In 2002 the frontman and creative force behind The Beautiful Girls began riding the wave as the band’s Morning Sun EP became the radio hit of the Australian Summer. In 2010, after 12 world tours, eight records and 285,000 album sales, the wave reached a musical high-water mark with the critically acclaimed Spooks – a dub tour de force which peaked at number 6 on the US Billboard Reggae Charts and debuted at number one on the Australian Independent charts. The album won over critics around the world and took McHugh to the US for two national tours in the one year. The first with his band to see the old fans and the second to the church of John Butler with nothing but an acoustic guitar between him and a new cast of thousands. The latter was a watershed moment – and now the tide has receded to reveal a new world of inspiration for one of Australia’s best-loved songwriters.
“Spending a year of my life working on Spooks was an amazing journey and it’s a brilliant record, but The John Butler tour was as influential to me as anything in my musical career so far. It was such a grounding, emotionally-fulfilling experience. I’m used to playing in a band to a few thousand people who are having a party, but playing solo to two or three thousand people, I felt connected. Music, for me, has always been about communication. It was a turning point as far as working out what I was going to do next – and that’s what 2011 is about,” Mat muses.
The result is devolution. Mat McHugh’s first album as a naked, raw solo artist. After a decade of striving to get bigger, better, louder and more colourful, the focus is on being transparent. Simple. Honest. Intimate.
This is a roots record in every sense of the word. No computers. No auto-tune. Nothing but guitar, bass and drums. It’s back to where it all began, albeit through the eyes of a man who has spent three quarters of the last decade sampling beats from around the globe and melting them down in his own brand of earthenware.
Devolution isn’t about fashion. It isn’t about what everyone else is doing. It isn’t about trends. Devolution isn’t about a marketing plan and guest appearances. Devolution is about music at its purest. “I want to contribute to the musical landscape in 2011 by making something more about feelings and emotions than it is about musical cleverness,” McHugh says.
“My favourite records, whether they’re Johnny Cash or Nick Drake sound like they could have been made in 2011 or 1960. There’s nothing added, it’s a simple formula. They’re just a little statement of what the people who created them believed to be inherent truths and that’s all I’m trying."
A Pocketful Of Shells
Mat McHugh Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And not much of anything else.
I got a locket full of notes,
Old melodies, uncounted votes
And it’s been so long
since I’ve seen you
And I’ve been so gone and out of my mind
And things they move on,
So I still wait for you most every night
When are you coming home
It’s so lonely here tonight...
Followed a trail of poison crumbs.
We got lost pretending, undone.
Then our blood fell from the clouds,
the wind it screamed, the sea it howled.
And every cold, dry morning,
crows sing of how there's ice forming on the lake.
Oh yes somebody called me, said they saw you.
Said you were looking older but just the same.
When are you coming home?
It must be freezing out today ...
And we’ll sing Galilee, we’ll sing reverie
Dance for the broken, break these chains.
We’ll sing of wrongs and lies and alibis.
We’ll take a chance and start again.
And we’ll sing Galilee, we’ll sing reverie
Dance for the broken, break these chains.
We’ll sing of wrongs and lies and alibis.
We’ll Take a chance and start again.
We’ll Take a chance and start again.
We’ll Take a chance and start again.
Mat McHugh's song "A Pocketful Of Shells" seems to be about a man who is lost and lonely, with only a few possessions to his name. He has a pocket full of shells, which could be literal seashells or a metaphor for the things he has collected along the way. He also has a locket full of notes and old melodies, suggesting that music might be an important part of his life. Despite his possessions, he feels incomplete and longs for someone he has not seen in a long time, likely a former lover. He confesses that he waits for them every night and wishes for their return, but is left alone and missing them.
The second verse describes the man walking through life lost and aimless. He followed a trail of "poison crumbs," which could be a reference to negative influences or past decisions that led him astray. The imagery of blood falling from the clouds and the wind and sea howling signifies a storm and chaos in his life. The man is alone, but he receives news that the person he longs for is still out there, but looking older than before.
The chorus is a plea for their return, and the promise to start over and make things right. They will dance for the broken, break the chains of the past, and sing about the wrongs and lies that they want to leave behind. It is a song about regret, loss, and hope for a better future, with lyrics that evoke a sense of longing and yearning for things that have been lost or taken away.
Line by Line Meaning
I got a pocket full of shells,
I have a collection of memories, both good and bad, that I am carrying with me wherever I go.
And not much of anything else.
Apart from these memories, I have very little else to hold onto in life right now.
I got a locket full of notes,
I have kept some small reminders of you and our time together close to my heart.
Old melodies, uncounted votes
These notes and mementos hold old memories and stories that I haven't forgotten, but rather have yet to make sense of.
And it’s been so long
since I’ve seen you
And I’ve been so gone and out of my mind
It's been a long time since I've been able to see you in person, and in the meantime, my mind has been consumed by memories of you and our past together.
And things they move on,
but I just need you
So I still wait for you most every night
Even though time moves on and circumstances change, I still feel like I need you and I wait for you every night hoping that you might return.
When are you coming home
It’s so lonely here tonight...
I miss you terribly and wish you were here to comfort me. The loneliness is overwhelming.
Followed a trail of poison crumbs.
I made some bad choices and took some riskier paths, which has led me to where I am now.
We got lost pretending, undone.
I got lost in pretending things were okay and not facing my problems, which ended up unraveling everything I had worked towards.
Then our blood fell from the clouds,
the wind it screamed, the sea it howled.
The aftermath of my mistakes was both dramatic and devastating, and I was left to deal with the emotional repercussions on my own.
And every cold, dry morning,
crows sing of how there's ice forming on the lake.
Every day seems to bring new challenges and reminders of how isolated and introspective I have become since you left.
Oh yes somebody called me, said they saw you.
Said you were looking older but just the same.
I've heard rumors that you're still out there, but I don't know how to find you or what to do even if I could.
When are you coming home?
It must be freezing out today ...
I worry about you and hope that you are okay, but I also can't help but long for your return to alleviate the loneliness and isolation I feel.
And we’ll sing Galilee, we’ll sing reverie
Dance for the broken, break these chains.
We’ll sing of wrongs and lies and alibis.
We’ll take a chance and start again.
Despite all the pain and loneliness we've faced, we can come together and turn to music to heal and move forward. We'll confront our past mistakes and hold ourselves accountable for better days ahead, starting a new chapter in our lives together.
We’ll Take a chance and start again.
This is our chance to start over and build a better future, to shake off the past and look forward with hope and renewed strength.
Contributed by Logan N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jean Reinhardt
I found this on a random search and can't stop playing it. Mat has a really distinct voice and writes the most emotive lyrics I have heard in a long time. I had to buy the album, it's so good.
punkerjoshua
check out his other band, The Beautiful Girls
Pongoslice
me too but on souncloud looking for songs like jack johnsons
Kai November
I love this song so much 😥❤️ my dad has played his music throughout my entire life and it's really special to me
Dagoberto Euzébio
Muito linda,simples ,mas toca profundamente meu coração,lembra a praia do Cassino,Rio Grande -Rio Grande do Sul - Brasil.
BRIJRAJ JADEJA
This song touches all the right emotions at the required time.
Great song Mat
Great song
Afri Sightings & Photography
What an artist.. You move my soul brother!!
SeanDangerLove
One of the best written song since the turn of the century by such an underrated artist. all the familiar symptoms of a masterpiece.
Lucas Vascss
Já sou fã desse cara música linda;)
270smarty
La voix, l'harmonica...Tout est harmonieux, j'adore.