The inspiration behind "How We End Up Alone" was, unfortunately inspired by personal narrative - one that I was going through at the time of its conception. I found myself thinking the same cyclical thoughts that we all do when in the throes of watching your world get turned upside-down.

While it was impossible to look on the bright side, I found the irony in the situation in that it has happened before in nearly the same way in the past and its subject matter was the topic of the majority of American blues (a style we surprisingly rarely borrow from, despite the fact that we are a rock band). I used a common blues progression to begin the song in an effort to subconsciously bring listeners into the mindframe and then went with the 6/8 progression to mimic the actual events of every failed relationship. During that same section, there is musical reference to "Et Al" (vol.2) because I was referencing the similarities between the two situations. Behind the violent rhythm is a full orchestral composition not prominently heard, which is in fact a typical movie style masquerade waltz (think "Carmen" by Bizet). 3/4 and 6/8 timing are an easy fit and I thought it deepened the sense of familiar irony. I am proudest of the back and forth lyrical and melodic simplicity juxtaposed with a few eloquent passages, which both musically and lyrically captured the state of affairs and mindframe.

For me, the pivotal statement "see it from my way" said as much as I could hope to explain with any amount of a more flowery rhetoric. The inflections are meant to portray how a discussion becomes a heated/forceful life changing argument because of its very approach and progression of the narrators' hidden intent. It is my hope that the next time you find yourself going through the identical stages and headed for inevitable disaster, you will be reminded by this song before you complete your part in this comical play and take ten seconds to think before you get your all important way. Because this is, after all, how we end up alone.