In early 2003, Costa's homemade demo reached No Doubt guitarist Tom Dumont, who offered to record more demos for Costa in his home studio. Those first recordings led to two EPs that Costa and Dumont distributed themselves. These were later combined and mixed by Phil Ek in order to form Costa's first full-length CD entitled Songs We Sing.
Costa spent the summer of 2005 opening on Jack Johnson's summer tour. He has since toured with Modest Mouse, Oasis, Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, G. Love & Special Sauce, and Death Cab for Cutie. Costa joined Jack Johnson for his 2006 European tour. He has also contributed to the Jack Johnson and Friends Curious George soundtrack; his track is entitled "Lullaby". This song was taken from his The Elasmosaurus EP. Costa has also toured extensively in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Asia and South America.
The video for Costa's first single "Cold December" was released February 2, 2006. On July 31, 2007, he released a song titled "If You Took To Me" as part of the environmentally minded polar bear documentary Arctic Tale and its soundtrack.
On October 7, 2007, Costa released the first single, "Mr. Pitiful," from his record Unfamiliar Faces. The song "Mr. Pitiful" was used during a scene with Paul Rudd in the movie I Love You, Man, the redband trailer for the film Youth in Revolt starring Michael Cera, and the movie Marmaduke. The song is featured during the opening credits of The Answer Man (film). Apple also used an instrumental cut of this song for the worldwide iPhone 3GS ads.
Mobile Chateau, Costa's next album, was released on September 21, 2010, via Brushfire Records. His 2013 self-titled album was recorded at Pheasant Studios in Santa Ana, CA, as Costa's first solo production.
Bleeding Hearts
Matt Costa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's just one thing
That'll torture your soul, the grass will stain your clothes
Until the bleeding heart hands you a rose
It's a long, long ways
It's a long long ways
Four letter words can cause you so much pain
They're coming soon to take away
But you can't wait another day
The loneliest and lonelier, well he'll get his and she'll get hers
How long must I wait? How long can we wait?
The good's all gone bad, now the villains stole the hand
And you hide in corners starving for a chance
There's just one thing
There's just one thing
That'll torture your soul and the grass will stain your clothes
Until the bleeding heart hands you a rose
'Til the bleeding heart hands you a rose
'Til the bleeding heart hands you a rose
'Til the bleeding heart hands you a rose
In Matt Costa's song, "Bleeding Hearts," the lyrics revolve around the idea that there is only one thing that can save a person from the torture of their soul and that is receiving a rose from a bleeding heart. The grass stains on clothes are symbolic of the messiness of life and its struggles, which can cause pain and heartache. The idea of four-letter words causing pain is a reference to the power of words and how they can be used as weapons. The song suggests that life is a long journey filled with challenges, but a glimmer of hope exists in the form of the bleeding heart, who provides roses as a symbol of redemption and healing.
The presence of villains in the song speaks to the idea of evil in the world, and the struggle to overcome it. Meanwhile, the feeling of loneliness is also a recurring theme in the song, along with a sense of longing and waiting. These emotions are universal and relatable, as they speak to the common human experience. The bleeding heart in the song can be interpreted as a metaphor for love and compassion, which can help cure the pain and suffering that people experience.
Line by Line Meaning
There's just one thing
There's only one thing that can cause you torment
There's just one thing
It's a recurring theme that there's just one thing causing harm
That'll torture your soul, the grass will stain your clothes
The one thing that causes pain affects not only your inner self but also your outer appearance
Until the bleeding heart hands you a rose
The pain will only subside when someone unexpectedly brings you solace
It's a long, long ways
The path to happiness is far and arduous
It's a long long ways
The distance to reach joy is very vast
Four letter words can cause you so much pain
The impact of hurtful language, even just a few letters, can be significant
They're coming soon to take away
The looming threat of loss is imminent
But you can't wait another day
You must act quickly despite the fear of what's to come
The loneliest and lonelier, well he'll get his and she'll get hers
Even those who are the most desperate will eventually find a way to cope with their loneliness
How long must I wait? How long can we wait?
The duration of pain can feel almost unbearable
The good's all gone bad, now the villains stole the hand
The old way of life has been corrupted and taken by the wicked
And you hide in corners starving for a chance
Opportunities for betterment are scarce, leaving you desperate and hopeless
Until the bleeding heart hands you a rose
The only salvation from despair is a kind gesture from someone unexpected
'Til the bleeding heart hands you a rose
Reinforcing the importance of waiting patiently for that moment of peace
'Til the bleeding heart hands you a rose
Signifying that this act of kindness will be the light at the end of a very dark tunnel
Contributed by Isaiah R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.