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.
Suicide is Painless
Matt Costa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Visions of the things to be
The pains that are withheld for me
I realize and I can see...
[REFRAIN]:
That suicide is painless
It brings on many changes
And I can take or leave it if I please.
All our little joys relate
Without that ever-present hate
But now I know that it's too late, and...
[REFRAIN]
The game of life is hard to play
I'm gonna lose it anyway
The losing card I'll someday lay
So this is all I have to say.
[REFRAIN]
The only way to win is cheat
And lay it down before I'm beat
And to another give my seat
For that's the only painless feat.
[REFRAIN]
The sword of time will pierce our skins
It doesn't hurt when it begins
But as it works its way on in
The pain grows stronger...watch it grin, but...
[REFRAIN]
A brave man once requested me
To answer questions that are key
Is it to be or not to be
And I replied 'oh why ask me?'
[REFRAIN]
'Cause suicide is painless
It brings on many changes
And I can take or leave it if I please.
...and you can do the same thing if you please
The lyrics to Matt Costa's song Suicide Is Painless are a poignant exploration of the subject of suicide and the decision-making process behind it. The first stanza describes the singer's state of mind, which is clouded by uncertainty about the future and the pain that may lie ahead. The refrain "suicide is painless" is repeated throughout the song, suggesting that the singer is contemplating ending their life as a way of escaping this pain. However, the lyrics also acknowledge the idea that suicide is a choice that can be taken or left, if one so desires.
The second stanza delves deeper into the singer's relationships with others, and their desire to find happiness and joy despite the difficulties of life. However, they also acknowledge that this may be too little, too late. The third stanza takes a more philosophical tone, describing life as a game that is impossible to win. The singer suggests that cheating, or taking the easy way out, may be the only way to truly "win."
The fourth stanza brings the focus back to the physical pain of life, and the inevitability of death. The singer describes the process of aging and the pain that comes with it, acknowledging that it is a slow and often painful experience. The brave man mentioned in the final stanza is likely a reference to Shakespeare's Hamlet, who famously contemplates the idea of suicide in his "to be or not to be" speech. The singer's reply "oh why ask me?" suggests that they may not have a clear answer to this question.
Overall, the lyrics to Suicide is Painless offer a nuanced exploration of the complicated and deeply personal decision to end one's own life. The song suggests that suicide may bring about many changes, but ultimately, it is a choice that each person must make for themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
Through early morning fog I see
The singer is looking out and seeing their life through a haze
Visions of the things to be
The singer can see the future that lies ahead of them
The pains that are withheld for me
The singer knows that there will be pain in their life that they must endure
I realize and I can see...
The artist has come to a realization
That suicide is painless
Death seems like an escape from the pains of life
It brings on many changes
Death will change everything for the person who has died
And I can take or leave it if I please.
The singer is debating whether or not to take the path of suicide
I try to find a way to make
The artist is attempting to make their life worthwhile
All our little joys relate
They want to find meaning in the small things in life
Without that ever-present hate
The artist wants to live without the burden of hate in their life
But now I know that it's too late, and...
The singer has given up on trying to find happiness in their life
The game of life is hard to play
Living life is difficult
I'm gonna lose it anyway
The singer believes that they will lose in life
The losing card I'll someday lay
The singer knows that they will eventually lose in life
So this is all I have to say.
The singer has nothing else to add
The only way to win is cheat
The artist believes that the only path to success is by cheating
And lay it down before I'm beat
The artist wants to quit before they are defeated in life
And to another give my seat
The singer wants to give up their place in life to someone else
For that's the only painless feat.
By giving up their place in life, the singer believes they will no longer feel pain
The sword of time will pierce our skins
Time will eventually wear us down
It doesn't hurt when it begins
The pain of life doesn't start until later
But as it works its way on in
As time goes on, the pain gets worse
The pain grows stronger...watch it grin, but...
The singer is personifying the pain they feel and it only gets worse with time
A brave man once requested me
The artist remembers a conversation with someone else
To answer questions that are key
The person asked the singer important life questions
Is it to be or not to be
The person asked the singer whether they wanted to live or die
And I replied 'oh why ask me?'
The singer does not want to answer that question
'Cause suicide is painless
The artist is saying that dying by suicide is painless
...and you can do the same thing if you please
The artist is saying that anyone could die by suicide if they wanted
Contributed by Sarah K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Rheinspeed
Great!!! A very beautyful version of this song. Matt is a great guitarplayer. Thank you for this incredible version of an incredible song!!!!
Ish Chowdhury
Simplest but one of the best versions. I liked it very much.
Sal Bonavita
Good playing. Sounds great.
Webendowed
Good job.....I am working on that one as I speak words to you.....Thanks for a great revision.. The cast and crew wouls like it as well.... Smiles to you....Chris from Ohio USA
xFatalpopshoTx
I can see your soul when you play...peace..
FoxWhite50
What are the chords? What is the picking pattern? Thank you
Jest
They wanted to include the words from what I heard. However they eventualy had to settle with only the music.they had to settle for alot of things. Origanally they wanted absolutely no laugh track either.
Tommy DiGeronimo
I remember seeing the movie and Matt plays it better than the original wriiten by the director's son, I believe!
H20RIDER
Nice easy style that really carries the mood of the song. Not sure a capo was necessary....but it certainly didn't detract. I'd put this on my ipod.
Snafu01
it was originally by Johnny Mandel, I think his 14 yr old song (I can't remeber) wrote the lyrics. This song is very depressing and I was surprised they used it for the television show's theme. Good thing they didn't include the words.