Early 1990s
In the early 1990s, the band established a cult following through relentless touring with weekly stops at Virginia clubs known as Trax and Floodzone, an active taping community, and an independent LP, Remember Two Things. (Keyboardist Griesar left the band in 1993, shortly before the release of "Remember Two Things".) After signing to RCA Records, Dave Matthews Band, under the direction of producer Steve Lillywhite, released Under the Table and Dreaming in 1994, a critical and popular smash that firmly established the band's style of pop-rock with improvisational leanings. Under the Table and Dreaming would be the first of three albums released under Lillywhite's direction. This was followed by Crash (1996). For most of America, Crash was the record that put the Dave Matthews Band on the map. Featuring the hit single "Crash Into Me", as well as fan-favorites such as "Two Step", "Tripping Billies", and the Grammy-winning "So Much to Say", Crash would go on to be the band's best selling album.
The Mercy Songfacts reports that Lillywhite lent his skills to their 2012 album Away From The World. Lillywhite hadn't worked with the band since a series of unreleased recordings in 2000, which led to the leaked Lillywhite Sessions.
History
David John Matthews was born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1967. Two years later, his family moved to Westchester County, NY. His father was a physicist and worked for IBM at the time. He has two sisters (Anne and Jane) and a brother (Peter). After living in New York, his family moved to Cambridge, England in the early '70s. The family returned to New York where his father died in 1977. In 1980, the family moved to South Africa where the young Matthews went to several schools and "got more wise about the evils of government, there and in general." He first played at a club in Charlottesville (Miller's) where he worked as a bartender. He admitted to Playboy magazine that he was really never that good at bartending, but loved getting customers...well..."drunk as hell!" He was first discovered in a demo tape that he recorded with a couple of current band members. This all came about when he decided to put together a demo tape and decided that he needed some musical accompaniment; which ended up as the Dave Matthews Band. In 1994, his sister Anne died in a domestic tragedy at her home in South Africa. The Grammy nominated album "Under The Table and Dreaming" is dedicated to her.
Community
Dave Matthews Band is highly involved in giving a helping hand. In 2003, the Band held a concert entitled, "The Central Park Concert" which was held in New York City's Central Park. The concert helped New York City Public Schools, the band is a big supporter of education.
The band also held a concert that helped victims of Katrina.
Sadly, Leroi Moore passed away in 2008. After being seriously injured in an ATV accident in Virginia, Moore succumbed to his injuries on August 19, 2008. He was replaced by Jeff Coffin, famous for his work with Béla Fleck and the Flecktones.
Excerpt taken from Wikipedia.org -- the rest of this article can be found at:
Wikipedia
Official site: www.dmband.com
Blue Water
Dave Matthews Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Reach my hands to cup the sky
Run down my arms a bitter blue
Trun to red and the gashes grew
The river taste me
I′m so much more than I have ever been
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Take this my arms
Take this my mouth
And God it seems to be
Completely true
Oh, oh, oh, oh... Yeah
Walking by the river's edge
Reach my hands to cup the sky
While on my arms a bitter blue
Turn to red and the grew
The river taste me
I′m so much more than I have ever been
Oh, oh, oh, oh
The lyrics of "Blue Water" by Dave Matthews Band talk about the power and mystery of nature as experienced by the singer who is walking by the river's edge. There is a sense of surrender and an opening up to something greater than oneself, as evidenced by the repeated refrain of "Take this my arms, take this my eyes, take this my mouth". The river becomes a symbol of the endless flow and cycle of life, with the singer feeling a deep connection to it as if it's part of them. The bitterness and redness allude to the pain and bloodshed that may have occurred at the river's edge, and it's almost as if the singer is willing to absorb and transcend that history through their experience of the river.
The lyrics also suggest a transformative effect of nature on the singer, who feels that they are now "so much more than I have ever been". This is a common theme in Dave Matthews Band's music - the idea of shedding one's old self and finding a new way of being. The song suggests that when we connect with nature and open ourselves up to its power, we can experience a profound shift in our perceptions and identities. The song's plaintive melody and evocative lyrics create a sense of longing and loss, but also hope and possibility.
Line by Line Meaning
Walking by the river's edge
The singer is walking next to the river.
Reach my hands to cup the sky
The singer is raising their hands up to touch the sky.
While on my arms a bitter blue
The color blue is reflecting off the singer's arms.
Turn to red and the grew
The reflection starts to turn red and turns into gashes.
The river taste me
The river is consuming or affecting the artist.
I'm so much more than I have ever been
The singer is experiencing something transformative by the river, becoming a better version of themselves.
Oh, oh, oh, oh
This is a repeated phrase, perhaps indicating the transformative experience is overwhelming.
Take this my arms
The artist is offering their arms.
Take this my eyes
The artist is offering their eyes.
Take this my mouth
The artist is offering their mouth.
And God it seems to be Completely true
The transformative experience seems to be a divine truth.
Oh, oh, oh, oh... Yeah
This repeated phrase is another indication of the overwhelming nature of this experience.
Writer(s): David John Matthews
Contributed by Elliot F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
0713mas
Walking by a river I
Reach my hands to cup the sky
Run down my arms
A bitter blue
Turn to red and
The gashes grew
The river taste me I am
So much more then I have ever been
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Take this my arms
Take this my eyes
That this my mouth and all this
Seems to be completely true
***Liars and witches
Carey Brackett
BEST version of this song. Love it all these years later.
Zachary Niznik
Such an emotional frigging song. I love how Peter Greisar is there, a real throwback. They need to bring this song back!!
Justin S.
this is the most beautiful thing ive ever heard. boyd's solo starting at 4:40 is incredible
smileybone3010
I love the huge crescendo in this one. Can somebody get Dave a bigger shirt though?
C. Parker Pipkin
This version is priceless. I've probably listened to it 100 times.
Boris P.
What an amazing song. I can't believe they never recorded it on an album and barely ever played it.
Tyler Hischier
This song is beyond amazing
dee carter
Love this....so timeless...and haunting.
DMBtomp
Everyone's commented on this saying how good each person's performance is... this is what makes this version so special. they're all working together and are doing it so well... beautiful.
Jeremy Semble
I've been collecting dmb shows for almost ten years now, and this is the most exciting footage I could ever expect to come across. Thanks!