Rhyme & Reason -->
Dave Matthews Band Lyrics


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Oh well oh well so here we stand
But we stand for nothing
My heart calls to me in my sleep
How can I turn to it
Cause I'm all locked up in this
Dark place
And I do not know
I'm as good as dead
My head aches -
Warped and tied up
I need to kill this pain

My head won't leave my head alone
And I don't believe it will
Until I'm dead and gone
My head won't leave my head alone
And I don't believe it will
Until I'm six feet underground

How long I'm tied up
My mind in knots -
My stomach reels
In concern for what I might do or
What I've don
It's got me living in fear
Well I know these voices must
Be my soul
I've had enough I've had enough of being alone
I've got no place to go

My head won't leave my head alone
And I don't believe it will
Until I'm dead and gone
My head won't leave my head alone
And I don't believe it will
Until I'm six feet under ground

Six feet under
In why grave
Lying wired and shut and quiet in my grave
Leave me here
Leave me here to waste here
So young and here I am again
Talking to myself
A T.V. blares
Oh man
Oh how I wish I didn't smoke
Or drink to reason with my head

But sometimes this thick confusion
Grows until I cannot bear it at all
Needle to the vein
Needle to the vein
Take this needle from my vein my friend
I said

My head won't leave my head alone
And I don't believe it will
Until I'm dead and gone
My head won't leave my head alone
And I don't believe it will
Until I'm dead and gone

In my grave
Lying
Lying cold in my grave
The reason
My reason
Take my head off this terror
The fearing won't come back
I can't see
My mind's all wiped clean
The needle
Make my great escape
I seem caught in time
My head leaves me behind




Body fall cold
And I see heaven

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Dave Matthews Band's Rhyme & Reason are a haunting expression of the often-overwhelming sense of confusion and despair that can accompany the depths of depression. Throughout the song, the singer finds himself caught up in a dark and warped mental landscape, plagued by an endless barrage of negative thoughts and self-doubt. Despite desperately seeking release from the pain and fear that have taken hold of him, he remains trapped in his own head, unable to find a way out.


The first verse of the song sets the stage for the singer's struggle with depression. He is standing in an empty and meaningless space, feeling disconnected from everything around him. He hears his heart calling out to him in his sleep, but feels powerless to respond. Instead, he is consumed by his own fear and self-loathing, feeling as though he is "all locked up in this dark place." He is confused and lost, unable to escape the mental torment that has taken hold of him.


The chorus of the song is a bleak and powerful expression of the singer's sense of hopelessness. He believes that his head will never leave him alone, that he will be trapped in his own misery until he is dead and gone. He is consumed by fear and uncertainty, convinced that he has no place to go or escape, no way to find relief from the pain that haunts him. And yet, even in the depths of his despair, there is a glimmer of hope, a sense that perhaps someday he might be able to break free from the mental prison in which he finds himself.


Line by Line Meaning

Oh well oh well so here we stand
Facing a difficult situation, uncertain of where to go from here


But we stand for nothing
Feeling lost, without direction or purpose


My heart calls to me in my sleep
An internal conflict between desires and responsibilities


How can I turn to it
Feeling unable or unwilling to act on what the heart wants


Cause I'm all locked up in this
Feeling trapped in a difficult situation


Dark place
A place of emotional turmoil, confusion and pain


And I do not know
Feeling lost, unsure of what to do or where to turn


I'm as good as dead
Feeling emotionally dead or numb


My head aches -
Experiencing physical pain as a result of emotional stress


Warped and tied up
Feeling mentally twisted and constrained


I need to kill this pain
Desperately seeking relief from emotional pain and distress


My head won't leave my head alone
Unable to escape or resolve internal turmoil and conflict


And I don't believe it will
Feeling hopeless and believing that the pain will never go away


Until I'm dead and gone
Believing that only death can bring an end to the pain


How long I'm tied up
Feeling trapped or controlled by difficult circumstances


My mind in knots -
Feeling mentally tangled and confused


My stomach reels
Experiencing physical symptoms of emotional distress


In concern for what I might do or
Worried about taking actions that could make things worse


What I've done
Regretting past actions and decisions


It's got me living in fear
Feeling anxious and afraid of the future


Well I know these voices must
Recognizing that internal conflict is a natural part of the human experience


Be my soul
Internal conflict arises because of competing desires and needs within oneself


I've had enough I've had enough of being alone
Feeling tired of isolation and loneliness in this internal struggle


I've got no place to go
Feeling stuck and without options in dealing with emotional pain


Six feet under
Resigned to death as the only way out of pain


In my grave
The final resting place, where pain and suffering cease


Lying wired and shut and quiet in my grave
Descriptive of being dead and at peace, free from the struggles of life


Leave me here
A desire to be left alone in death and peace


Leave me here to waste here
Feeling that continued existence in life is a waste of time and energy


So young and here I am again
Feeling like there is not enough time to sort out internal conflicts before it's too late


Talking to myself
Ruminating on problems and emotions, without resolution


A T.V. blares
The noise and distraction of the outside world intruding on internal struggles


Oh man
Expression of frustration or hopelessness


Oh how I wish I didn't smoke
Regretting past choices and behaviors


Or drink to reason with my head
Using substances to cope with emotional pain and distress


But sometimes this thick confusion
Acknowledging the complexity and overwhelming nature of internal struggles


Grows until I cannot bear it at all
Feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope with emotional pain


Needle to the vein
Referencing drug use as a way to cope with pain


Take this needle from my vein my friend
Asking for help and support to overcome the negative coping mechanisms


Lying cold in my grave
Descriptive of the peaceful, final state of death


The reason
The cause or source of one's internal struggles


My reason
The internal conflict and confusion that is causing so much pain


Take my head off this terror
Asking for relief from the painful and overwhelming feelings


The fearing won't come back
Hope that the pain and fear will not return


I can't see
Feeling blinded by pain and confusion


My mind's all wiped clean
Hope for a fresh start, with all past struggles and conflicts erased


The needle
The drug use that has become a negative coping mechanism


Make my great escape
Desire to leave behind the pain and turmoil and start anew


I seem caught in time
Feeling stuck in the same negative thought patterns and emotions, with no way out


My head leaves me behind
Feeling disconnected from one's own thoughts and feelings


Body fall cold
The physical symptoms of death and the end of pain and conflict


And I see heaven
The bliss and peace that is imagined to follow death




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVID JOHN MATTHEWS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@javilopez65

Oh well oh well so here we stand
But we stand for nothing
My heart calls to me in my sleep
How can I turn to it
'Cause I'm all locked up in this
Dark place
And I do not know
I'm as good as dead
My head aches
Warped and tied up
I need to kill this pain

My head won't leave my head alone
And I don't believe it will
Until I'm dead and gone
My head won't leave my head alone
And I don't believe it will
Until I'm six-feet underground

How long I'm tied up
My mind in knots
My stomach reels
In concern for what I might do or
What I've done
It's got me living in fear
Well I know these voices must
Be my soul
I've had enough I've had enough of being alone
I've got no place to go

My head won't leave my head alone
And I don't believe it will
Until I'm dead and gone
My head won't leave my head alone
And I don't believe it will
Until I'm six-feet under ground

Six-feet under
In my grave
Lying wired and shut and quiet in my grave
Leave me here
Leave me here to waste here
So young and here I am again
Talking to myself
A T.V. blares
Oh man
Oh how I wish I didn't smoke
Or drink to reason with my head

But sometimes this thick confusion
Grows until I cannot bear it at all
Needle to the vein
Needle to the vein
Take this needle from my vein my friend
I said

My head won't leave my head alone
And I don't believe it will
Until I'm dead and gone
My head won't leave my head alone
And I don't believe it will
Until I'm dead and gone

In my grave
Lying
Lying cold in my grave
The reason
My reason
Take my head off this terror
The fearing won't come back
I can't see
My mind's all wiped clean
The needle
Make my great escape
I seem caught in time
My head leaves me behind
Body fall cold
And I see heaven



All comments from YouTube:

@amircolter3386

I was passed out under a tree and a cop woke me up when this song came on

@washredskin887

THIS version can not be touched. I forgot what the studio version sounds like. Incredible.

@aqualung1466

My favorite DMB song. And this is my favorite performance of it.

@automachinehead

This man has been prog since the beginning and prog fans my age diss him as if he is covid. I told them DMB's Under the Table and Dreaming would demolish entire radiohead's catalogue and proceed to dab on their priceless reaction. We old cunts can be idiot sometimes.

@graceyundercover1663

Def fav song awesome live performance

@narcoleptic988

@@automachinehead yeah...radiohead is pretty amazing as well... Comparing the 2 is like comparing fruits to vegetables... one tastes great, one tastes like crap, both are great for you

@automachinehead

@@narcoleptic988 yes except radiohead is the one that tastes like crap

@narcoleptic988

@@automachinehead lmao I'm unfortunately hopelessly addicted to both bands. Radioheads evolution as musicians just really turns me on.

5 More Replies...

@310taylor

Its one thing to be able to play this. Its another to have it sound good. Guy is so original such a true artist devoted

@magnuscroify

His dark songs are his best, IMO.

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