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Dreamy Reflection: Exploring Men I Trust's Subdued Sound in "All My Candles"
With the release of a new album Equus Asinus (2025),Men I Trust are back with their signature wispy vocals and melancholic soundscapes.One of the standouts from their new album, "All My Candles" is classic Men I Trust — lyrics steeped in self-reflection, delicate vocals, and a dreamy atmosphere. The subdued instrumentation allows the lyrics to take center stage, meandering through explorations of time, regret, and the weight of unchangeable moments. “All My Candles” perfectly captures the feeling of looking back on the past with regret, and its slow, almost hypnotic sound compels listeners to join the speaker on an introspective journey — wondering if it’s possible to change the past or if it’s already too late.
Verse 1: The Weight of the Past in "All MyCandles" by Men I Trust
The opening verse sets the tone with a sense of nostalgia and resignation.
“Why go through the drawers?
Things have mellowed out
Before”
The speaker questions whether it’s even worth revisiting the past. While the nostalgia and regret are evident, the speaker admits “things have mellowed out before,” suggesting they’ve been through this emotional cycle and gotten over their feelings in the past. There’s a cyclical nature to this — to even question whether these memories are worth revisiting, the speaker revisits those memories unintentionally.
With the next lines, we’re invited into these memories.
“I spent my teens a fool
Let my mother down.
Few days, no school”
The speaker touches on the rebelliousness of youth with nostalgia— but rather than the typical nostalgia that envies the past, this nostalgia is filled with regret and the desire to change past actions.
Chorus Analysis: Unraveling the Endless Regret
The chorus brings this regret into sharper focus.
“Was there more I could have done?”
This repeated question becomes the crux of the song’s lament.It’s imbued with an almost desperate desire to undo past actions.
“Maybe left the race I'd won
Did I miss the last train home?
Too late to change
Or stay the same”
It’s a question many of us ask, but the speaker complicates it. Rather than regretting missed opportunities, the speaker regrets what they’ve achieved, questioning whether it’s all worth it. This could be referring to social achievements, career milestones, or even personal goals that, in retrospect, feel hollow. It’s a fleeting realization that even success can come with its own set of losses, forcing the speaker to reconsider their choices. The final line — “Or stay the same” —hints that perhaps these victories changed them and there’s no way back to who they used to be.
Verse 2: The Candle Metaphor in "All My Candles"
The second verse returns to the theme of passing time.
“Was there more I could have done?
Thirty days are still a month
All my candles weigh as none”
There’s tension here because the speaker is practicallycounting the days, wishing time would pass faster. Yet, there’s a simultaneous nostalgia for the past. The candles mentioned serve as a metaphor for the passage oftime, but they can also symbolize the loss of energy or hope. The weightless candles imply that the speaker’s past feels insignificant, like they’ve failed toachieve anything meaningful and they’re running out of the energy to cope with those feelings.
Adding to the song’s existential undertones, we come back to the refrain.
“Too late to change
Or stay the same.”
There’s a sense of paralysis here, an inability to move backwards or forwards and a simultaneous indecision paralysis. The tension here forms the emotional heart of the song, a desire to change past mistakes to create a more meaningful life. Change feels impossible, yet staying the same seems equally unsatisfying.
A Timeless Struggle with Regret
“All My Candles” explores the inescapable, haunting question: “Was it enough?” with the signature delicacy of Men I Trust. It’s a poetic struggle with the passage of time, choices, and the weight of unchangeable actions. By mixing poetic reflection with a calm, introspective soundscape, they create a song that resonates with anyone who has questioned their past. With its melancholic yet beautiful arrangement, “All My Candles”leaves listeners in a space between past and present, between action and inaction, urging reflection on the moments that define us — and those we let slip away.
