The Faster Songfacts says that his seventh studio album, Modern Love debuted on #17 on the Billboard 200 for the week of July 9, 2011, making it Nathanson's most successful album to date.
The members of his band have changed over the past years. Among others, he has been accompanied by Aben Eubanks on guitar, keys and vocals, but later replaced by Aaron Tap. John Thomasson has been his bassist since 2004. Jason McKenzie was on drums until Fall 2006; Nick Amoroso on two tours from Fall 2007 through Winter 2008. His current drummer is Konrad Meissner. Before 2005, Nathanson was often accompanied by cellist Matt Fish.
Annie's Always Waiting
Matt Nathanson Lyrics
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Out in the sun under the golden gate,
Annie said she was waiting
For the next one to leave.
She had a masters degree
In disappointment,
That's what she said to me,
Flat on our backs in the grass
Out at chrissy field.
My life's a movie.
My whole life's a movie,
If movie's made you wanna
Jump off of a bridge.
She said 'I got one who moves me
And one who sees through me.
All I really want is a kiss.
Annie's always waiting for the next one to leave
But she's right on time for me.
I got the right words
From the wrong mouths.
Hurricanes crashing hard
Like I'm the deep south.
Well, it always looked like
Dry land out there to me.
She said, my mother,
She taught me how to doubt myself.
Now, she lives in my head
Like it's a tree house.
I see her clearer in the mirror
More and more each day.
I was only kidding when I said I like a fight.
I was only kinda kidding when I said I like a fight.
I was kinda kidding when I said I like a fight,
But sometimes you gotta start 'em yourself.
Matt Nathanson's song "Annie's Always Waiting" is a complex mix of emotions and experiences. The lyrics describe the singer's encounter with Annie, who is waiting for someone to leave. The setting is on the outskirts of the wreckage, outside in the sun, under the golden gate. Annie admits that she has a master's degree in disappointment, which the singer finds amusing. They are lying on their backs on the grass out at Chrissy Field, and Annie tells the singer that her whole life is like a movie. She has one person who moves her and another who sees through her, but all she really wants is a kiss.
The song's lyrics describe a woman who feels deeply about love but is too afraid to take the risk. Her mother taught her how to doubt herself, and now she lives in her head like a treehouse. The singer feels like he has the right words from the wrong mouths, and hurricanes crash hard, much like in the deep south. The final lines of the song describe the singer's confession that he was only kidding when he said he likes a fight. He realizes that sometimes you have to start the fight yourself.
The song is deeply emotional and resonates with many listeners who have struggled with feelings of doubt and disappointment. The six-minute long track is filled with powerful lines that make the listener connect with the characters in the song. It's a classic Matt Nathanson song that tells a unique story with his signature poetic flair.
Line by Line Meaning
On the outskirts of the wreckage,
In a place where everything is falling apart,
Out in the sun under the golden gate,
In San Francisco, near the iconic Golden Gate Bridge,
Annie said she was waiting
Annie expressed to me that she was waiting for something,
For the next one to leave.
She's waiting for someone to leave before she can make her own move.
She had a masters degree
Annie holds advanced knowledge,
In disappointment,
in being let down or unfulfillment.
That's what she said to me,
She verbalized her degree to me,
Laughed when she said it,
She chuckled or smiled when she expressed her feelings,
Flat on our backs in the grass
Lying down on our backs in the open outdoors,
Out at chrissy field.
In Chrissy Field, another area in San Francisco,
My life's a movie.
I see my own life as a motion picture,
My whole life's a movie,
I see every aspect, past, present, and future, of my life as a film,
If movie's made you wanna
If watching movies made you want to do something,
Jump off of a bridge.
Commit suicide by jumping off a bridge.
She said 'I got one who moves me
She said to me that she found someone who inspires her,
And one who sees through me.
But she also has someone who sees all her flaws and weaknesses.
All I really want is a kiss.
All she desires at the moment is a romantic kiss,
Annie's always waiting for the next one to leave
Annie always waits for someone else to make the first move,
But she's right on time for me.
But with me, she doesn't have to wait any longer. She can reveal her true self.
I got the right words
I possess the correct words,
From the wrong mouths.
But, it comes out of the wrong speakers or sources,
Hurricanes crashing hard
Violent natural disasters,
Like I'm the deep south.
Such events happen to me as if I'm living in the deep southern part of America,
Well, it always looked like
But it has always appeared to me,
Dry land out there to me.
As if nothing bad has ever happened in my life.
She said, my mother,
Annie referenced her mother when talking about her doubts,
She taught me how to doubt myself.
Her mother taught her how to distrust her own abilities or qualities,
Now, she lives in my head
Her mother's teachings and negative influence remain with her even today,
Like it's a tree house.
As if her mother's lessons and impact are a permanent fixture in her life.
I see her clearer in the mirror
Annie now understands the effect of her mother more profoundly when she looks at herself in the mirror
More and more each day.
This recognition increases with time and every passing day,
I was only kidding when I said I like a fight.
It was only a lighthearted joke when I said I enjoy fighting,
I was only kinda kidding when I said I like a fight.
But, I was kinda serious about wanting to fight,
I was kinda kidding when I said I like a fight,
However, it's my way of saying that sometimes conflicts are necessary to express oneself,
But sometimes you gotta start 'em yourself.
And sometimes, it's up to you to create those confrontations.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: MATT NATHANSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind