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.
Cigarette Eyes
Matt Costa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm sure he held you down
Forced you to do things while I'm not around
But you lied, you lied
But I've got cigarette eyes
[Chorus]
Feel uneasy I think of you less
Oh my, oh my to see you with that spy
You lie, but I know cause I've got cigarette eyes
Out in the country I'm sure no one could tell
You held a victim under your spell
So go hide, go hide
But I've got cigarette eyes
[Chorus]
I feel uneasy, I think of you less
My mind is so restless and I'm feeling obsessed
Oh my, oh my
To see you with that spy
You lied
But I know cause I've got cigarette eyes
Cigarette ey ey ey ey eyes
I've got cigarette eyes
Cigarette eyes
So you've got yourself a bright young girl
One who lies with you in bed
When she tells you that she likes the weather
Don't believe a word she says no more
Out in the country I'm sure no one could tell
You held a victim, U-under your spell
So go hide, go hide
But I got cigarette eyes
[Chorus x2]
I feel uneasy, I think of you less
My mind is so restless and I'm feeling depressed
Oh my, oh my
To see you with that spy
You lied
But I know cause I've got cigarette eyes
The lyrics of the song "Cigarette Eyes" by Matt Costa talk about a complicated relationship where the singer is suspicious of his partner's infidelity. He hints that he knows that she's lying about something, possibly cheating on him with someone else, represented in the lyrics "So you've got yourself a bright young girl, one who lies with you in bed. When she tells you that she likes the weather, don't believe a word she says no more." The singer seems to have been fooled before by his partner's lies, but now he has developed a sense of vigilant intensity, represented in the lyrics "But I've got cigarette eyes." Smoking too much can cause the eyes to be dry, red, and puffy, much like the eyes of someone who has been crying too much. Thus, it could indicate that he's been crying over the lies and deceit in the relationship for a long time.
The verse "Out in the country I'm sure no one could tell, you held a victim under your spell" suggests that his partner has manipulated or coerced someone else, possibly using her charm, into something harmful or unfair. But the singer knows the truth and is feeling uneasy and depressed, which is aptly described in the chorus with the line "My mind is so restless, and I'm feeling depressed."
Overall, the lyrics of the song paint a picture of a difficult relationship where trust has been broken. The singer is deeply hurt by the lies and deceit of his partner and has lost his peace of mind.
Line by Line Meaning
I've heard the story
I've been told the story about what you did
I'm sure he held you down
I believe that someone else forced you to do something against your will
Forced you to do things while I'm not around
You were made to do something that you would not have done if I had been there
But you lied, you lied
You told a lie about what really happened
But I've got cigarette eyes
I can see that you are lying, even though you think you are getting away with it
Feel uneasy I think of you less
I feel uncomfortable and want to distance myself from you
My mind is so restless and I'm feeling depressed
I can't stop thinking about what you did, and it's making me feel sad and anxious
Oh my, oh my to see you with that spy
I can't believe that you are spending time with someone who is spying on us
You lie, but I know cause I've got cigarette eyes
You are lying to me, but I can tell that you are not telling the truth
Out in the country I'm sure no one could tell
If you were out in a rural area, no one would have known what you did
You held a victim under your spell
You had control over someone and made them do something they didn't want to do
So go hide, go hide
You should try to keep a low profile and not draw attention to yourself
But I've got cigarette eyes
I can see through your lies and know what you did
I feel uneasy, I think of you less
I feel nervous and want to distance myself from you more than ever
My mind is so restless and I'm feeling obsessed
I can't stop thinking about what you did, and it's taking over my thoughts
So you've got yourself a bright young girl
You have found someone new in your life
One who lies with you in bed
You have a romantic partner who is not telling you the truth
When she tells you that she likes the weather
If she says something simple and benign like that, don't believe her
Don't believe a word she says no more
You should not trust what this person is saying to you
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: MATTHEW ALBERT COSTA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@nootzb
today i heard matt costa for the first time,and he is now one of my fav's!!!!!
@wsaydah
Not ONE cut. Cooool! That is what I love about this video. I wonder how many takes there were???
@supercowdk123
my psychology teacher is his brother in law :D. love talking about his music with him in class
@MrOnrust
EPIC! This video and Mr. Pitiful are just Brilliant.
@whyidontevencare
Matttt<3<3<3 I can't believe he's not super popular..
@PhilaPeter
His first album was so good. Upbeat without being sickly sweet. Just a fresh upcycling of old themes, classic sound and not-too-deep lyrics.
@FelipeTardes
few days ago, I was at the supermarket and it was playing “cigarette eyes” It was nice to see the music I like that I thought no one knew.
@errantcondor9349
Radio person has great taste
@upbomb
His voice makes me smile. Ah...bless you. GOT to loove Matt
@LoveYou-dl9vu
this song is excellent.