Through it all, Gino Matteo still holds true to what he believes. Being a rarity in today's Roots-Music world, Gino Matteo is a young man with an incredible knowledge and respect for the past. A true student of the life. Gino's performances are spontaneous, explosive, and original- a triple threat to the music world.
Gino is the definition of an "old soul" with a voice as smooth as velvet but tough as nails.
Gino writes music about his life as he lives it. His love, joy, and pain pour through his guitar and voice.
Using the experiences learned over time, Gino Matteo's sound respectfully pays tribute to true roots music while adding a bit of his own life in between and is quickly carving out a name for himself being among the finest songwriters and guitarists in music.
Over the course of Gino's career, he has worked with artists such as B.B. King, John Mayer, Hubert Sumlin, John Fogerty, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Jonny Lang, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy, and the list goes on.
Gino Matteo loves what he does for a living and will continue to inspire and grasp audiences with his truthful and soulful stories. And he will do so with a smile.
Liquor Store Man
Gino Matteo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never talks to me
'Less I throw my cigarette and you pick it up for me
I should have known
I'm sorry for wasting your time
Well I know a man who's always fixing something
But I ain't never seen him finish nothing
He's just a man that lives behind my liquor store
The sun comes up and it burns your face
That's when the guy with the shopping cart takes your place
The profits all go to get shit-faced
Yeah, the liquor store is the place
It's the place, it's the place, where I live
It's the place where I live
I don't know his name, don't know his ethnicity
I can't believe he's awake the same time as me
'Cuz I can keep some pretty strange hours myself
There's writing on the walls and cracks on the floor
Apparently the driveway is his front door
I see people coming in and out all the time
The sun comes up and it burns your face
That's when the guy with the shopping cart takes your place
Well, the profits all go to get shit-faced
Yeah, the liquor store is the place
It's the place, it's the place, where I live
It's the place where I live
Repeat Chorus
The lights go out at half passed three
That's when he starts ignoring me
Looks down at the concrete buried in Old E
Every night when the sun goes down
You can see the sky turn from red to brown
And he just looks up at the waving trees and smiles
Chorus
The song "Liquor Store Man" by Gino Matteo talks about a man who lives behind a liquor store. The song portrays the life of the man, his habit of fixing things but not completing them, and the singer's interactions with him. The man doesn't speak much unless he is asked to pick up the singer's cigarette from the ground. The song also depicts the daily routine of the liquor store, the people coming in and out, and the man with the shopping cart taking the singer's place in the queue. The lyrics emphasize the fact that the profits of the liquor store go towards the habit of getting drunk.
The singer portrays the liquor store as a place where he lives, and the man who lives behind it as someone who is present at odd hours of the night. The song also implies that the people who live in the area of the liquor store lead their lives around it. The imagery of the sun burning the face of the singer and the man with the shopping cart taking someone's place in the queue depicts the routine of everyday life at the liquor store.
The song highlights the life of the liquor store man, who seems content with his life, as he looks up and smiles at the waving trees every night. The lyrics have a melancholic tone, depicting the singer's thoughts about his own life and that of the liquor store man. The song ends on a quiet note, with the man ignoring the singer and looking down at the concrete buried in Old E.
Line by Line Meaning
Never sleeps
The man who lives behind the liquor store never sleeps.
Never talks to me
The man who lives behind the liquor store never talks to the singer.
'Less I throw my cigarette and you pick it up for me
The only way the singer and the man behind the liquor store interact is if the singer throws a cigarette and the man picks it up.
I should have known
The singer regrets not realizing sooner that the man behind the liquor store was struggling and needed help.
I'm sorry for wasting your time
The singer apologizes to the man behind the liquor store for not recognizing his struggle earlier.
Well I know a man who's always fixing something
The singer knows another man who is always working on something, but unlike the man behind the liquor store, he actually finishes his projects.
But I ain't never seen him finish nothing
The man the singer knows who is always working on something never actually finishes anything.
He's just a man that lives behind my liquor store
The man behind the liquor store is just an anonymous figure who lives near the singer's neighborhood liquor shop.
The sun comes up and it burns your face
It's early morning and the sun is already hot and intense.
That's when the guy with the shopping cart takes your place
In the morning, the man who lives behind the liquor store takes over for the singer, who has been occupying that same location.
The profits all go to get shit-faced
The profits from the liquor store are used to buy alcohol and get drunk.
Yeah, the liquor store is the place
The liquor store is the primary location for the man behind the liquor store.
It's the place, it's the place, where I live
The liquor store is effectively the man's home.
I don't know his name, don't know his ethnicity
The singer doesn't know anything about the man behind the liquor store except for the fact that he lives there.
I can't believe he's awake the same time as me
The singer is surprised that the man behind the liquor store is awake at the same early hour as him.
'Cuz I can keep some pretty strange hours myself
The singer admits to keeping unusual hours as well.
There's writing on the walls and cracks on the floor
The building where the liquor store is located is in disrepair and has graffiti on the walls.
Apparently the driveway is his front door
The man behind the liquor store uses the driveway as his main entrance and exit.
I see people coming in and out all the time
The singer sees a lot of foot traffic coming and going from the liquor store.
The lights go out at half passed three
The lights at the liquor store turn off at 3:30am.
That's when he starts ignoring me
After the lights go out, the man behind the liquor store ignores the singer.
Looks down at the concrete buried in Old E
The man behind the liquor store looks at the ground covered in Old E beer cans.
Every night when the sun goes down
Every night, when it gets dark outside,
You can see the sky turn from red to brown
The sky changes color from red to brown as the sun sets.
And he just looks up at the waving trees and smiles
The man behind the liquor store finds comfort in looking at the trees and appears content with his life, despite his struggles.
Contributed by Kayla M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.