The duo gained attention with the release of a 1996 concert "Live at Luther College". VH1 recorded a 1999 performance to air as part of the program "Storytellers."
During the Dave Matthews & Friends tours, Dave and Tim opened with an acoustic set; however, they have played midset at some more recent shows.
Recently, the duo embarked on their first tour of Europe, marking their first tour outside of the States, as well as their first extended tour since the Winter 2003 tour.
Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds have most recently released "Live at Radio City", a 2DVD/2CD album on August 14th, 2007 recorded in April of the same year.
Don't Drink the Water
Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No use in hiding
Come now come now
Can you not see?
There's no place here
What were you expecting
Not room for both
Just room for me
Yes I will call this home
Away away
You have been banished
Your land is gone
And given to me
And here I will spread my wings
Yes I will call this home
What's this you say
You feel a right to remain
Then stay and I will bury you
What's that you say
Your father's spirit still lives in this place
I will silence you
Here's the hitch
Your horse is leaving
Don't miss your boat
It's leaving now
And as you go I will spread my wings
Yes I will call this home
I have no time to justify to you
Fool you're blind, move aside for me
All I can say to you my new neighbor
Is you must move on or I will bury you
Now as I rest my feet by this fire
Those hands once warmed here
I have retired them
I can breathe my own air
I can sleep more soundly
Upon these poor souls
I'll build heaven and call it home
'Cause you're all dead now
I live with my justice
I live with my greedy need
I live with no mercy
I live with my frenzied feeding
I live with my hatred
I live with my jealousy
I live with the notion
That I don't need anyone but me
Don't drink the water
There's blood in the water
The lyrics to Dave Matthews Band's song Don't Drink the Water contain dark imagery and appears to be about conquest, greed, and the consequences of taking over land. The opening lines imply that the singer is calling out to someone in hiding, asking them to come out into the open. The subsequent lines indicate that the singer has taken over the land and there is no room for anyone else. The singer is claiming ownership over everything, even the air he breathes, and wants the other person to leave. The use of "your horse is leaving" sounds like a warning, giving the impression that anyone who stays will be buried, suggesting that they will die. The line "Don't drink the water, there's blood in the water" serves as a warning, reinforcing the idea that the singer is a conqueror, and anyone who opposes him will meet a violent end.
The lyrics to Don't Drink the Water were inspired by the European conquest of the Americas, and its lyrics revolve around themes of colonialism, greed, and violence. The song is notable for its powerful imagery and its raw, emotional quality that is present throughout the verses. The title of the song itself is a warning about the dangers of domination and power.
Line by Line Meaning
Come out come out
I know you're there, don't hide from me
No use in hiding
Hiding won't change anything, I'll find you anyway
Come now come now
Stop delaying the inevitable, face me now
Can you not see?
Are you blind to the fact that I've taken over?
There's no place here
This land belongs to me now, you're not welcome
What were you expecting
Did you really think you could stay here?
Not room for both
Only one of us can stay here, and that's me
Just room for me
I'm the only one who belongs in this place
So you will lay your arms down
You have no choice but to surrender
Yes I will call this home
This land is mine now and I'll make it my home
Away away
Get out of here, leave this place
You have been banished
I've kicked you out, and you'll never come back
Your land is gone
I've taken everything you had, your land is mine now
And given to me
I own everything now, you have nothing left
And here I will spread my wings
I'll take control of this place and make it mine
What's this you say
You have nothing left to say, you're finished
You feel a right to remain
You have no right to stay here, I've taken everything
Then stay and I will bury you
If you stay, I'll make sure you never leave
What's that you say
I don't care what you have to say
Your father's spirit still lives in this place
Your family history means nothing to me, it's all mine now
I will silence you
I'll make sure you never speak again
Here's the hitch
You have a problem, and I have the solution
Your horse is leaving
You're running out of time to leave this place
Don't miss your boat
Leave now, or you'll regret it
It's leaving now
You need to hurry up and leave this place
And as you go I will spread my wings
As you leave, I'll take over everything
I have no time to justify to you
I don't owe you an explanation for what I've done
Fool you're blind, move aside for me
You're too foolish to see what's happening, get out of my way
All I can say to you my new neighbor
I have nothing to say to you now that I've taken over
Is you must move on or I will bury you
You need to leave this place, or else you'll suffer the consequences
Now as I rest my feet by this fire
I'm finally comfortable and at home here
Those hands once warmed here
This place used to belong to someone else, but not anymore
I have retired them
I've taken everything and I'm not giving it back
I can breathe my own air
I'm in control now and I answer to no one
I can sleep more soundly
Now that I've taken over, I won't lose any sleep over it
Upon these poor souls
Those who used to live here are long gone, and it doesn't matter to me
I'll build heaven and call it home
I'll make this place into whatever I want, and it will be perfect
'Cause you're all dead now
I've taken everything, and you're never coming back
I live with my justice
I make my own rules and I get what I want by any means necessary
I live with my greedy need
I'll never be satisfied, I always want more
I live with no mercy
I don't care about anyone else, it's all about me
I live with my frenzied feeding
I'm always on the hunt for more power and control
I live with my hatred
I hate everyone who isn't like me and I'll do whatever it takes to get rid of them
I live with my jealousy
I'm envious of anyone who has something I don't
I live with the notion
I truly believe that I'm the only one who matters
That I don't need anyone but me
I have everything I need, and I don't need anyone's help or approval
Don't drink the water
Don't trust me, there's something sinister going on here
There's blood in the water
I've done terrible things to get what I want, and I'll keep doing them to maintain my power
Lyrics Š Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing, Songtrust Ave
Written by: DAVID JOHN MATTHEWS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Renato Fonseca
Come out come out
No use in hiding
Come out come out
Can you not see
There's no place here
What were you expecting
No room for both
Just room for me
So you lay your arms down
Yes I will call this home
Away away
You have been banished
Your land is gone and given me
And here I will spread my wings
Yes I will call this home
What's this you say
You feel the right to remain
Then stay and I will bury you
What's that you say
Your father's spirit still lives in this place
I will silence you
Here's the hitch
Your horse is leaving
Don't miss the boat
It's leaving now
And as you go I will spread my wings
Yes I will call this home
I have no time to justify to you
Fool you're blind, move aside from me
All I can say to you my new neighbor
Is you must move on or I will bury you
Now as I rest my feet by this fire
Those hands once warmed here
I have retired them
I can breathe my own air
And I can sleep more soundly
Upon these poor souls
I'll build heaven and call it home
Cause you're all dead now
I live with my justice
I live with my greedy need
I live with no mercy
I live with my frenzied feeding
I live with my hatred
I live with my jealousy
I live with the notion
That I don't need anyone but me
Don't drink the water
There's blood in the water.
Caleb L
Easily one of the greatest live performances of all time.
Ryan Joseph Long
Yes
mveras
Agreed. Have you seen his version of DDTW on tiny desk? Around minute 8 and some change?
Nur Zu
it was in 1998, I am a teenager and actually I was never a music lover, maybe all of my friends were into boybands, bollywood music, but when I first heard this song, I totally fell in love with it and love everything about them. This band is still unknown in my country up till now.
Underdog Goethe
Oh, a fellow German, I assume. ;) They are known, just not to the public. :)
marticus9
i never get tired of listening to this music, powerfull, warm, mantric
Morrison
The lyrics are so amazing
Prepper Rapper Fairy
Oh lord I LOVE these artists and so does my 8 year old son ... thatâs why Iâm here because he asked to hear this song ! âĽď¸. DMB and friends .. thee literal greatest artists to ever have walked the Earths face
DonTheMoneyBulldog
The Carnegie Hall concert has some of the best live vocals of Dave's I've ever heard. A great DVD to watch, as well.
Zachary Anderson
4:33 goosebumps every time