart to become hard. So, this is where the parallel between our relationship with each other and The Lord scaling our gates comes in.
You can’t move a heart when it’s already hard, but I’m holding on to who you are. I know you (God) are for me, and you're after the best parts that haven’t come out from hiding yet.
“And with eyes like a child I will see you again” I can learn to trust and risk and forgive. “Believe and I’ll follow, alive again." That there can be resurrection from death and loss. And pain doesn’t always or fully leave, but it begins to feel purposeful unto something beautiful, not just a dead end. If you feel, broken, fragmented, or unwhole, remember: “You have not given all of your love away, still better parts of your heart none of us have seen.” - Brandon
“To spite the best
of all your efforts
To give your love
How it falls victim
Unto a gate
No one has entered
until the day true love is here
But you have not given all
Of your love away
Still precious parts of your heart
none of us have seen
you can’t move a heart
when it’s already hard
But I’m holding on
To who you are
And with eyes like a child I will see you again
Believe and I’ll follow
Alive from the dead
no you can’t move heart
if its already hard
But I’m holding on
To who you are
And with eyes like a child I will see you again
Believe and I’ll follow
Alive again
I will love you
With all I was made to
I will carry on
Carry on
In all I do
I will love you ”
