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
Cortez The Killer
Dave Matthews Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With his galleons and guns
Looking for a new world
A palace in the sun
On the shore lay Montezuma
With his cocoa leaves and pearls
In his halls he often wondered
The secrets of the worlds
Like leaves around a tree
In their clothes of many colors
For the angry gods to see
And the women all were beautiful
And the men stood straight and strong
They offered life in sacrifice
So that others could go on
Hate was just a legend
And war was never known
The people worked together
And they lifted many stones
They carried them to the flat-lands
And they died along the way
They built up with their bare hands
What we still can't build today
And I know she's living there
And she loves me to this day
I can still remember when
Or how I lost my way
Cortez, Cortez
He came dancing across the water
Cortez, Cortez
Came dancing across the water
Came dancing across the water
Cortez, Cortez
Dancing across the water
Dancing across the water
Dancing across the water
Came dancing across the water
Cortez, Cortez
Dancing across the water
Dancing across the water
Dancing across the water
The song "Cortez The Killer" by the Dave Matthews Band is a cover of Neil Young's original version. The song is about the voyage of the Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés, who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in 1519 with his galleons and guns, looking for a new world to conquer. Cortés arrived on the shores of Mexico and laid claim to the land in the name of the Spanish empire, eventually leading to the fall of the Aztec Empire.
In the song, Montezuma is mentioned as the ruler of the Aztecs, who was curious about the secrets of the world. The Aztecs were known for their sacrifices to the gods, as depicted in the lyrics, "They offered life in sacrifice so that others could go on." The song reflects on the beauty and strength of the Aztec people, as well as their ability to work together to build monumental structures.
The last stanza of the song is about the singer's lost love, who is still living in the place where Cortés once conquered. The lyrics suggest that the singer has lost his way and is searching for something he cannot find, perhaps a metaphor for the lost culture and identity of the Native peoples.
Overall, "Cortez The Killer" is a song that reflects on the history of European colonization in the Americas, particularly the impact it had on the indigenous peoples of the region.
Line by Line Meaning
He came dancing across the water
Describes the arrival of a conquistador by sea
With his galleons and guns
Further emphasizes the power of the conquistador and his army
Looking for a new world
The conquistador is in search of new territory to conquer
A palace in the sun
The conquistador seeks wealth, status and power
On the shore lay Montezuma
The leader of the Aztecs, Montezuma, is present as the conquistador arrives
With his cocoa leaves and pearls
References the riches and natural resources of the Aztec empire
In his halls he often wondered
Montezuma is pondering the mysteries of life
The secrets of the worlds
He is curious and seeking deeper knowledge
Oh, and his subjects gathered round him
Montezuma is surrounded by a loyal following
Like leaves around a tree
His subjects are numerous and united
In their clothes of many colors
Describes the vibrant and diverse clothing of the Aztecs
For the angry gods to see
The Aztecs believed in making offerings to their gods to avoid wrath and bad fortune
And the women all were beautiful
Describes the physical attractiveness of the Aztec women
And the men stood straight and strong
Describes the physical strength and power of the Aztec men
They offered life in sacrifice
The Aztecs made human sacrifices to appease their gods
So that others could go on
They believed that the sacrifices would ensure the continued survival of their people and culture
Hate was just a legend
Describes the peaceful and harmonious way of life of the Aztecs
And war was never known
The Aztecs did not engage in warfare with each other or neighboring societies
The people worked together
Unity and cooperation were valued in Aztec society
And they lifted many stones
The Aztecs engaged in monumental construction projects, requiring immense physical labor
They carried them to the flat-lands
Describes the transportation of large stones to build structures
And they died along the way
The construction workers suffered injury and death in the process
They built up with their bare hands
Emphasis on the physical effort and labor required to build monuments
What we still can't build today
Their achievements in construction were impressive even by modern standards
And I know she's living there
The singer is addressing someone he knows to be living within Aztec society
And she loves me to this day
The singer still has a current relationship with the person within Aztec society
I can still remember when
The singer remembers a time in the past
Or how I lost my way
He is reflecting on a time when he was lost and unsure of himself
Cortez, Cortez
The conquistador is referenced by name
He came dancing across the water
Repeats the image of the conquistador's arrival by sea
Came dancing across the water
Another repetition of the conquistador's arrival
Dancing across the water
Emphasis on the celebratory and triumphant nature of the conquistador's arrival
Dancing across the water
Repeats the above line
Came dancing across the water
Repeats the image of the conquistador's arrival for the third time
Cortez, Cortez
Final reference to the conquistador by name
Dancing across the water
Final repetition of the image of the conquistador's arrival by sea
Dancing across the water
Final repetition of the celebratory and triumphant nature of the conquistador's arrival
Lyrics © Silver Fiddle, O/B/O CAPASSO, Peermusic Publishing, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: Neil Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@skiplittleton5986
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@skiplittleton5986
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@majedulrahel8830
He came dancing across the water
With his galleons and guns
Looking for the new world
And the palace in the sun
On the shore lay Montezuma
With his coca leaves and pearls
In his halls, he often wandered
With the secrets of the world
And his subjects gathered 'round him
Like the leaves around a tree
In their clothes of many colors
For the angry gods to see
And the women all were beautiful
And the men stood straight and strong
They offered life in sacrifice
So that others could go on
Hate was just a legend
And war was never known
The people worked together
And they lifted many stones
And they carried them to the flat lands
But they died along the way
And they build up with their bare hands
What we still can't do today
And I know she's living there
And she loves me to this day
I still can't remember when
Or how I lost my way
He came dancing across the water
Cortez, Cortez
What a killer
@gcioffi7
I find myself watching this once or twice a week because it’s simply perfect and not many things in life are perfect. When you find something that is “perfect” for you, I hope you visit it often and it brings you the feeling I get from this.
@Bellathebear777
❤️☮️🗽🎉
@mikerotchi1743
I play drum , i'm a drum guy , but my favorite Pink Floyd album is Animals because of the genuis guitar play of Gilmore along those songs....i've never eard of Warren Hayes before , i ran on that song hazardly a few weeks ago ....i knew about the Allemand brothers , a few songs but not much.... i,m 55 those are my years of connecting wth music ...the man is simply ''off the charts'' he is, from my opinion one of the , if not THE most incredible guitar player i've ever seen
@MistressScambait
WELL SAID! 💋
@alexchavez3383
Need to shrink my favorites list so this comes up more often...
@winterlight4521
💯 Thank you.
@VangeliRock
Neil Young has written countless classics, but this one man, it's of another dimension. These dudes do it justice.
@Scp716creativecommons
Trent sed it. Sometimes, a song gets covered, a song isn't yours anymore. Respect, but gd
@manuelecheverria7968
Thats true, best Neil Young sog IMO
@Bellathebear777
True that brother/ sister. May our heavenly Father hold you in his palm forever 💕