Mat Kearney (pronounced CARN-ee; born 1 December 1978 in Eugene, Oregon) is… Read Full Bio ↴Mat Kearney (pronounced CARN-ee; born 1 December 1978 in Eugene, Oregon) is an American singer-songwriter based out of Nashville, TN, originally from Eugene, Oregon. His music has an acoustic base fused with hip hop. He is signed to Aware/Columbia Records. In addition to singing, he also plays guitar, piano and harmonica. Following his first EP release (in 2002), so far he has a total of five top-20 hits on the Adult Top 40 Chart. The Hey Mama Songfacts reports that Kearney turned to Hip Hop for inspiration when recording his fourth studio album Young Love, which was released on August 2, 2011.

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.

Moving On
Mat Kearney Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

We were young, we were brave
With our eyes wide shut in the choices we made
Well you lit the match and I got caught with the flames
And your voice still rings out through my mind
And the thorns still twist down in my side
All the promises that we left for dead in the night (woo woo)

Because I'm moving on, letting go

Forget the past and giving up the ghost
All we are is fading stars, life's too short to stay where we are

Forgiving then live and move on tell me that's gonna make me stronger
Forgiving then live and move on (woo)
Forgiving then live and move on tell me that's gonna make me stronger
Forgiving then live and move on (woo)

Maybe I'm broken, maybe its the fate
Maybe it's the moment you said I had changed
Where did thirteen years go like I didn't know you at all (woo woo)

Because I'm moving on, letting go
Forget the past and giving up the ghost
All we are is fading stars, life's too short to stay where we are

Forgiving then live and move on tell me that's gonna make me stronger
Forgiving then live and move on (woo)
Forgiving then live and move on tell me that's gonna make me stronger
Forgiving then live and move on (woo)

I heard you were back with regrets and you meant it
I had a real surprise, your text never sent it
Bridges were burning and accusation
Funny how time is the great revelation (woo)

Because I'm moving on, letting go
Forget the past and giving up the ghost
All we are is fading stars, life's too short to stay where we are

Forgiving then live and move on tell me that's gonna make me stronger
Forgiving then live and move on (woo)
Forgiving then live and move on tell me that's gonna make me stronger
Forgiving then live and move on (woo)

Forgiving then live and move on tell me that's gonna make me stronger
Forgiving then live and move on (woo)
Forgiving then live and move on tell me that's gonna make me stronger
Forgiving then live and move on (woo)

Forgiving then live and move on tell me that's gonna make me stronger
Forgiving then live and move on (woo)
Forgiving then live and move on tell me that's gonna make me stronger
Forgiving then live and move on (woo)

Forgiving then live and move on tell me that's gonna make me stronger
Forgiving then live and move on (woo)
Forgiving then live and move on tell me that's gonna make me stronger
Forgiving then live and move on (woo)

Forgiving then live and move on tell me that's gonna make me stronger
Forgiving then live and move on (woo)

Forgiving then live and move on tell me that's gonna make me stronger
Forgiving then live and move on (woo)

Overall Meaning

In "Moving On," Mat Kearney reflects on a past relationship and the process of letting go and moving forward. The song opens with a nostalgic tone, referencing their youth and the bravery they exhibited when making choices without fully considering the consequences. Kearney acknowledges that both parties share some responsibility for the relationship's demise, with "you lit the match" and "I got caught with the flames." Despite this flawed past, the chorus brings a note of hope, as Kearney sings about forgiving, moving on, and letting go.

Throughout the song, Kearney grapples with different emotions. He recognizes that he may be broken and blames fate or the specific moment when his ex told him he had changed. Kearney expresses surprise when he learns that his ex has regrets and sees the bridges they burned in the past. The chorus repeats several times, emphasizing the importance of forgiving and moving forward to become stronger. The song ends on a note of hope, with the idea that forgiveness and releasing the past can lead to growth and brighter paths ahead.

Line by Line Meaning

We were young, we were brave
We were fearless and carefree in our youth

With our eyes wide shut in the choices we made
We made uninformed decisions without fully considering the consequences

Well you lit the match and I got caught with the flames
You initiated something that brought me pain and I couldn't escape it

And your voice still rings out through my mind
I can't stop thinking about you and your words

And the thorns still twist down in my side
I'm still feeling the pain and hurt caused by our past

All the promises that we left for dead in the night (woo woo)
All the commitments we made to each other that were disregarded and forgotten

Because I'm moving on, letting go
I'm choosing to move forward and not dwell on the past

Forget the past and giving up the ghost
I'm choosing to forget about our history and not let it haunt me

All we are is fading stars, life's too short to stay where we are
We are all temporary and life is too brief to remain stagnant

Forgiving then live and move on tell me that's gonna make me stronger
If I forgive and continue on, I hope to become more resilient

Forgiving then live and move on (woo)
I need to forgive and move forward in order to grow stronger

Maybe I'm broken, maybe its the fate
Perhaps something within me is damaged or it was destined to be this way

Maybe it's the moment you said I had changed
Perhaps things took a turn for the worse when you accused me of altering

Where did thirteen years go like I didn't know you at all (woo woo)
I can't believe how long we were together and yet, it feels like I never truly knew you

I heard you were back with regrets and you meant it
You supposedly returned apologetic and repented

I had a real surprise, your text never sent it
I was expecting a message from you, but never received it

Bridges were burning and accusation
There was hostility and blaming occurring

Funny how time is the great revelation (woo)
It's interesting how as time goes on, truths become revealed