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.
Cold December
Matt Costa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've been cleaning, scrubbing the plates and weeding out the garden dear
I can't fall asleep to your mystery slowly blowing from the shore
I have not failed to be what you'd expect of me
Swallowing glass just to stay pure
All the birds are heading down south but you're staying up north you say
I've got jackets blankets and sheets, its going to be a cold december
It could be warm you see, a statue next to me
Swimming away from the ice and snow
Could I have failed to see the signs in front of me
Warning and flashing symbols, subtle and simple I couldn't see
I couldnt see
If only time could slow down, maybe I could come up
It's such a cold december
It's such a cold december
Its so cold
I cant fall asleep to your mystery slowly blowing from the shore
I have not failed to be what you'd expect of me
Swallowing glass just to stay pure
Summers come and summer has gone
Your christmas cards cant comfort me
You've found new friends and tied all the ends
It's freezing in the loneliest winter
It could be warm you see, a statue next to me
Swimming away from the ice and snow
Could I have failed to see the signs in front of me
Warning and flashing symbols, subtle and simple I couldnt see
I couldnt see
If only time could slow down, then maybe I could come up
It's such a cold december
It's such a cold december
It's so cold
The lyrics of “Cold December” by Matt Costa paint a picture of lost love and loneliness during the winter months. The first verse describes the singer waiting and pacing for the person who has left them. They are trying to keep busy and distract themselves by cleaning and gardening but are unable to shake the feeling of emptiness. The mention of “swallowing glass just to stay pure” could be interpreted as the singer trying to keep their pain and emotions hidden inside, even if it hurts them.
The second verse talks about how everyone else is heading south for the winter, but the singer is stuck in the cold north. They have plenty of warm clothing and blankets to keep them cozy, but are still plagued by loneliness. The line “It could be warm you see, a statue next to me swimming away from the ice and snow” could be seen as the singer daydreaming of being with someone who is always there for them and doesn’t leave them feeling cold all the time.
The chorus repeats the line “It’s such a cold December” to emphasize the overall feeling of loneliness and isolation even during the holiday season. The ending of the song reflects on the passage of time and the inability to move on from the past. The singer is still holding onto the hope that maybe if time could slow down, they could come up with a way to fix things and be with their lost love again.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been waiting, pacing along the halls ever since you left here
I've been anxiously waiting and walking around the empty halls since you left me.
I've been cleaning, scrubbing the plates and weeding out the garden dear
I've been trying to keep busy by cleaning the dishes and tending to the garden.
I can't fall asleep to your mystery slowly blowing from the shore
I can't relax and fall asleep while thinking about the enigma of your absence, coming to me from the shore.
I have not failed to be what you'd expect of me
Swallowing glass just to stay pure
I have tried to keep to your standards of purity, even to the point of doing something dangerous like swallowing glass.
All the birds are heading down south but you're staying up north you say
I've got jackets blankets and sheets, its going to be a cold december
While all the birds are flying south for the winter, you've decided to stay up north, so I've prepared warm clothes and blankets for us to survive through the cold month of December.
It could be warm you see, a statue next to me
Swimming away from the ice and snow
We could be together in warmth, with a statue by our side, swimming away from the freezing ice and snow.
Could I have failed to see the signs in front of me
Warning and flashing symbols, subtle and simple I couldn't see
I couldnt see
I'm wondering if I missed the obvious signs that things were falling apart, even though there were warnings and clues that I just couldn't see.
If only time could slow down, maybe I could come up
It's such a cold december
It's such a cold december
Its so cold
If only I could slow down time, maybe I could figure out how to make things right again, but in the meantime, this December feels unbearably cold and lonely.
Summers come and summer has gone
Your christmas cards cant comfort me
You've found new friends and tied all the ends
It's freezing in the loneliest winter
Even though summer has come and gone, your Christmas cards can't make me feel better, because you've moved on and found new friends, and I'm stuck in the freezing loneliness of winter.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Y, MATTHEW ALBERT COSTA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@5koverlibor
I have no idea how, but I just found this song today. Brand new release, smack dab in the middle of the mid-Aughts and all those feels. Wow. The chorus on this is silly fun.
@baddie1shoe
Yep
@zorAloha
it's good enough to have such a warm song even in the cold december :)
@lizziedoll456
This is my favorite song!
@iDucey
been a huge fan since '05, im really glad hes getting some recognition :D
@ehmeh3159
Found out about this song while helping a family friend (who did vending for jukebox's) I found a CD that had remixes and this song just blew me away into my imagination. Playing this song on my stereo system was my best experience so far!
@markgolden154
I don't know this guy at all, but I feel like he's wholesome and I'd love to hang with him
@Trux3d
Love it
@magnawiz
Radiant cool crazy lyrics!
@AlessandroMacis
bellissima..grande matt