Rob Thomas, Brian Yale, and Paul Doucette performed in the band Tabitha's S… Read Full Bio ↴Rob Thomas, Brian Yale, and Paul Doucette performed in the band Tabitha's Secret which originated in Orlando, Florida, with fellow members John Stanley and John Goff, before splitting to start a new band (what was to become Matchbox Twenty). After recruiting the talents of Adam Gaynor from Criteria Recording Studios in Miami and Kyle Cook from the Atlanta Institute of Music, the lineup was complete and ready to begin. The band was signed to Atlantic Records in 1996 at the last minute when the record executive for Atlantic Records who was searching for a new hit artist could not get folk rock singer/songwriter Willem McCormick to comply with the recording contract.

Matchbox Twenty (or MB20, MBT, M20, originally spelled Matchbox 20) is a Grammy-nominated rock band formed in Orlando, Florida.

Matchbox Twenty has sold over 45 million albums worldwide from the releases of Yourself or Someone Like You, Mad Season, and More Than You Think You Are. They released their latest album, Exile on Mainstream, on October 2, 2007. The current members of the band are Rob Thomas, Paul Doucette, Brian Yale, and Kyle Cook. Rhythm guitarist Adam Gaynor left the band in 2005, after performing on their first three studio albums. Rob Thomas is the principal songwriter and lead singer. Rob Thomas has created a well-established solo career for himself after releasing the album, …Something to Be.

Damn
Matchbox 20 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

This old world well
Don't it make you wanna think damn
This cold girl well
Don't she wanna make you scream, damn

What's the matter girl, well
Don't you think I'm good enough
This old heart's had a whole lot a breakin' down

She's got all these reasons in her head

All that time she knew if I lied
You can bet she will
She's taking her time 'til I thought I would die
And I can't sit still

Things got turned 'round
Don't know where I started from, damn
Can't eat, can't sleep
Could have been a bigger man, damn
What's the matter girl don't you think I'm bright enough
This old man had a hard time getting here
You can leave your number at the door

All that time she knew if I lied
You can bet she will
She's taking her time 'til I thought I would die
And I can't sit still

And there's nothing at all
Yeah there's nothing at all
Well there's nothing at all
To make her change her mind
Make her change her mind
To make her change her

This old house been quiet since
You went away, damn
Mixed up fixed out
Don't forget who got you here, damn

What's the matter world
Don't you see I opened up
This whole part's been played by another man
I pulled out the reason card instead

All that time she knew if I lied
You can bet she will
She's taking her time 'til I thought I would die
And I can't sit still

She says she can find
The things that make up a life
Well I can bet she will
She says stays behind, I could stay here all night
I could stay here until

Until there's nothing at all
Yeah there's nothing at all
Well there's nothing at all
To make her change her mind

Make her change her mind
To make her change her mind

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Matchbox 20's song "Damn" talk about the frustrations and heartbreaks of a failed relationship. The singer seems to be struggling with moving on from the pain caused by his partner's rejection. The lines "Don't it make you wanna think damn" and "Don't she wanna make you scream, damn" express the emotional turmoil that the singer is facing due to the situation. The lyrics also hint at the partner's mistrust and doubts about the singer's honesty, which may have led to the relationship's downfall. The singer is trying to reconcile with the fact that he cannot change his partner's mind, and thus, is coming to terms with the end of their relationship.

The lyrics also show the singer's self-doubt and struggle with self-worth. He questions if he's good enough and bright enough and feels like he could have been a "bigger" man. However, he's also angry that his partner may not have appreciated the sacrifices he made in the relationship or how hard he worked to get to where he is. The line "Don't forget who got you here, damn" suggests that he feels undervalued and unappreciated by his partner.

Overall, the song's lyrics portray the emotions of heartbreak, frustration, anger, and self-doubt, and highlight the complexities of romantic relationships.

Line by Line Meaning

This old world well
This world we live in

Don't it make you wanna think damn
Makes you want to exclaim 'damn' in frustration

This cold girl well
The person he is addressing, who is distant and unresponsive

Don't she wanna make you scream, damn
She makes him feel like screaming 'damn' out of frustration

What's the matter girl, well
What is your problem?

Don't you think I'm good enough
Am I not worthy of your affection?

This old heart's had a whole lot a breakin' down
He has been hurt many times before

She's got all these reasons in her head
She has reasons for her distance that he cannot understand

All that time she knew if I lied
She knew if he was lying

You can bet she will
She will call him out on his lies

She's taking her time 'til I thought I would die
She is taking her time with him, causing him to feel anxious and restless

And I can't sit still
He is unable to stay calm and relaxed

Things got turned 'round
Things changed unexpectedly

Don't know where I started from, damn
He is unsure of his starting point

Can't eat, can't sleep
He is unable to take care of his basic needs

Could have been a bigger man, damn
He could have been a better person

What's the matter girl don't you think I'm bright enough
He wonders if she thinks he is intelligent enough

This old man had a hard time getting here
He has struggled to get where he is today

You can leave your number at the door
She is not interested in hearing from him

This old house been quiet since
The house has been silent ever since

You went away, damn
He exclaims 'damn' in frustration over her leaving

Mixed up fixed out
He is confused and feeling helpless

Don't forget who got you here, damn
She should not forget who helped her achieve what she has

What's the matter world
What is wrong with the world?

Don't you see I opened up
He opened up emotionally

This whole part's been played by another man
Someone else was involved before him

I pulled out the reason card instead
He gave her an excuse instead of telling her the truth

She says she can find
She believes she can find

The things that make up a life
The components of a fulfilling life

She says stays behind, I could stay here all night
She is hesitant to move forward, but he is willing to stay and wait

Until there's nothing at all
He is willing to wait forever, even if there is no hope for a change in her feelings

To make her change her mind
To convince her to change the way she feels about him

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: JAMES HARRISON, TOMMY CECIL, MATT THOMAS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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