Title: “Signpost” (feat. Bellows)
Genre(s): Rap, RnB
Length: 5:39
Label: Just Record / Dahlhouse Entertainment
Songwriter(s): Kara Romero, Brayton Carter
Producer(s): Kara Romero, Brayton Carter, Jadyn Ghalen, Jamal Ghalen
Song Description;The song begins with a repeated dreamwave-esque keyboard sound with a soft drumming beat heard faintly in the background, it’s not long before the opening lyrics are delivered by Kara in a smooth RnB vocal style which allows her to really give the theme and feeling of the song from the very outset as she sings over the RnB tinged music,
“I know we never liked to label things/But all the signs seemed to indicate that we were something/I kinda thought we were good/Thought we were just trying to avoid the word love/Just so shit wouldn’t get complicated/We fucked almost every night that you were in my home.” which immediately give the tone of the track, despite her softly spoken delivery it’s clear that there’s an anger and frustration coming from the lyrical content as she sings about an understanding of both people not wanting to put a label on the relationship at the risk of ruining a good thing, despite all the evidence pointing clearly to the fact that they were indeed something.
The music continues in a similar vein as we progress to the chorus early on, the speed of the backing music has increased slightly as she switches up tone slightly to deliver another RnB tinged vocal delivery but this time with a little more assertiveness and anger in the tone, giving the feeling that we’re hearing her side of the argument,
“Don’t even try to tell me that I should have seen the signs/When there wasn’t a single signpost/Don’t try to tell me that I should have read the signs/There wasn’t a single signpost/I guess I was the one/That was played the most.” and this gives us the very message of the track, drenched in confusion and skirting around the idea of saying what you truly feel, leaving one person comfortable and the other confused in a situation. The tone shift in vocal delivery matches the lyrical content as we delve deeper into the breakdown of a relationship.
The pace switches up completely as the chorus ends, the modern day RnB tone of the backing music fades out and we’re given a very beat heavy sound, drums and a bass highlighting this section of the track and as the music changes the vocal delivery does so too as Kara moves into full assertiveness as she jumps on the beat and delivers a rap verse that highlights the frustration and anger that lingers beyond the surface,
“For all intents and purposes, we were together/You can try to manipulate the situation/Keep saying we ain’t had that conversation/But actions speak louder/Everybody could fucking see it/We were exclusive in every fucking way/You were with me almost every god damn day/It’s just something we didn’t wanna say/Because we’ve seen how once it’s said you ain’t ever truly get that magic back/You can call me naïve/But I won’t take that personal attack/You can come around here/Trying to make amends/But I won’t fall for that bullshit/Just so we can fuck again.” and it’s clear that the tender RnB vocal style is linked to the idea of her trying to understand and rationalise the hurt that she feels and the rap vocal delivery is her allowing herself to be angry.
The beat increases slightly to accommodate the inclusion of Bellows with a slightly more aggressive beat drop on this version of the track,
“Nah, listen to me now/What we had was real fuckin good/But you’re the one that kept on saying that you don’t want feelings to fuck this up/You seemed happy to keep serving me pussy/Like you out here serving looks/Always screaming out how much you love this dick/But never about how much you love us.” he takes a break for a few seconds to let his opening delivery sink in before he continues,
“I know we used to hang/Cause you always felt like one of us/Smoking blunts/Ya’ll were always down to fuck/Relentless on that pussy shit I thought that was all you wanted/Bouncing on it like a trampoline/You never disappointed/But I ain’t had you down for the feelings type/Ya’ll never pressed in close on those long fucking winter nights/You kept it superficial for the longest fuckin’ time/How am I supposed to know this shit?/I ain’t got the ability to read your fucking mind/Truth be told/I thought you were only in this for a good time/If it ain’t too bold/I felt pretty empty after I came inside.” and it does exactly what was set out by Bellows, to deliver another side to the story as he delivers a verse that shows the situation from his side of a relationship that to him felt a little cold and empty, essentially giving the audience the opportunity to decide for themselves.
The music switches back as we return to the songs chorus,
“Don’t even try to tell me that I should have seen the signs/When there wasn’t a single signpost/Don’t try to tell me that I should have read the signs/There wasn’t a single signpost/I guess I was the one/That was played the most.” but this time is accompanied by a bridge which continues in that softer RnB delivery but with the lyrical content continuing in the assertive nature of the rap verse as she sings,
“I’ve seen this shit happen before/But didn’t think I’d be the one to fall for it/Didn’t think that was your MO/But I should have fucking known it/Shouldn’t have been so trustin’.” we’re given the songs chorus once more before we move into the final section of the song.
The final section begins with Bellows as he delivers one final verse, essentially acting as his final argument before leaving the decision with the audience to decide which side of the relationship they fall into, he effortlessly drops in on the beat with this verse as delivers his final statement,
“I don’t think you can pin this on me fully/Whenever I’d bring up the topic you’d just say “we’re having fun, aren’t we?”/I think it’s bold of you to think that I couldn’t love you/If you’d have opened up/I really think I fucking could do/But I ain’t gonna complain if all you wanna do is fuck/But just know I can get it elsewhere/With a little more love/So I’mma fuck around for a bit/Until you grow the fuck up/Maybe somewhere down the road/There may be a destination for us/But until then I’ll just put my deuces up/And say the pussy was good.” and with that we move into the final verse, to be delivered by Kara.
The track switches tone again as we head into another rap verse, the softness making way for the drum heavy and faster paced verse as Kara moves into rap mode once more,
“But you know me enough to know that once you’re out/You ain’t ever getting back in/I can be stubborn as fuck when I need to be/I know you keep calling me to talk/To try to smooth this shit over/But I can’t tolerate you loving me, when you’re fuckin’ wit another/It hurts inside/But I’ll keep my emotions undercover/Give me a moment to hurt/And then I’ll get over this/I’m strong enough to move past this shit/I take it as a lesson/To help me grow stronger.” and the internal calmness at accepting that she’s essentially done now, and that she’s said what she needed to say and let out whatever anger was needed to be let out is followed by one final return to the RnB vibe as she sings the songs chorus once more to play it out.
“Signpost” (feat. Bellows)(Kara)
“I know we never liked to label things
But all the signs seemed to indicate that we were something
I kinda thought we were good
Thought we were just trying to avoid the word love
Just so shit wouldn’t get complicated
We fucked almost every night that you were in my home
Don’t even try to tell me that I should have seen the signs
When there wasn’t a single signpost
Don’t try to tell me that I should have read the signs
There wasn’t a single signpost
I guess I was the one
That was played the most(Kara)
For all intents and purposes, we were together
You can try to manipulate the situation
Keep saying we ain’t had that conversation
But actions speak louder
Everybody could fucking see it
We were exclusive in every fucking way
You were with me almost every god damn day
It’s just something we didn’t wanna say
Because we’ve seen how once it’s said you ain’t ever truly get that magic back
You can call me naïve
But I won’t take that personal attack
You can come around here
Trying to make amends
But I won’t fall for that bullshit
Just so we can fuck again
(Bellows)
Nah, listen to me now
What we had was real fuckin good
But you’re the one that kept on saying that you don’t want feelings to fuck this up
You seemed happy to keep serving me pussy
Like you out here serving looks
Always screaming out how much you love this dick
But never about how much you love us
I know we used to hang
Cause you always felt like one of us
Smoking blunts
Ya’ll were always down to fuck
Relentless on that pussy shit I thought that was all you wanted
Bouncing on it like a trampoline
You never disappointed
But I ain’t had you down for the feelings type
Ya’ll never pressed in close on those long fucking winter nights
You kept it superficial for the longest fuckin’ time
How am I supposed to know this shit?
I ain’t got the ability to read your fucking mind
Truth be told
I thought you were only in this for a good time
If it ain’t too bold
I felt pretty empty after I came inside
Don’t even try to tell me that I should have seen the signs
When there wasn’t a single signpost
Don’t try to tell me that I should have read the signs
There wasn’t a single signpost
I guess I was the one
That was played the most(Kara)
I’ve seen this shit happen before
But didn’t think I’d be the one to fall for it
Didn’t think that was your MO
But I should have fucking known it
Shouldn’t have been so trustin’
Don’t even try to tell me that I should have seen the signs
When there wasn’t a single signpost
Don’t try to tell me that I should have read the signs
There wasn’t a single signpost
I guess I was the one
That was played the most(Bellows)
I don’t think you can pin this on me fully
Whenever I’d bring up the topic you’d just say “we’re having fun, aren’t we?”
I think it’s bold of you to think that I couldn’t love you
If you’d have opened up
I really think I fucking could do
But I ain’t gonna complain if all you wanna do is fuck
But just know I can get it elsewhere
With a little more love
So I’mma fuck around for a bit
Until you grow the fuck up
Maybe somewhere down the road
There may be a destination for us
But until then I’ll just put my deuces up
And say the pussy was good
(Kara)
But you know me enough to know that once you’re out
You ain’t ever getting back in
I can be stubborn as fuck when I need to be
I know you keep calling me to talk
To try to smooth this shit over
But I can’t tolerate you loving me, when you’re fuckin’ wit another
It hurts inside
But I’ll keep my emotions undercover
Give me a moment to hurt
And then I’ll get over this
I’m strong enough to move past this shit
I take it as a lesson
To help me grow stronger
Don’t even try to tell me that I should have seen the signs
When there wasn’t a single signpost
Don’t try to tell me that I should have read the signs
There wasn’t a single signpost
I guess I was the one
That was played the most”
Sound Alike;Kehlani – “Serial Lover”