Corn Bread
Dave Matthews Band Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Dancing with the devil round the fire
Messed your mamma's bed for a little more magic
Make you wanna run around naked
'Cause you know it looks go on you

But you ain't ever had my cornbread
A little bit of heaven, and a little bit of aw yeah
Cut it down the middle
Open wide and jump right in

Oh God, said I give you love
And I wanna jump off but the dark is enough
Yes, I messed one up and I got shoot up
But the joy is steeped in sin

The old man he come runnin' 'round here
Looking for the sinner who took his baby
I'm gonna tell you that it was me
And the joy was steeped in sin

The soul's inside my soul before you
All the innocence that running fire
All inside my darkness, lover lie
All the innocence that makes you wise

Dancing with the devil round the fire
Messed your mamma's bed for a little more magic
Make you wanna run around naked
'Cause you know it looks go on you

But you ain't ever had my cornbread
A little bit of heaven, and a little bit of uh uh
Cut it down the middle
Open wide and jump right in

Oh no more we're taking a chance
And when I get caught
Oh my baby, running out of town
'Cause it makes me mad
The joy is steeped in sin

Preacher man said to watch your fall
But behind that curtain
See us getting it on
Oh give him what he wants
Children calls drop
Steeped in sin

The song's inside my soul because of you
All the innocence that makes me wild
Oh the fire that's burning, a little more, let's jump on the bed
It's all inside our heads
Golden love again
The love that we would make, too bitter
What case you tell me friend?
Is love that do pretend
That one is better than the other

Dancing with the devil

Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh
Oh oh

Dancing with the devil round the fire
Messed your mamma's bed for a little more magic
Make you wanna run around naked
'Cause you know it looks go on you

But you ain't ever had my cornbread
A little bit of heaven, and a little bit of uh uh
Cut it down the middle
Open wide and jump right in

It's all inside dark falls on me
All the minutes that will make you right
Oh man we play the dance has done enough
Oh I will lay on my baby
It's all inside
It's all inside you
It's all inside make you happy, baby
It's all inside you
It's all inside you
What you need to make you happy
It's all inside you
It's all inside you
It's all inside
What you need to make you happy
It's all inside your head
It's all inside your head
What you need, babe, to make you happy





Oh oh

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Corn Bread by Dave Matthews Band explore the themes of indulgence, temptation, and the joy that can be found in sin. The opening verse sets the tone with vivid imagery of dancing with the devil around a fire and messing with someone's bed for a little more magic. The singer then declares that despite all these experiences, no one has ever had their cornbread, which they describe as a little bit of heaven and a little bit of aw yeah. The chorus repeats this description of the cornbread and invites the listener to cut it down the middle, open wide and jump right in.


The second verse touches on the idea of love and temptation, with the singer declaring that they want to jump off but the dark is enough. They admit to messing up before and getting caught, but they also stress that the joy is steeped in sin. The third verse references a preacher warning against falling and watching behind the curtain, suggesting that even those in positions of moral authority can be tempted. The song ends with an exhortation to find what's inside oneself to make oneself happy.


Overall, Corn Bread is a song that celebrates the pleasures of indulgence and the thrill of temptation, while also acknowledging the possibility of consequences. The repeated refrain of the cornbread is a kind of metaphor for the singer's desire for something that satisfies in a deep and primal way, and the lyrics suggest that this desire can be found in indulging one's darker impulses.


Line by Line Meaning

Dancing with the devil round the fire
Engaging in risky behavior that may have negative consequences


Messed your mamma's bed for a little more magic
Acting impulsively and selfishly for personal gain


Make you wanna run around naked
Experiencing a sense of liberation and freedom


'Cause you know it looks go on you
Feeling confident and attractive


But you ain't ever had my cornbread
Implying that they have something special to offer that others don't


A little bit of heaven, and a little bit of aw yeah
Describing their special offering as a combination of pleasure and delight


Cut it down the middle
Making a suggestion to divide it equally


Open wide and jump right in
Encouraging them to embrace and fully experience the offering


Oh God, said I give you love
Expressing love and devotion towards a higher power


And I wanna jump off but the dark is enough
Experiencing feelings of fear or hesitance about moving forward


Yes, I messed one up and I got shoot up
Admitting to making a mistake that had negative consequences


But the joy is steeped in sin
Feeling conflicted about the pleasure derived from sinful behavior


The old man he come runnin' 'round here
Describing the arrival of an older person (authority figure)


Looking for the sinner who took his baby
Assuming that someone is responsible for taking possession of something or someone that is important to the older person


I'm gonna tell you that it was me
Taking responsibility for the actions that the older person is upset about


And the joy was steeped in sin
Acknowledging that the pleasure derived from the action was morally questionable


The soul's inside my soul before you
Referring to the influence of another person on their own sense of self


All the innocence that running fire
Expressing the purity and passion that is present when in the presence of the aforementioned person


All inside my darkness, lover lie
Admitting to having a hidden side to their personality


All the innocence that makes you wise
Suggesting that there is wisdom to be gained from pure experiences


Oh no more we're taking a chance
Indicating that the risk-taking behavior may have gotten too far out of hand


And when I get caught
Acknowledging the reality that there may be negative consequences for their actions


Oh my baby, running out of town
Anticipating the possibility of needing to flee and abandon their current situation


'Cause it makes me mad
Suggesting that the current circumstances are frustrating or angering them


Preacher man said to watch your fall
Recalling a warning given by a religious authority figure


But behind that curtain
Suggesting that there is something hidden beneath what is publicly known


See us getting it on
Imagining sexual or physical activity


Oh give him what he wants
Suggesting that they may be giving someone else what they are asking for


Children calls drop
Using language that is difficult to interpret definitively


Steeped in sin
Reiterating the theme of sinfulness and moral ambiguity


All the minutes that will make you right
Suggesting that there is a specific formula for achieving success or satisfaction


Oh man we play the dance has done enough
Reflecting on the history of their actions and the consequences that have resulted


Oh I will lay on my baby
Expressing a desire for physical intimacy


It's all inside
Suggesting that the solution is within oneself


It's all inside you
Reiterating that the solution is within oneself


It's all inside make you happy, baby
Asserting that the solution to achieving happiness is within oneself


What you need to make you happy
Asking a rhetorical question about what it takes to achieve happiness


It's all inside your head
Suggesting that the solution is mental, rather than physical


What you need, babe, to make you happy
Asking a rhetorical question about what it takes to achieve happiness




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DAVID JOHN MATTHEWS, MARK CHRISTOPHER BATSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

@jolietjake4743

I’ve been a fan of Dave since I was 10 (now 35). His versatility and ability to transcend genres blows my mind. Each album has its own unique sound and live I don’t think there’s anyone better.

@derincatalbas9425

Song is really good, Everytime you think you found all of Dave Matthews good songs you find another.

@Mgray187

!!!!! That’s so funny. I was literally just talking about this recently. It’s so good when that happens. Then you play the record til the needle snaps! 😂🎶✌️

@mikestanden8023

I Went to my first show last year, got to hear squirm for the first time ever and it blew me away. There are still so many songs I have not heard before and it's such a breath of fresh air when I just naturally come across them.... if that makes any sense. Lol

@jjm4080

😮

@ZXDRUMN

🔥🔥🔥🔥performance awesome band!

@anotherlilthing

This version is still one of my favorites.

@kaijubasementtonyc7331

Dave's voice is really on point here. Definitely the best version I've heard.

@lesleyd2448

💯💯

@shanpatrickbaker988

This song is delicious.

More Comments

More Versions