Dave Matthews Band was formed in Charlottesville, VA in 1991 by South Afric… Read Full Bio ↴Dave Matthews Band was formed in Charlottesville, VA in 1991 by South African native singer and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, the late LeRoi Moore, who played a wide variety of instruments from the saxophone to the flute, violin player Boyd Tinsley, drummer Carter Beauford, and keyboardist Peter Griesar (who left the band in 1993), all of whom Dave met in Charlottesville. In 1998, the band played shows with keyboardist Butch Taylor, although he was not officially a member of the band. Taylor played with the band for the stadium runs of the 1999 and 2000 summer tours. From May 18th, 2001 on, Taylor was a permanent fixture on stage, and in 2003 was no longer listed as "special guest". Even though he was never officially part of the lineup, the band recently announced that Butch was leaving the band via their website, and the 2008 summer tour had some of the first shows without Taylor in years. Rashawn Ross has performed at every normal show from 12.13.05 until the present, leading some to believe that he has joined the band, at least semi-permanently. It is also confirmed that Ross was in the studio with the band during the recent sessions. As of early 2009, Ross, long time collaborator Tim Reynolds, and new saxophonist Jeff Coffin are listed as "Touring Members".

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

Dreams Of Our Fathers
Dave Matthews Band Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh, I'm choking, I'm choking
On the smoke from this burning house
I claw and I scrape
But I can't seem to get out
But who then, who is this
That's scratching from the ground
Oh, it's my world too
But who's gold is this I'm digging out?

Where we go, when we go
When we're dead
Is the verdict still out?
Do we get into line
To line up with those long dead now?
With the muffled tears of sorrow
Bones underground
Is this time our time?
Yes, it is
Without of with this shadow of doubt.

I don't want to wake up
Lost in the dreams of our fathers.
Oh, it's such a waste, child
To live and die for the dreams of our fathers
Though I must confess, yes
My view is a wonder about this
This love I possess, love
It must be the dreams of our fathers.

I want to go, I want to run
We turn, so sure someone's looking down
It's haunting me, haunting me
Leaves us here to get out
Though I don't believe, I don't believe
This flavor in my mouth
Is from my tongue alone
So bitter, I want to spit it out.

I repeat these words
They come out
Under the blue light in the sky
My empty pages are filling up
With these wicked lies
But I hear deep in myself
An echo, an echo
Of empty, empty emptiness
Comes up and swells inside.

I don't want to wake up
Lost in the dreams of our fathers
Oh, its such a waste, child
To live and die for the dreams of our fathers
Though I must confess, yes
My view is a wonder about this
This love I possess, love
It must be the dreams of our fathers

Rain on my head
Rain on my head
Rain on me
And then give me air
Rain on my love
Again and again
Why can't I dream you away from me?

Look here, look here
Bloated, floating
Go belly down
Belly up in the water
But who is this here that's drowned?
We followed a drunken man
He got us all spinning round
But it's like he swallowed himself
And didn't leave us a way out

I don't want to wake up
Lost in the Dreams of our Fathers
Oh, it's such a shame, child
To live and die for the Dreams of our Fathers
Though I must confess, yes
My view is a wonder about this
This love I possess, love
It must be the Dreams of our Fathers

This love I possess, love
It must be the Dreams of our Fathers
This love I possess, love
It must be the Dreams of our Fathers
This love I possess, love
It must be the love of our fathers

The dreams
The dreams

The dreams
This love I possess love

Overall Meaning

The song 'Dreams of Our Fathers' by Dave Matthews Band is a reflective piece that touches on a range of themes that include death, legacy, and the complexity of love. The lyrics are characterized by a sense of searching, alongside a growing awareness of the constraints that limit human potential. In the opening lines, Matthews describes the sense of being trapped, using the image of a burning house to express his feelings of suffocation. He tries to escape, but his efforts are futile, and he feels overwhelmed by the chaos around him. The reference to 'gold' in these lines alludes to the idea that the world is full of wealth and opportunity, but access to these resources is often unevenly distributed.

The second verse deals with questions that arise around death and the afterlife, expressing an uncertainty about what comes next. The idea of lining up with the long dead is used to suggest a certain level of resignation about the inevitability of death. The phrase 'muffled tears of sorrow' evokes a sense of muted sadness, while the reference to 'bones underground' is a reminder that death is an inescapable reality. Despite the sense of finality that death represents, Matthews wants to believe that there is still hope and meaning to be found in life. The phrase 'Without or with this shadow of doubt' implies a certain level of ambiguity, suggesting that it is hard to know for sure what the truth is.

The last verse contains several references to drowning and being trapped. Matthews speaks about 'spinning around' and being unable to find a way out, describing the sense of confusion and disorientation that can set in when one is lost. The repetition of 'rain on me' creates a sense of desperation, suggesting a desire to be free from these feelings. The song is ultimately a meditation on the past and how it can impact the present, with the dreams of our fathers continuing to influence us in both subtle and not-so-subtle ways.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh, I'm choking, I'm choking
I feel trapped and overwhelmed by the smoke from this burning house.

On the smoke from this burning house
I'm suffocating from the toxic fumes of the crumbling reality around me.

I claw and I scrape But I can't seem to get out
I'm desperately trying to escape this situation, but all my efforts seem to be in vain.

But who then, who is this That's scratching from the ground Oh, it's my world too But who's gold is this I'm digging out?
I'm digging deep into the heart of the matter but realizing that everyone has a stake in what's going on; and maybe I'm serving other people's interests rather than my own.

Where we go, when we go When we're dead Is the verdict still out?
We don't know what happens after we die, and there's no conclusive evidence about whether an afterlife exists.

Do we get into line To line up with those long dead now?
Will we join the ranks of those who've already died, and is death a judgment that we all must face?

With the muffled tears of sorrow Bones underground Is this time our time? Yes, it is Without of with this shadow of doubt.
Death is a somber tragedy with only subterranean, silent mourning, but we must live our lives without doubting its inevitability.

I don't want to wake up Lost in the dreams of our fathers.
I don't want to fulfill the expectations of previous generations but instead live authentically.

Oh, it's such a waste, child To live and die for the dreams of our fathers
It's a regrettable tragedy when we die without being true to ourselves and instead living according to someone else's expectations.

Though I must confess, yes My view is a wonder about this This love I possess, love It must be the dreams of our fathers.
I'm disoriented about my beliefs, and my love may originate from my upbringing rather than my own choices.

I want to go, I want to run We turn, so sure someone's looking down It's haunting me, haunting me Leaves us here to get out
I want to escape this feeling that someone is watching my every move, and it's leaving me feeling trapped and overwhelmed.

Though I don't believe, I don't believe This flavor in my mouth Is from my tongue alone So bitter, I want to spit it out.
I'm doubtful that the sour taste in my mouth is due solely to myself, and it's making me want to reject it.

I repeat these words They come out Under the blue light in the sky My empty pages are filling up With these wicked lies But I hear deep in myself An echo, an echo Of empty, empty emptiness Comes up and swells inside.
I'm trying to articulate something, but these words are distorting what's inside me. I'm filling up pages with false emotions, and the nothingness in me is becoming too much as it echoes and grows.

Rain on my head Rain on my head Rain on me And then give me air
I want the rain to pour down on me to wash away my doubts, and then I need to breathe again to feel like I'm alive.

Rain on my love Again and again Why can't I dream you away from me?
I want the rain to fall on the things I love so that I can compare them with what's left, but I can't stop thinking about them. They live on in my dreams.

Look here, look here Bloated, floating Go belly down Belly up in the water But who is this here that's drowned?
I see a drowned body floating in the water, but I don't know who it is or how they got there.

We followed a drunken man He got us all spinning round But it's like he swallowed himself And didn't leave us a way out
We followed a misguided leader, but he only caused us to spin in circles. He was consumed by his own power and left us with no escape.

This love I possess, love It must be the Dreams of our Fathers
I realize that this love I have may be due more to my lineage's influence than my own choosing.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: GLEN BALLARD, DAVID MATTHEWS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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