In 2003, Morris recorded and released an independent album titled, UnSpoken.
He performed at 2008's Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival and, on September 23, 2008, released a five song EP entitled "Backstage at Bonnaroo and Other Acoustic Performances".
In fall 2008 he toured extensively with Joan Osborne.
Morris is currently signed as a recording artist to Tennman Records. His debut album on Tennman, When Everything Breaks Open, was released on January 12th, 2010
What is it that separates Matt Morris from so many other recording artists? When you peel back all the layers – the diverse moods, styles and topics he sings about – there is one common denominator: They reflect Matt’s dedication to living and writing about a meaningful life.
In an increasingly rushed and rude world, in which politicians and talk radio hosts hurl epithets and insults, where honest disagreements are shouted down by dishonest rhetoric, Matt Morris gives voice to our best instincts. “We’re looking for a way to make it better/Looking for a way to change the weather,” he sings in “Live Forever” from his new album When Everything Breaks Open on Tennman Records. On the album, Matt embraces the personal and political, the romantic and the spiritual, in a way that recalls Stevie Wonder’s 1970s streak of masterworks.
He can build epic emotional epiphanies such as “Forgiveness” and “Eternity,” and switch gears with the rhythmic “Money.” He is bold and fearless with sarcasm on “The Un-American,” where Morris holds up a mirror to the demagogues of divisiveness and asks: “What if you’re the un-American?” The dynamic singer is also at home with the ambitious “Don’t You Dare”, on memorable love songs like “Just Before the Morning,” and shows his compassion with his message in “In This House.”
When Everything Breaks Open was produced in Austin, Texas, and in Los Angeles by Charlie Sexton and Tennman label founder Justin Timberlake – two names you wouldn’t intuitively expect to team up in the studio. “Charlie and Justin can be seen as representative of different sides of my music,” Morris says. “There is an earthy, rooted, sometimes melancholy side to some of my writing that is in line with Charlie’s personality and approach. There is a playful, high-energy, soulful side that speaks to who Justin is, as a person and producer. The two people are very different from one another, but they both have impeccable instincts.”
Morris has known Timberlake since the early 1990s, when the two were child co-stars of that era’s edition of “The All New Mickey Mouse Club.” Morris was on the show for four seasons, from 1991-1995. Even before what was popularly known as MMC, Morris was a stage savvy performer. His father is country artist Gary Morris, former Broadway actor and once one of country’s biggest stars. His parents divorced when he was young; he lived with his mother in Denver, but on summer vacations, he would often join his father not just on the road, but on stage.
In addition to Timberlake, Morris’ friends and contemporaries from the show included luminaries such as Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Keri Russell, Ryan Gosling, and JC Chasez. While many of his cohorts leveraged their Disney Channel exposure to successful pop and acting careers, Morris craved teenage normality, and the family headed back to Denver. “At 15, all I really wanted to do was hang out, get my learner’s permit, and not work” Morris says. “I didn’t want to be a celebrity; I wanted to be a kid."
During the summer between his Junior and Senior years in high school, Matt worked as a volunteer health activist for the non-profit organization, Amigos de las Americas. He worked in a remote village in Paraguay, South America, teaching hygiene to locals and assisting with sanitation. Matt’s experience with Amigos was a precursor to the work he would do as a partner artist with the Flobot’s non-profit, FightWithTools.org, an organization committed to providing support on many levels to communities in need.
Morris reunited as a collaborator for some of his fellow Mouseketeers as they pursued their music careers. Morris and Aguilera co-wrote five songs on her Stripped album, including the hit “Can’t Hold Us Down”; they also wrote Kelly Clarkson’s hit, “Miss Independent.” Morris teamed up with Timberlake to craft “The Only Promise That Remains” – a duet performed by Timberlake and Reba McEntire for the Reba Duets album. The pair also wrote “All Over Again (Another Song)” produced by mega-producer Rick Rubin, for Justin’s 2008 FutureSex/LoveSounds.
“To write for another person is to channel that person’s artistic vision,” Morris says. “I work to become aligned with their intentions, and allow my words to speak as close to their perspectives as possible. I think that’s why it is so easy for me to write with Justin, and why my time with Christina yielded so many songs. I know them; we have a shared context.”
Morris’ own music occupies a time and space entirely different from the songs he has collaborated on. In 2003, Matt released the DIY album, UnSpoken, and over the last couple of years has toured with Grammy award winners The Indigo Girls and Joan Osborne. In 2008, he performed at the Bonnaroo Music Festival, which spawned a five song EP – Backstage at Bonnaroo and other Acoustic Performances.
All these years of work paved the way for When Everything Breaks Open, which was conceived in a Middle Eastern restaurant in New York City. “Justin had just performed on “Saturday Night Live” for the first time, and I was there to support him and watch the show. At dinner after the show, he told me he was going to start a label of his own, and that he wanted to sign me as his artist. He said he was going to help me share my music with the world, and I believed him.”
On When Everything Breaks Open, Matt Morris has grown from an award-winning songwriter to a multi-talented recording artist with the first ambitious release of 2010.
Eternity
Matt Morris Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Kings make war and sages prophescied
Somewhere between the first creation and tonight
Was a million incarnations of me myself and I
I was a savior in another life
With a white robe flowing in the morning light
I walked with angels in my darkest plight
I was a tyrant with an angry tongue
Who neglected the old and enslaved the young
It was quite when I brought the air into my lungs
And sang the very first song every sung
I'm carrying, the memory, of these things, inside of me
I greet them with humility
They're with me for eternity
I'm telling you, with sincerity
In what you do and what you be
Is gona follow you, like you follow me
And be with you for eternity
I was a woman swollen full with child
I was a healer, Shaman in the wild
I was the prosecutor, I was put on trial
I put forth the accusation, I made a denial
I drank the blood of Jesus from a wooden cup
I ate a bit of heaven then I spit it up
I caught my brother lying and I called his bluff
I led the sheep to slaughter once his time was up
Twice I brought the masses down, to their knees
One time with love, the next time with greed
My childhood aspirations got the best of me
My _______ became the worlds destiny
I'm carrying, the memory, of these things, inside of me
I greet them with humility
They're with me for eternity
I'm telling you, with sincerity
In what you do and what you be
Is gona follow you, like they follow me
And be with you for eternity
I was a man with pointer on the trigger
I brought the temple down and rebuilt it with one finger
I was the first singer, to lullaby the lord to sleep in the manger
I was the stranger on the road to Damascus,
Saying turn your eyes to God and you shall receive the answers
Turn your eyes to God and receive the answers
Turn your eyes to God
I'm carrying, the memory, of these things, inside of me
I greet them with humility
They're with me for eternity
I'm telling you, with sincerity
In what you do and what you be
Is gona follow you, like they follow me
And be with you for eternity
It's going to be with you for eternity
The song "Eternity" by Matt Morris talks about the idea of reincarnation and how the memories of past lives follow us through eternity. The first verse describes how throughout history, people have lived and died, kings have gone to war, and wise people have made predictions. The second verse talks about the different lives the singer has lived, such as being a savior in a past life, walking with angels, and being a tyrannical ruler. In each of these lives, the singer is carrying the memories with them, and they greet them with humility.
The chorus emphasizes the songwriter's message that what we do and who we are will follow us throughout eternity. It has a line that goes, "I'm telling you with sincerity, in what you do and what you be, is gonna follow you like they follow me, and be with you for eternity". It means that our deeds and actions, both good and bad, follow us through lifetimes and beyond death. The lyrics touch on various religious and spiritual beliefs related to reincarnation, past life regression, and karma.
Overall, "Eternity" is a philosophical song that speaks about the idea of past lives and the memories that accompany the souls through reincarnations. The lyrics are deep, introspective, and provoking, making the listeners reflect on their actions in the current life, as it may manifest or impact things in the next one.
Line by Line Meaning
Through the ages we have lived and died
Humans have experienced life and death since the beginning of time
Kings make war and sages prophesied
Rulers engage in conflicts while wise individuals foresee future events
Somewhere between the first creation and tonight
Within the vast timeline of history
Was a million incarnations of me myself and I
Numerous embodiments of the self existed
I was a savior in another life
In a past existence, I acted as a rescuer
With a white robe flowing in the morning light
Wearing a white garment and standing in the early sunlight
I walked with angels in my darkest plight
I accompanied celestial beings during my most challenging times
In the desert for forty days and forty nights
Spent a long period of time in a barren wilderness
I was a tyrant with an angry tongue
As a despot, I had a furious manner of speaking
Who neglected the old and enslaved the young
Disregarded the elderly and forced the youth into servitude
It was quite when I brought the air into my lungs
At birth, it was silent when I took my first breath
And sang the very first song every sung
Produced the initial melody ever heard
I'm carrying, the memory, of these things, inside of me
I bear the recollections of these actions within myself
I greet them with humility
I acknowledge them with modesty
They're with me for eternity
These memories persist with me perpetually
I'm telling you, with sincerity
I am speaking earnestly
In what you do and what you be
Your actions and identity
Is gona follow you, like you follow me
They will trail after you, similar to how I am followed by these experiences
And be with you for eternity
They will accompany you for all time
I was a woman swollen full with child
As a female, I was pregnant and showing
I was a healer, Shaman in the wild
As a shaman, I used natural remedies to cure people outside of civilization
I was the prosecutor, I was put on trial
I acted as the accusing party and then faced legal consequences
I put forth the accusation, I made a denial
I brought the charge against someone and then denied my own accusations
I drank the blood of Jesus from a wooden cup
Using a wooden chalice, I consumed the blood of Christ
I ate a bit of heaven then I spit it up
I sampled a portion of paradise but then rejected it
I caught my brother lying and I called his bluff
I discovered my sibling was dishonest and challenged him on it
I led the sheep to slaughter once his time was up
I guided a group of people to their violent fate once their lives had ended
Twice I brought the masses down, to their knees
Two times I caused a large group of people to fall to the ground in submission
One time with love, the next time with greed
Once with affection, the other time with selfishness
My childhood aspirations got the best of me
My childhood dreams overpowered me
My _______ became the worlds destiny
My personal goals became the fate of the planet
I was a man with pointer on the trigger
As a person wielding a firearm, my finger was poised to shoot
I brought the temple down and rebuilt it with one finger
I demolished the holy building and then reconstructed it with ease
I was the first singer, to lullaby the lord to sleep in the manger
I was the initial person to use music to soothe God to slumber in the crib
I was the stranger on the road to Damascus
I appeared as an unknown individual while traveling on the way to Damascus
Saying turn your eyes to God and you shall receive the answers
Encouraging others to look towards God for valuable knowledge
Contributed by Claire O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Shanta Devi
One of my favorite songs from 'Unspoken' and 'When Everything Breaks...' -- thanks, Matt, for an incredible performance, and thanks, BETA, for posting! <33
Grace from Space
Have loved Matt Morris’ voice since he was a kid! Been following him forever; what an artist! Blessed!
danni faust
one of the most beautiful songs I have e v e r heard
Shelley Ourian
Holy shit!! I haven’t heard this song in ages! I used to own a burned copy of his Unspoken album. Is it still available anywhere??
MarrKr
An amazing song that takes me down this road that I have walked in my lives. Nicely done man.
Allison Masse
Ugh..I remember when his CD first came out..I was so in love!
Chantal Delorme
Wow! Beautiful..... what a voice and a range! Love it!
smuckyproductions
Just saw him at Red Rocks, he was incredible!
sandman6153
Wow! That was awesome! Does anyone know where I can buy a copy of this version of this song?
Jasmin Wa.
sooooooooooooooooo great! i love this song and the performence wow!