He has toured with Owl City, John Mayer, Sheryl Crow, The Fray, Jason Mraz, Vedera Newsboys, MUTEMATH, Meiko, Cary Brothers, and Train; and headlined VH1's first ever "You Oughta Know Tour" in the spring of 2007.
Kearney's songs have appeared on the television series: Dirty Sexy Money, Kyle XY, The Unit, Without A Trace, Laguna Beach, The Hills, Bones, Jericho, Friday Night Lights, Wildfire, What About Brian, South Beach, 8th & Ocean, One Tree Hill, Scrubs, The Closer, NCIS, Life Unexpected and Grey's Anatomy.
He attended California State University, Chico in Chico, California where he majored in literature and played soccer until his junior year. It was also at this time when Mat picked up a guitar for the first time. Using a roommate's guitar, he tried covering other songs. Realizing he wasn't too good at it, he began writing his own.
Kearney has stated that his legal name is Mathew due to a nurse's error on his birth certificate. He discovered the error while in the 8th grade when he noticed how his mom corrected the error with red ink, never legally correcting it. Since then, he embraced the one T in his legal name.
Chicago
Mat Kearney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Step across the gull coast, to my heart into your wine
Maybe Cincinnatti, with the trip in the morning light
Step across the branches I will follow you over the rhine
And it takes one to know one thats what they always said
Waited for the dawn and Ive waited for the day
Oh Im coming on and Im willing to pray
On and on and the lights come and go
And everything I might not even know what is the distance
On through the ristance
Singing ahh ah ah ahh ah, ahh ah ah ahh ah
Meet me in Portland, roads here and the summer light
See you in the evergreens I will catch you down on the northeast side
Maybe San Diego, moon light at the lowest tide
See you in a shoreline breaker, stepping over my makers line
And it takes one to know one thats what they always said
Waited for the dawn and Ive waited for the day
Oh Im coming on and Im willing to pray
Step in through haze one more day
On a wide open road
On and on and the lights come and go
And everything I might not even know what is the distance
On through the ristance
Singing ahh ah ah ahh ah, ahh ah ah ahh ah
You met me on the back streets
Right there at the end of the line
Where a spark turns into fire
Where a tear turns into life
And it takes one to know one thats what they always said
Waited for the dawn and Ive waited for the day
Oh Im coming on and Im willing to pray
Step in through haze one more day
On a wide open road
On and on and the lights come and go
And everything I might not even know what is the distance
On through the ristance
Wondering why open road
On and on and the lights come and go
And everything I might not even know what is the distance
On through the ristance
Singing ahh ah ah ahh ah, ahh ah ah ahh ah, ahh ah ah ahh ah, ahh ah ah ahh ah
Meet me in Chicago, down by the water line
Step across the gull coast, step into this heart of mine
In Mat Kearney's song "Chicago," he sings about his desire to meet someone he cares about in different cities across the United States. He mentions places like Chicago, Cincinnati, Portland, and San Diego, and describes details about each location. However, what is most important is the connection he feels and his willingness to go the distance to be with this person. Kearney highlights the idea that it takes one to know one, emphasizing that he recognizes the special connection that they share.
The opening line, "Meet me in Chicago, down by the water line," creates a sense of romanticism as Kearney invites the listener to join him in what appears to be a peaceful, serene location. He then goes on to mention other cities that he would like to visit with this person. The chorus seems to capture Kearney's determination as he sings, "On a wide open road, on and on, and the lights come and go, and everything I might not even know what is the distance on through the resistance, singing aah ah ah aah ah."
Kearney uses metaphorical language to convey his emotions, like when he sings, "Where a spark turns into fire, where a tear turns into life," indicating the transformative power that their relationship holds. In the end, Kearney circles back to the beginning of the song, singing, "Meet me in Chicago, down by the water line, step across the gull coast, step into this heart of mine," as if to tell the listener that the entire journey they have gone on together was to get to the heart of their relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Meet me in Chicago, down by the water line
Come to Chicago and meet me by the water.
Step across the gull coast, to my heart into your wine
Cross the shoreline to be with me, and let me pour my heart out to you.
Maybe Cincinnatti, with the trip in the morning light
Perhaps we can go to Cincinnati, and start our journey at the break of dawn.
Step across the branches I will follow you over the rhine
Let's cross the bridge over the Rhine River together.
And it takes one to know one thats what they always said
People say that you can recognize those who are similar to you.
Waited for the dawn and Ive waited for the day
I have been waiting for a new beginning, for a chance to start again.
Oh Im coming on and Im willing to pray
I am ready to try again, and I am willing to pray for guidance and support.
On a wide open road
I am on a journey, heading towards an unknown destination.
On and on and the lights come and go
As I travel, I pass by different places and the lights flicker as I go.
And everything I might not even know what is the distance
I don't know how far I have left to go, or where this journey will take me.
On through the ristance
Despite any obstacles or challenges, I keep moving forward.
Singing ahh ah ah ahh ah, ahh ah ah ahh ah
I am singing without specific words, just the sounds of the melody.
Meet me in Portland, roads here and the summer light
Meet me in Portland, where the roads are beautiful and the summer days are long.
See you in the evergreens I will catch you down on the northeast side
We can meet in the forest of evergreen trees, and I will see you on the northeast side.
Maybe San Diego, moon light at the lowest tide
We could also go to San Diego and witness the moon at its lowest tide.
See you in a shoreline breaker, stepping over my makers line
We could walk together along the shore, crossing over the line that separates land and sea.
You met me on the back streets
We first met on a quieter, less busy part of town.
Right there at the end of the line
We came together when we reached the end of our journeys.
Where a spark turns into fire
Our connection grew stronger until it became something more powerful and meaningful.
Where a tear turns into life
Even through moments of sadness and hardship, we found new meaning and hope together.
Wondering why open road
I am still unsure of why I am traveling on this open road.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MATHEW KEARNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind