Matthews learnt to play guitar at the age of nine, sang Welsh folk songs and taught herself traditional songs from all over the globe including blues and Irish folk songs. She was a member of the West Glamorgan Youth Orchestra. The band Catatonia formed in 1992 after Matthews and guitarist Mark Roberts began dating, as well as writing songs together, at the end of 1991. Catatonia split in mid-2001, and Matthews released her first solo album , Cockahoop, in May 2003. Her second album Never Said Goodbye was released in August 2006. In November 2007 she released a mini-album of Welsh language songs Awyren=Aeroplane.
At the 2013 Sony Radio Academy Awards, Matthews won Gold for her popular BBC 6 music Sunday morning show, which she programmes and hosts. She is the One Show’s cultural reporter and writes and presents radio and television documentaries on subjects as diverse as Cuba, early classical composers, shark fishing and early female blues players. A collector of songs for over thirty years, Matthews is a columnist for the world music magazine ‘Songlines’, and her sing-along book, ‘Hook, Line and Singer’, published by Penguin was a Sunday Times bestseller. She is the author of children’s stories ‘Tales from the Deep’ and ‘Gelert: A Man’s Best Friend’.
Matthews has curated for theatres and the Tate Modern and was artistic director for the opening ceremony of the World Music Expo 2013. She was awarded an inaugural St David Award for her services to culture this year from the First Minister of Wales.
Also in 2013, Matthews wrote and presented a six-part television series looking into the history of centuries old folk songs in her native Wales. In October 2014 Matthews releases an album of music and poetry by Dylan Thomas as well as an Archive Hour programme for BBC Radio 4 looking into her uncle Colin Edward’s role in amassing a huge archive on this great lyrical poet. Matthews has created a cultural festival, 'The Good Life Experience'. She is a judge for the Dylan Thomas Prize for young writers, and for the Forward Prizes for poetry.
Her 2010 self-produced album of traditional Welsh songs, ‘Tir’, is the biggest selling Welsh language album of the decade; the second volume, ‘Hullabaloo’ followed in 2013.
Matthews dueted with Sir Tom Jones on the perennial winter favourite, ‘Baby it’s Cold Outside’. She is Vice President for the homeless charity, Shelter, Vice President of the Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts, is patron of the Dylan Thomas Society and Ballet Cymru, and is Arts Ambassador for the Linden Lodge School - a specialist school for sensory impairment.
Matthews lives in West London with her husband and children.
Open Roads
Cerys Matthews Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Heaven high with the thrill of it
And in your eyes for a moment
Its like we never said goodbye
We took a walk for the hell of it
And we talk through the thick of it
And in your eyes for a moment
Its like we never said good bye
But something went wrong
You never came home
And time takes so long
What are these tears we're crying
'Cos I remember the open roads
Met at the corner where no one goes
And no one mattered at all
And I remember the driving rain
Soaked to the skin these were perfect days
And I remember it all
Friend is such a horrid word
Is it at home with the thing we learned
You didn't phone
And in a different world
We'd have never said goodbye
Where are we going with feeling alone
Time takes so long
And what are these tears were crying
'cos I remember the open roads
Met at the corner where no one goes
And no one mattered at all
And I remember the driving rain
Soaked to the skin these were perfect days
And I remember it all
And as for then and as for now
As for who and as for how
There's just one thing I cant forget
How beautiful you are
The lyrics to Cerys Matthews's song Open Roads seem to be about a past relationship that has since ended. The singer reminisces about the good times they shared with their love interest, where they went on adventures, talked about their lives, and simply enjoyed each other's company. The chorus, which repeats multiple times, is a reflection on how those days were perfect, where the summer skies were open to them, and nothing else mattered.
However, something happened that caused a rift between the two. The singer explains how their love interest disappeared, and time has passed slowly since then. They question the purpose of their tears and reminisce about what could have been. The singer wishes they had never parted ways but realizes that they have moved on separately.
Despite this bittersweet feeling, the singer cannot help but remember the beauty of their past relationship. They express their admiration for their former love, calling them beautiful. The song is a testament to the depth and lingering effects of past relationships, even when they are over.
Line by Line Meaning
I took a ride on your fingertips
I enjoyed your touch and felt an exhilaration like never before
Heaven high with the thrill of it
It felt like a heavenly experience because of the excitement and adventures involved
And in your eyes for a moment, its like we never said goodbye
When I looked into your eyes, I felt a connection so strong that it seemed like we never parted ways
We took a walk for the hell of it
We went for a walk just for the fun of it or without any particular reason
And we talk through the thick of it
We communicated well even in difficult times
But something went wrong
Some unforeseen circumstance occurred, and things took a turn for the worse
You never came home
You didn't return or come back as expected
And time takes so long
It feels like an eternity when one is waiting for something or someone
What are these tears we're crying
Why are we shedding tears? What's causing our grief?
'Cos I remember the open roads
I reminisce about the past, and it reminds me of open and free times
Met at the corner where no one goes
We met at a place where there were no people or outside interference
And no one mattered at all
It was just the two of us in our own little world, and no one else mattered
And I remember the driving rain
I remember the intense rain that we experienced
Soaked to the skin, these were perfect days
We got entirely wet by the rain but still enjoyed those days thoroughly
Friend is such a horrid word
Calling someone a friend doesn't do justice to the deep emotional bond that we shared
Is it at home with the thing we learned
Maybe it's better to classify our relationship as a more elevated term, considering what we experienced
You didn't phone
You didn't communicate with me as expected
And in a different world, we'd have never said goodbye
If things were different, perhaps we didn't have to part ways in the first place
Where are we going with feeling alone
I wonder where we're going when we feel lonely and desolate
And what are these tears we're crying
Why are we shedding tears? What's causing our heartache?
'Cos I remember the open roads
I reminisce about the past, and it reminds me of open and free times
Met at the corner where no one goes
We met at a place where there were no people or outside interference
And no one mattered at all
It was just the two of us in our own little world, and no one else mattered
And I remember the driving rain
I remember the intense rain that we experienced
Soaked to the skin, these were perfect days
We got entirely wet by the rain but still enjoyed those days thoroughly
And as for then and as for now
Regarding both then and now, the situation or circumstances are still the same
As for who and as for how
The people involved and the way they feel haven't changed
There's just one thing I can't forget
One particular thing I cannot get out of my mind
How beautiful you are
I cannot forget how pretty or good looking you are
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: CERYS MATTHEWS, JONNY MALE, PETER ANDREW SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Guy Malkerson
Such a good song. Have had moments like this. Really captures the emotion involved...
Terry Benkins
Love her voice
Kevin Barker
This was the lead single from the best of her solo stuff and was arguably better than any of the catatonia albums.
Nurita Meitasari
love love...love this song so much... since the first listen.... 😍😍😘
hope i can find on smule app...