Oleander - Are You There? - Lyrics Meaning

Oleander is a band from Sacramento, California. The name is from the flower oleander and the plant is highly toxic. The band consists of Thomas Flowers, Doug Eldridge, Ric Ivanisevich, Steve Brown and Rich Mouser. The most notable album was Unwind, released March 6, 2001.

'Are You There?' became the song of dedication for September 11th. September 11th was a brutal attack on rural America.

The song is about the need to know if someone is truly there. The lyrics describe an individual talking to someone. The person goes on and seeks if that one person will be there when needed. Some lyrics are: "Is anybody even there. Who doesn't just pretend to care. This time I need to know, are you there? Does anybody think they can. Begin to even understand. This time I need to know, are you there?" The meaning of the song also questions an individual - will that person really be there to help them out and actually care about the situation.

There is a strong cry that the person wants. Since the song became a dedication, the meaning of the song was also attributed to the attacks on NY in September of 2001.