During this time he also appeared in regular stints at the Wetlands Preserve. Although still relatively unknown, Devine gained some popularity with his 2003 album, Make the Clocks Move. Newer songs reflect Devine's political views and the recent death of his father to a stroke. He has recorded records for Immigrant Sun Records and Triple Crown Records and has worked with Brooklyn based producer Mike Skinner, who is also credited as the drummer on his solo records as well as the drummer for Miracle of 86. He signed with Capitol Records, who released his fourth album, Put Your Ghost to Rest, on October 17, 2006. Only four months after his major label debut, Devine was dropped from Capitol Records due to EMI merging Virgin and Capitol Records.
Devine was able to gather a strong fan base as a result of his exposure through touring with Brand New. First appearing as their opening act in their 2004 spring tour, Devine made a small splash among their fan base. However, opening for them again in April 2006, and joining their 2007 Spring tour with Manchester Orchestra, Kevin's following was multiplying by the day. (Kevin also opened for Brand New as a surprise act at the Triple Crown Records 10th Anniversary Concert.)
Devine's late 2007 touring schedule included a tour with close friend Jesse Lacey (of Brand New) and Grace Read at the end of July through early August, followed by a short trip to London, a spot on the Austin City Limits Festival, and a tour with Chin Up Chin Up throughout Germany. In October 2007 he toured with Andy Hull from Manchester Orchestra and Owen.
Kevin posted numerous demos via his MySpace profile in late 2007/early 2008 and after negotiations with Capitol records, "Put Your Ghost To Rest" was re-released on April 20, 2008 by Procrastinate! Music Traitors.
Kevin toured Europe with Jenny Owen Youngs and Tournaments in May and other tours followed throughout 2008 with Jesse Lacey, Rachael Yamagata and Matt Pryor in August and September 2008.[1]
In late 2008, Kevin announced his new album Brother's Blood would be released in early 2009 on Favorite Gentlemen records, as well as a tour with Manchester Orchestra and the I Could Be With Anyone EP in support of both.
You're My Incentive
Kevin Devine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And your car don't work
Like she used to
Your friends don't call
And they don't even bother
With offering excuses
The t.v is on
So it's useless
It's just the awful news
And the sorry truth
That we're definitely sinking
so I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you
You'll just hurt your chest
And your face'll turn bright blue
This is how it's gonna be
This is how it's gonna be
This is how it'll be
And there's nothing that we can do
And if you start believing that
I'll stop holding my breath too
you've been praying for change
But you ain't been to church since the 10th grade
And you cry at your job
Don't believe in your vote
And never celebrate your birthday
So you set up a dinner
To make you feel less desperate and worthless
But your dad gets drunk
So your mom throws a fit
While your man hits on the waitress
so I wouldn't waste my time if I were you
You'll just snap your spine
I'll just strip away your youth
This is how it's gonna be
This is how it's gonna be
This how this'll be
And there's nothing we can do
Yeah and if you start believing that
I'll stop wasting my time too
Yeah and if you start believing that
I'll stop wasting my time too
'Cause you're my incentive
And if you go, I'll go too
The lyrics to Kevin Devine's song You're My Incentive speak to the frustration one often feels when life seems stagnant and unsatisfying. The first section describes a situation in which everything seems to be falling apart. The car doesn't work, friends are distant, and the TV is a constant source of bad news. The singer warns against holding out hope because things are unlikely to improve, and he doesn't want to see anyone get hurt in the process.
The second section is more introspective, focusing on the individual's feelings of hopelessness and their futile attempts to change things. They haven't been to church in years and have lost faith in the political system. They try to arrange a dinner to lift their spirits but end up feeling even worse due to familial drama and infidelity. The message here seems to be that, despite being aware of what's wrong, the person is unable to take meaningful action to improve their situation.
The final lines of the song reveal the reason why the singer cares so much about the other person's well-being. They are each other's motivation to keep going, and without the other, they don't see a purpose in continuing. Despite the bleakness of the lyrics, there is a sense of mutual reliance and compassion between the two characters.
Line by Line Meaning
Your bearings are shot
You've lost your direction and sense of purpose
And your car don't work
Your means of transportation is unreliable
Like she used to
It's not as good as it once was
Your friends don't call
Your relationships have faded away
And they don't even bother
Your friends don't make an effort to keep in touch
With offering excuses
They don't even bother with an explanation
The t.v is on
You spend your time watching meaningless things
But it's always on
It never turns off and you're always distracted
So it's useless
It's not making any positive contribution to your life
It's just the awful news
It's only negativity and sadness that you're consuming
And the sorry truth
The reality is harsh and disappointing
That we're definitely sinking
Things are only getting worse and it's hard to remain hopeful
so I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you
Don't expect things to get better anytime soon
You'll just hurt your chest
You'll only be disappointed and hurt yourself
And your face'll turn bright blue
You'll be dejected and sad
This is how it's gonna be
This is the unfortunate reality
This is how it'll be
Things are unlikely to change
And there's nothing that we can do
The situation feels hopeless and out of our control
And if you start believing that
If you accept that fate
I'll stop holding my breath too
I'll stop hoping for change as well
you've been praying for change
You've been hoping for something better
But you ain't been to church since the 10th grade
You haven't seen the possibility of hope in a long time
And you cry at your job
Your work is not fulfilling and brings you to tears
Don't believe in your vote
You don't see any power in your political choices
And never celebrate your birthday
You don't find joy in anything, even on your special day
So you set up a dinner
You try to make something happen
To make you feel less desperate and worthless
To regain some sense of self-worth and hope
But your dad gets drunk
Things still don't go according to plan
So your mom throws a fit
Your family dynamic is dysfunctional
While your man hits on the waitress
Even your closest relationships are disappointing
so I wouldn't waste my time if I were you
Don't try to make things happen that won't
You'll just snap your spine
You'll only be disappointed and hurt yourself further
I'll just strip away your youth
I'll stop trying to make you happy and hopeful
This how this'll be
This is the unfortunate reality
And there's nothing we can do
The situation is out of our control
Yeah and if you start believing that
If you accept that fate
I'll stop wasting my time too
I'll stop trying to make things better as well
'Cause you're my incentive
The only reason I keep trying
And if you go, I'll go too
If you give up, I have no reason to keep trying
Lyrics © THE BICYCLE MUSIC COMPANY
Written by: KEVIN PATRICK DEVINE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
silenthillstrangler
I love finding new music on youtube, especially good little artists like kevin devine
Scott Laur
<3
Gage Meyer
@connorm4466 agreed