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
Light Lift Me Up
Dave Matthews Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
oh lovely dreamer, magic prince,
come and swoop you up, swoop you up.
but now no I, just might guess,
man at all, i'll grow up, I came your way.
nobody so special, will dream us away,
nobody to sweep you away,
and oh light, oh light come and lift me up.
Oh light please, come lift me up,
oh sweet light come lift me up,
when you go down, remember your steps as a baby,
remembering how you walked,
remembering all the sweetest dreamin' you did,
while you tick-tack alone.
Now all gone, there's nothin' left,
but your dream I wrote in a song.
Just like the bent back of an old woman,
you know it's all gone and severed alone,
and so I rhyme.
So now all your secrets,
they all look the same as all inside,
she feels swallowed up, oh she feels tired as she could,
but creepin' will roll us along.
But it's all over, oh,
it's all alone, so long,
oh Lucy's alone,
sweet Lucy loves the way of the world,
like the bent back of an old woman.
Why soon, this way ?
Why soon, my way ?
I came cryin' till you came, upon my knees,
beggin father lift me up please,
but no, answer came down, oh flower child,
just emptiness inside of me.
Oh light lift me up, please lift me up,
come down and pick me away.
Forgive me all my selfish ways,
sweet light pick me up from my misery.
Why, do I come back to you,
the way, I do,
the way, I picture you,
in the way that I picture you.
Lift me up from the bottom to the top,
lift me up, sweet light.
Lift me up from the bottom to the top,
lift me up, sweet light.
Lift me up from bottom to the top,
lift me up, sweet light.
Lift me up from the bottom to the top,
lift me up, sweet light
The song "Light Lift Me Up" by Dave Matthews Band talks about the search for hope and deliverance from a situation of despair. The lyrics depict a person who is tired of love and longing for someone to sweep them away from their problems. The image of a magic prince coming to rescue them is portrayed in the song, but as the person grows up, they come to realize that there is no one who can save them from their problems except themselves. The song suggests that there is a light that can lift them up, but it is unclear what this light represents in the context of the song.
The second half of the song talks about the memories of childhood dreams and how they are gone now, leaving only a fleeting trace of a song behind. This part of the song is melancholic, as it is about lost dreams and a sense of loneliness. The lyrics suggest that the singer has been searching for answers, but has not found them. They cry out to a higher power for salvation, but there is no answer. The song recognizes the feeling of emptiness and the search for a deeper meaning to life's struggles.
Overall, "Light Lift Me Up" is a reflective song about the search for deliverance from difficult situations. While there is a recognition of the emptiness within, there is also a glimmer of hope that a light can lift them up from their misery. The song is open to interpretation, but it is clear that it speaks to the human experience of searching for something more profound in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh searching tired of love grown up, now it all falls out,
I am exhausted from searching for love all my life and it has all fallen apart.
oh lovely dreamer, magic prince,
come and swoop you up, swoop you up.
I used to see myself as a dreamer, waiting for a prince to come and save me.
but now no I, just might guess, man at all, i'll grow up, I came your way.
But now, I am unsure of myself and feel like I am not much of a man. I am just going to grow up and go my own way.
nobody so special, will dream us away,
nobody to sweep you away,
I realize that there is no one special enough to save me and sweep me away to a perfect life.
and oh light, oh light come and lift me up.
I pray to the light to lift me up from my current state.
Now all gone, there's nothin' left,
but your dream I wrote in a song.
Everything in my life is gone, except for the dream that I expressed in this song.
Just like the bent back of an old woman,
you know it's all gone and severed alone,
and so I rhyme.
My life is like the bent back of an old woman - broken and alone. I express it through my lyrics.
So now all your secrets,
they all look the same as all inside,
she feels swallowed up, oh she feels tired as she could,
but creepin' will roll us along.
Now that I know all the secrets, they all seem the same from the inside. I feel suffocated and exhausted, but life will move on regardless.
But it's all over, oh,
it's all alone, so long,
oh Lucy's alone,
sweet Lucy loves the way of the world,
like the bent back of an old woman.
Despite everything, it is over now and I am all alone. Like Lucy, I love this world despite it breaking me down.
Why soon, this way ?
Why soon, my way ?
Why does life take this path so soon? Why does it always go my way?
I came cryin' till you came, upon my knees,
beggin father lift me up please,
but no, answer came down, oh flower child,
just emptiness inside of me.
I prayed to God to lift me up and save me, but no answer came. I am left feeling empty and alone.
Oh light lift me up, please lift me up,
come down and pick me away.
Forgive me all my selfish ways,
sweet light pick me up from my misery.
I again pray to the light to lift me up and take me away from my miserable life. I ask for forgiveness for my selfishness.
Why, do I come back to you,
the way, I do,
the way, I picture you,
in the way that I picture you.
Why do I keep going back to you and picturing you the way I do?
Lift me up from the bottom to the top,
lift me up, sweet light.
Lift me up from the bottom to the top,
lift me up, sweet light.
Lift me up from bottom to the top,
lift me up, sweet light.
Lift me up from the bottom to the top,
lift me up, sweet light
I repeat my prayer to the light to lift me up from the bottom to the top of my life, over and over again.
Contributed by Mia C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Alexander Godfray
Oh searching tired of love grown up, now it all falls out
Oh lovely dreamer - magic prince - swoop you up, swoop you up
But no no i, just one guess - man at all
While I grow up, came your way
Nobody's so special in this way, nobody to sweep you away
Oh light, oh light come and lift me up
Oh light please come lift me up
Oh sweet light come lift me up
When you go down remember your steps
As a baby rememberin' how he walked
Rememberin' all the sweetest dreaming you did
While you tick-tock along, but now all gone
There's nothing here for your dream but hope in a song
Just like the bent back of an old woman that you know
It's all gone and severed and alone, so I rhyme
So now all you see is sad
All look the same as the wall inside
She feels swallowed up, she feels tired as she could
Creepin' along this wall
And this wall it's so long
It's a wall, and lips they're alone
Sweet lips they've lost their way a while
Like the bent back of an old woman
What's true that way?
What's true, hey way?
I came crying to you, came on my knees
Begging father lift me up please
But no as I came down, no flowered sound
Just emptiness in side me
Oh light lift me up, please lift me up
Come down and pick me up already
Forgive me all my selfish ways sweet light
Pick me up from my misery
I'm gonna get away - I'm back to you
The way that I do
The way that I picture you
The way that I picture you
Lift me up, from the bottom to the top
Lift me up, sweet light
Lift me up, from the bottom to the top
Lift me up, sweet light
Lift me up, bottom to the top
Lift me up, sweet light
Lift me up, from the bottom to the top
Lift me up, sweet light
r bre
beautiful song and it's only ever been soundchecked. it's almost hilarious, most bands could make a career out of the songs this band throws away.
havenoliduponmyhead
@greeenpro bah! same here!
greeenpro
I went to thumb up your comment but it has 41 thumbs. Can't do it!
nittanyjoe
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJNWuTMDqQ97p-iEtof91YWiyjEhk8SaI
John McQuade
Patrick Brennan AMEN.😁
Bobba5678
Truer words have never been spoken my friend
Kelisa Smith
This is the stuff that causes me to see pictures in my soul and dance in my head
Shelbe Roberts
Yes! It's magic ♡
Theresa Engman
Never heard this one, but it's just another masterpiece by them,my favorite group of all. And that says a lot. I'M 71!!!!!! Joe Engman
havenoliduponmyhead
you have heard this one... snow outside ;-P