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
Help Myself
Dave Matthews Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In a town of one hundred more
The food is out the door
Makes me want to help myself, help myself
A river red
Pouring from the side of his head
A bullet through the brain
Oh colder grow the days
Oh much faster pass the years by
'Til we die
A treasure not my own
I take it, took it, nobody will notice
Well that suits me well
Big house, big yard, help myself, help myself
Every once in a while
To help the helpless comes into style
The mercy mercy mile
1-800-help-myself, help myself
Oh, colder grow the days
Oh, much faster pass the years by
Oh, colder grow the days
Oh, much faster pass the years by
'Til we die
Summers here we're swimming in the river
Summer rain burns holes in flowers
Dangerous hours
Dangerous hours
Dangerous hours
Every now and then
TV preacher tell of Heaven
Redemption for a penny a soul
1-800 help yourself, help yourself
Help yourself
Summer's here we're swimming in the river
Summer rain come down come down come down come down
Summer's here we're dancing in the daisies
Summer rain burns holes in flowers
Dangerous hours
Dangerous hours
Dangerous hours
The song "Help Myself" by Dave Matthews is about the human condition of greed and selfishness. The song starts with a description of a boy who is hungry in a town where food is scarce. His hunger makes him want to help himself to the food that is available, even if it means taking from others who are also in need. The second verse speaks of an individual who has been shot, which causes them to feel different, and implies that this experience has changed their perspective. The chorus emphasizes the passage of time and the inevitability of death.
The third verse addresses the theme of greed and materialism directly. The singer of the song takes someone else's treasure without permission, reasoning that no one will notice, and seems pleased with the prospect of having a big house and yard. The fourth verse introduces the idea of charity, or "helping the helpless," becoming fashionable, but uses it to satirize the idea of using others' suffering to gain publicity or popularity. The second chorus repeats the themes of mortality and the passage of time.
The final section of the song describes the joys and dangers of summer, before repeating the chorus again. Overall, the song is a commentary on the human tendency to prioritize our own desires above the needs of others and the consequences of that behavior.
Line by Line Meaning
A hungry boy
There is a boy in a town with very limited resources who is struggling to find food.
In a town of one hundred more
The town he is in is small and does not have many residents.
The food is out the door
There is food available, but not enough for everyone.
Makes me want to help myself, help myself
The scarcity of food has forced the boy to take matters into his own hands.
A river red
Someone has been injured and is bleeding profusely.
Pouring from the side of his head
The source of the bleeding is likely a gunshot wound to the head.
A bullet through the brain
The victim has sustained a serious injury which has caused considerable brain damage.
Make him feel different today
The injury has likely caused significant changes in the victim's behavior and personality.
Oh colder grow the days
Time is passing and things are becoming more difficult.
Oh much faster pass the years by
The passage of time is accelerating, and life seems to be moving faster than people can catch up.
'Til we die
This sense of time accelerating makes death feel more imminent and unavoidable.
A treasure not my own
Someone has something valuable that the artist desires, but it does not belong to them.
I take it, took it, nobody will notice
The singer has taken the treasure without permission, and they believe that they can get away with it unnoticed.
Well that suits me well
The singer is pleased with themselves for successfully stealing the treasure.
Big house, big yard, help myself, help myself
The singer has become greedy and starts to desire more than what they have.
Every once in a while
Occasionally, helping others seems like the right thing to do.
To help the helpless comes into style
There are moments when people begin to prioritize altruism over self-interest.
The mercy mercy mile
The singer is suggesting that helping others should be an important part of everyone's daily lives.
1-800-help-myself, help myself
The singer is highlighting how selfish many people have become, as evidenced by the well-known phrase, 'help myself.'
Oh, colder grow the days
As before, time is passing and life is becoming more difficult.
Oh, much faster pass the years by
Time continues to fly by, with people unable to really comprehend its meaning.
Summers here we're swimming in the river
The artist is observing the beautiful moments that life still has to offer, like swimming in the river during the summer.
Summer rain burns holes in flowers
Even beautiful moments can be ruined due to factors beyond our control (in this case, raining that causes damage to flowers).
Dangerous hours
Life can be unpredictable and dangerous, even during these supposedly beautiful moments.
Every now and then
The singer is once again referring to the occasional times when helping others seems important.
TV preacher tell of Heaven
Religious leaders offer heaven as a form of spiritual redemption.
Redemption for a penny a soul
However, the singer finds such overt religious tactics shallow and manipulative, phrased in terms of redemption in exchange for trivial amounts of money.
1-800 help yourself, help yourself
The artist is emphasizing that people are better off being proactive and helping themselves, rather than waiting for the help of others.
Summer rain come down come down come down come down
The rain mentioned earlier is continuing to fall, causing further damage and potentially ruining more summer moments.
Summer's here we're dancing in the daisies
Despite these difficulties, people can still find moments of joy and simple pleasures, like dancing in a field of daisies.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVID JOHN MATTHEWS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@natalieh325
Scream 2 babyyy!! LOVE this song
@Ladybird41
Holy moly. They peaked that night. ❤
@dpduke69
Totally underrated and underplayed
@Jimmyjamsays....
For sure one of their most underrated
@juanguardia9102
First heard on the SCREAM 2 soundtrack and the scene at the sorority house party; still a fave!
@Jaco927
I love Stephan groovin' on this song!
@pamelahaldane2317
Killer tune...grabbed me from.the first time I heard it
@phyllisj1003
Loved seeing Stefan jamming away on this. Love the tune.
@patricknau5652
Fantastic!
@Ironman4297
The whole section from like 3:55-4:30 is just absolutely stellar