Dave Matthews is the lead singer and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band. … Read Full Bio ↴Dave Matthews is the lead singer and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band. Matthews was born in Johannesburg, South Africa on January 9, 1967. The Dave Matthews Band formed in Charlottesville, VA in the early 1990's.

Matthews also released a solo CD, Some Devil, in 2003 joined by guitarists Tim Reynolds, Trey Anastasio, drummer Brady Blade, and bassist Tony Hall. This group and keyboardist Ray Paczkowski tours as "Dave Matthews & Friends."

Dave also plays some events solo, such as the Benaroya Hall concert, Farm Aid, and various other events.

Dave Matthews also plays acoustic gigs with long time friend Tim Reynolds.

In recent years he has also shown his acting talents, most recently guesting as a savant pianist in the series 'House M.D.' and a non-speaking role as a homosexual fashion advisor in the Adam Sandler film Chuck and Larry. He was also In Don't Mess With the Zohan.

Help Myself
Dave Matthews Lyrics

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A hungry boy
In a town of one hundred more
The food is out the door
Makes me want to help myself, help myself

A river red
Pouring from the side of his head
A bullet through the brain

Make him feel different today

Oh colder grow the days
Oh much faster pass the years by
'Til we die

A treasure not my own
I take it, took it, nobody will notice
Well that suits me well
Big house, big yard, help myself, help myself

Every once in a while
To help the helpless comes into style
The mercy mercy mile
1-800-help-myself, help myself

Oh, colder grow the days
Oh, much faster pass the years by
Oh, colder grow the days
Oh, much faster pass the years by
'Til we die

Summers here we're swimming in the river
Summer rain burns holes in flowers
Dangerous hours
Dangerous hours
Dangerous hours

Every now and then
TV preacher tell of Heaven
Redemption for a penny a soul
1-800 help yourself, help yourself
Help yourself

Summer's here we're swimming in the river
Summer rain come down come down come down come down
Summer's here we're dancing in the daisies
Summer rain burns holes in flowers
Dangerous hours

Dangerous hours
Dangerous hours

Overall Meaning

The song "Help Myself" by Dave Matthews is about the human condition of greed and selfishness. The song starts with a description of a boy who is hungry in a town where food is scarce. His hunger makes him want to help himself to the food that is available, even if it means taking from others who are also in need. The second verse speaks of an individual who has been shot, which causes them to feel different, and implies that this experience has changed their perspective. The chorus emphasizes the passage of time and the inevitability of death.

The third verse addresses the theme of greed and materialism directly. The singer of the song takes someone else's treasure without permission, reasoning that no one will notice, and seems pleased with the prospect of having a big house and yard. The fourth verse introduces the idea of charity, or "helping the helpless," becoming fashionable, but uses it to satirize the idea of using others' suffering to gain publicity or popularity. The second chorus repeats the themes of mortality and the passage of time.

The final section of the song describes the joys and dangers of summer, before repeating the chorus again. Overall, the song is a commentary on the human tendency to prioritize our own desires above the needs of others and the consequences of that behavior.

Line by Line Meaning

A hungry boy
There is a boy in a town with very limited resources who is struggling to find food.

In a town of one hundred more
The town he is in is small and does not have many residents.

The food is out the door
There is food available, but not enough for everyone.

Makes me want to help myself, help myself
The scarcity of food has forced the boy to take matters into his own hands.

A river red
Someone has been injured and is bleeding profusely.

Pouring from the side of his head
The source of the bleeding is likely a gunshot wound to the head.

A bullet through the brain
The victim has sustained a serious injury which has caused considerable brain damage.

Make him feel different today
The injury has likely caused significant changes in the victim's behavior and personality.

Oh colder grow the days
Time is passing and things are becoming more difficult.

Oh much faster pass the years by
The passage of time is accelerating, and life seems to be moving faster than people can catch up.

'Til we die
This sense of time accelerating makes death feel more imminent and unavoidable.

A treasure not my own
Someone has something valuable that the artist desires, but it does not belong to them.

I take it, took it, nobody will notice
The singer has taken the treasure without permission, and they believe that they can get away with it unnoticed.

Well that suits me well
The singer is pleased with themselves for successfully stealing the treasure.

Big house, big yard, help myself, help myself
The singer has become greedy and starts to desire more than what they have.

Every once in a while
Occasionally, helping others seems like the right thing to do.

To help the helpless comes into style
There are moments when people begin to prioritize altruism over self-interest.

The mercy mercy mile
The singer is suggesting that helping others should be an important part of everyone's daily lives.

1-800-help-myself, help myself
The singer is highlighting how selfish many people have become, as evidenced by the well-known phrase, 'help myself.'

Oh, colder grow the days
As before, time is passing and life is becoming more difficult.

Oh, much faster pass the years by
Time continues to fly by, with people unable to really comprehend its meaning.

Summers here we're swimming in the river
The artist is observing the beautiful moments that life still has to offer, like swimming in the river during the summer.

Summer rain burns holes in flowers
Even beautiful moments can be ruined due to factors beyond our control (in this case, raining that causes damage to flowers).

Dangerous hours
Life can be unpredictable and dangerous, even during these supposedly beautiful moments.

Every now and then
The singer is once again referring to the occasional times when helping others seems important.

TV preacher tell of Heaven
Religious leaders offer heaven as a form of spiritual redemption.

Redemption for a penny a soul
However, the singer finds such overt religious tactics shallow and manipulative, phrased in terms of redemption in exchange for trivial amounts of money.

1-800 help yourself, help yourself
The artist is emphasizing that people are better off being proactive and helping themselves, rather than waiting for the help of others.

Summer rain come down come down come down come down
The rain mentioned earlier is continuing to fall, causing further damage and potentially ruining more summer moments.

Summer's here we're dancing in the daisies
Despite these difficulties, people can still find moments of joy and simple pleasures, like dancing in a field of daisies.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVID JOHN MATTHEWS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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