Matt Nathanson (born March 28, 1973 in Lexington, Massachusetts) is a singe… Read Full Bio ↴Matt Nathanson (born March 28, 1973 in Lexington, Massachusetts) is a singer-songwriter whose work is a blend of folk and rock music. In addition to singing, he plays acoustic and electric guitar (usually a twelve-string), and has played both solo and with a full band.

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.

Car Crash
Matt Nathanson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm wide awake and so alive
Ringing like a bell
Tell me this is paradise
And not someplace I fell
Cause I keep on fallin' down

I wanna feel the car crash
I wanna feel the capsize

I wanna feel the bomb drop, the earth stop
Till I'm satisfied
I wanna feel the car crash
Cause I'm dyin' on the inside
I wanna let go and know
That I'll be alright, alright

Just push me 'til I have to fly
I've shed my skin, my scars
Take me deep out past the lights
Where nothing dims these stars
Nothing dims these stars

I wanna feel the car crash
I wanna feel the capsize
I wanna feel the bomb drop, the earth stop
Till I'm satisfied
I wanna feel the car crash
Cause I'm dyin' on the inside
I wanna let go and know
That I'll be alright, alright

So right
It's all wrong

I'm wide awake and so alive

I wanna feel the car crash
I wanna feel the capsize
I wanna feel the bomb drop, the earth stop
Till I'm satisfied
I wanna feel the car crash
Cause I'm dyin' on the inside

I wanna let go and know
That I'll be alright, alright

Overall Meaning

The song “Car Crash” by Matt Nathanson is about feeling alive and searching for intense experiences to make life feel more real. The lyrics express a desire to feel something so intense and extreme, like a car crash or a bomb drop, to make the singer feel truly alive. He is looking for an adventure that will allow him to escape the pain he is feeling on the inside. The lyrics “Cause I'm dyin' on the inside, I wanna let go and know that I'll be alright” suggest that he is battling with something internally and is looking for something external to provide a breakthrough moment.

The line “Just push me 'til I have to fly” expresses a desire to be pushed beyond his limit and find freedom in the release of control. Shedding his skin and scars suggests that he is ready for a fresh start and is willing to take risks to find it. The line “I'm wide awake and so alive, so right, it's all wrong” could be interpreted as a feeling of being out of place, as if he doesn't belong in his current situation. Overall, the song is a reflection of the human desire to feel alive and experience something beyond the mundane.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm wide awake and so alive
I am fully conscious and feeling vibrant

Ringing like a bell
Feeling a rhythmic, buzzing vibration inside me

Tell me this is paradise
Suggesting the experience is beautiful and euphoric

And not someplace I fell
Uncertain if being in paradise is by choice or accident

Cause I keep on fallin' down
I am continuously struggling and failing

I wanna feel the car crash
I desire an intense, physical experience with underlying danger

I wanna feel the capsize
I am seeking a jarring, tumultuous occurrence

I wanna feel the bomb drop, the earth stop
Eluding to a catastrophic event that renders everything still

Till I'm satisfied
Yearning until my appetite for intensity is fulfilled

I wanna feel the car crash
I deeply desire to sensationally collide with something

Cause I'm dyin' on the inside
Emotionally and mentally, I am withering away

I wanna let go and know
I want to surrender mentally and emotionally

That I'll be alright, alright
I want to know that I will recover or handle the effects of this experience

Just push me 'til I have to fly
I long for someone or something to challenge me to great heights

I've shed my skin, my scars
I have removed physical and emotional damage or baggage from myself

Take me deep out past the lights
Bring me away from civilization, where the pressure to conform is gone

Where nothing dims these stars
Referring to the freedom to be oneself without external judgement stifling authenticity

So right
Feeling of perfection

It's all wrong
Despite feeling so perfect, there is something fundamentally incorrect

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MATT NATHANSON, MARK WEINBERG

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

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01Car Crash3:28

PT3M28S

Matt Nathanson

02Come On Get Higher4:17

03Heartbreak World3:27

04Gone3:29

05Wedding Dress3:54

06Bulletproof Weeks4:01

07To The Beat Of Our Noisy Hearts3:01

08Still4:24

09Detroit Waves3:16

10Falling Apart3:37

11Sooner Surrender4:29

12All We Are

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

BloodmoonGrizzly The first

8y↑2

+Brittany Horner I'm wide awake and so alive
Ringing like a bell
Tell me this is paradise
And not someplace I fell
Cause I keep on fallin' down
I wanna feel the car crash
I wanna feel the capsize
I wanna feel the bomb drop, the earth stop
Till I'm satisfied
I wanna feel the car crash
Cause I'm dyin' on the inside
I wanna let go and know
That I'll be alright, alright
Just push me 'til I have to fly
I've shed my skin, my scars
Take me deep out past the lights
Where nothing dims these stars
Nothing dims these stars
I wanna feel the car crash
I wanna feel the capsize
I wanna feel the bomb drop, the earth stop
Till I'm satisfied
I wanna feel the car crash
Cause I'm dyin' on the inside
I wanna let go and know
That I'll be alright, alright
So right
It's all wrong
I'm wide awake and so alive
I wanna feel the car crash
I wanna feel the capsize
I wanna feel the bomb drop, the earth stop
Till I'm satisfied
I wanna feel the car crash
Cause I'm dyin' on the inside
I wanna let go and know
That I'll be alright, alright

All comments from YouTube:

Erick Rosales II

7y↑553

omgs did we all have the same mp3 player as a kid?!?! cx

Dimitrios Daravigas

1y↑1

@Lenor? Lenor. Because of you i unlocked a forgotten part of my brain. Thank you

Cheap Trick & A Cheasy One Liner

Yeah we did

Ellejah Paul

i thought i was the only one

Tea&yeet

Yeah

mik beatles

Oh fuck here I go again!

55 More Replies...

Snubnotez

8y↑99

That mp3 must have sold like a motherfucker wow

alexus Beal

Definitely did!!🥺

MrsSergeantBarnes

8y↑157

First heard this when I was in 7th grade when I got my first mp3 player, the Philips Go Gear. Jesus this song brings back so many memories...

Superstefee

Same

Mercedes Moore

Omggg do you remember the other song??? Been trying to think of it for years!!! I lost my mp3
update: found the 2nd song
Anyone who wants to know, here it is
andrew paul woodworth - thick black mark

Violet Lee

2y↑1

YES OMG I GOT THE PURPLE ONE AND I PLAYED THIS SHIT ON REPEAT 😭

Pau V

2y↑1

omg had the same one on my second year of high school and this song legit brings back so many good (and bad) memories ... oh how time flies

Jose Rodriguez

3y↑1

Exactly! So many memories from my middle school years! 😭 good times!!

14 More Replies...

Yoda

6y↑13

It's crazy. I had this on my GoGear Vibe when I was younger and I remember the lyrics so vividly. Gotta put this in my playlist so I don't lose it again

Izzy Chambers

5y↑25

I remember going SO hard to this song in the back of my parents car when I was about 7 or 8....I’m almost 18 now and I still remember the words! The nostalgia, wow...

Nafsika Th.

OMG ME TOO It's been about 3 years i lost it ...Do you remember other songs of that Phillips mp3 model?

Jakub Knioła

7y↑73

I had it on mp3 player. Now I feel like my childhood would come back. :D

Wes Rumbelow

7y↑1

Jakub Knioła me too!!

mochi

4y↑5

damn i miss being in the second grade clutching my phillips go gear while i blasted this song through my headphones and laid my head on the window like i was in a music video

Lavivrus Wilson

Same. My mp3 player had this and a song called "Lately" on it too. Best times.

Ashley Angeles

4y↑4

8:00 AM today I got into a car crash with my bestfriend. This is the only song that was playing in my head while it happened. I just got home from the ER, and this song just bangs different now.

speederman702

8y↑192

looks like Phillips go gear did a good job in promoting this artist lol

VirtualWolfHD

@VeløticEmz no this song i think was preloaded on the mp3 player I had, I got it from a store in UK, and there was 4 songs preloaded from stock, and this song was one of them. Were talking 11 or so years ago now. God I feel old :(

VeløticEmz

I only thought it was me that already had this song downloaded on it

JELproz YouTuber

im using that

Kristina kayler

Honestly. I got mine for Easter one time and it was great

ZackABoy123

Yes that's where I found this song

3 More Replies...

TheHempler

7y↑34

My Father bought me an MP3 player when I was like 8 or 9, and this song was preloaded into it. I couldn't stop listening to it

Joan Selena G

7y↑1

Wow me too

PrincessMoniTTV

7y↑1

oML same

Juion Young

7y↑2

I found this song on my Philips MP3.

Emily Wiz

10y↑12

Been listening to this for years now and am still obsessed<3

Genia Effe

8y↑3

I can relate to the desire of watching the world crashing around you when you're dying on the inside. Because you can't possibly understand how the world keeps going on like all is normal when your heart is shattered and you feel like drowning.

SlytherinVampireBrony

6y↑4

I listened to this song over and over on my MP3 player on long car rides when I was 13, although I haven't seen the music video until I just now discovered it.

Elle Hy

7y↑1

I used to listen to this song everyday for years. Ever since I was little, this was certainly one of my favourite songs on my little MP3. When I started secondary school, everyone had new iPhones and everything, but I'd be that kid with the MP3 listening to a song on repeat.

gracevicious

14y

I never knew what it meant to make love to a song, but this guy definitely does it. Effortlessly and keeps me hooked. I love his music.

TheSilverdragon1989

7y↑6

Great song, talent still exists

bitbythehorsebug

13y

I have been listening to this song over and over again for months! Definitely my favorite right now!

Celia WP

3y↑5

I'm so happy I finally found this after four years of almost remembering enough lyrics to find the right song😭😭

Beat Box

I understand, this was the same to me for 9 years for the song « chasing cars- snow patrol » 😄

Cody Wood

10y↑18

I heard this song a long time ago and forgot all about it but the second I heard the beat I instantly remembered every sing lyric!

Mikayla Mani

8y↑1

Exactly the same thing happened to me

Jordan C

12y↑1

He's so baby-faced without his beard! But omg, he's so talented! If you've never seen him in concert you MUST! He's amazing live!

Aniket Karmarkar

Listening to music is a waste of time.

TehREDWAGN

13y↑1

So happy that this video captured Matt's dance moves. They're the best.

Fiona Does Gaming

5y↑10

I thought I was so badass on the swing listening to this

Emily MacLean

13y

How could anyone dislike this?? Ahhh this is one of my favorite songs everrr <3

Tyler Hanson

10y↑3

I'm surprised this one doesn't have more views its a pretty great song

jugulate

12y

This is my favourite song of his so far. And I only discovered him today. Woah.

Patrik Sjöman

12y

I listened to this song on repeat for 6 hours on the train home after I had gotten dumped, on christmas, at my now ex girlfriends parents house, in Denmark. It's now forever associated with that moment and those feelings. It's a shame, because it's a fantastic song.

Cris Vasquez

10y↑43

I guess if alot of people heard this song cause of gogear i dig it too, good way to promote his music

rxprince

10y↑55

So one day my dad brought me a mp3 and while he was cooking i wanted to test it so the mp3 already had like sample songs on it so this was the first song i listented too , thank you dad and more importanly thank you MP3.

The Neighborhood Crackhead

My dad found it in a parking lot and gave it to me

Robyn Walker

OMG SAME

Notthatcarolina

same here, but i was 8 yrs old, now im 13 and i lost mine :(

Danielle Lowery

12y

i love this song so much my friend told me to listen to it and now i cant get it out of my head

silntwaves

14y

He can sing! i just had to turn up the volume..the song is so good!

amanda hubbard

15y

this song rocks, i wanna let go and know im alright. life is great!!

Allan Stewart

11y

Wow I was going to do the same thing. This song started my obsession with Matt and it will never stop.

Maka-Albarn Piercey

13y

this song is amazing, Its AMAZING to Listen to this when your depressed T_T but i love it.

MrsDopler

11y↑1

I saw him play on one of the late night talk shows - come on get higher - and I was addicted

Disciple4Life

13y

lol this song is on my Go Gear vibe and never get to old i love it! the song is great :) sad thing is i dont know where my power cord is to it and my batterys dead :( but still great song lol

Julio Portillo

5y↑3

I was 8 when I heard this on my gogear. I'm 18 now and I still remember this like it was yesterday.

Damon Blue

11y

Most peaceful song I have ever heared had a outta body experience

Jessy Trahan

8y↑2

Gosh this is my favorite song, I've listened to it as much as I could since about 2005 XD this one girl called me depressing for listening to it so much, but I loved it and still do!

MadGhost

11y

Got this for free on iTunes, good thing too, otherwise i probably would have never heard this awesome song :D

Matthew Berfield

10y↑140

Thank God for the Phillips GoGear!

Antoni Gruse

Same here

Federico Coci

Same ahahahahh

Mikayla Mani

Same

Cenk Sen

9y↑1

Same! Wow i was little when i heard this song on go gear but i still remember it!

madalynn

9y↑8

That's how I found him too! When I was like, 9! lol

Nicole J

15y

oh my god, this is an amazing song

Abby Tomlinson

11y

This isn't a popular song, but I don't know why. I randomly start singing it and everyone asks me what I'm singing. I love it. I got a MP4 and this song was already on it. I'd never heard it before and I listened to it and now I sing it on my bad days and it always cheers me up :)

Sun Strider

11y

I'd never even heard of him when I heard this song! LOL. Now it's on of my favorite songs!

Eden Jallow

7y↑1

This was the only song on my first Mp3 my mom got me when I was 10! Memories🌸

BountyHunter84G

12y

I know this song from start to finish. You could say i'm obsessed with it.

Denisecdx

6y↑2

Memories...to 7th grade. My first ever Philips Go Gear Mp3 player ❤️❤️❤️

Francisco A

2y↑1

This also is for those people who worked at AMC around 2007 this will 'ring like a bell in their ears lol. Listening to this while driving gives mini anxieties

KingLewis843

2y↑2

Black guy here, loved his music for years , 28 years old now 💪🏾 and what's crazy it was on my mp3 player

Taylor EmoLuverMotionless

11y

just found this on my mp3 so i had to look ot up on youtube and save it to my favorites. i love this song :)

Brittany Horner

9y↑5

I wish someone would make a lyric video for this

BloodmoonGrizzly The first

8y↑2

Moon Coon

12y

this is the first time i heard this song but it is totally amazing!!! :D

Morelia Martinez

12y

love this song so much

RyanMaddyProductions

11y

So many great memories with that little thing. I miss it!

mygreenparamore1

13y

I got this song with my mp3 player too and I loved it so i just left it on and I always listen to it.

Ldcool

8y↑18

I finally found this song.

dirty ass air max

2y↑1

the only song i remembered from my old mp3 player, brings back memories..

22ttiimmeess

14y

Thank-you God for Matt Nathanson!

adriaencstone

12y

I'm wide awake and so alive Ringing like a bell Tell me this is paradise And not someplace I fell Cause I keep on fallin down I wanna feel the car crash I wanna feel the capsize I wanna feel the bomb drop, the earth stop Til I'm satisfied I wanna feel the car crash Cause I'm dyin' on the inside I wanna let go and know That I'll be alright, alright Just push me til I have to fly I've shed my skin my scars Take me deep out past the lights Where nothing dims these stars Nothing dims these stars

Ghost Rider

I had a Phillips MP3 with this song. I love his style. It's a shame he doesn't have more subscribers.

Marphisto

3rd class, me being very young and getting a mp3 player from my aunt...this was one of the two songs on it and it was the only song I probably heard for years
Now a long time later I searched for this song and heard it..just...wow... :)

Phoebe Kouame

10y

I love music!

Dale Rainbow

11y↑1

This song is one of my favorite songs

sakura_rain

8y↑13

Yeah I heard this song on my mp3. Now I love it

TheLegacy23455

12y

It is just wrong that he is so underrated!

karin fludd

Had to be 2010-2011 winter that I got an MP3 player and rode my bike listening to this song on repeat 🥹 NOSTALGIA

Newman James

2y↑1

Memories, when I was a penniless student, and I bought this cheap Philipp MP3 with this song in it. For some reasons, I never deleted it.
I wonder where this MP3 is now !

Ronnie

This is so underrated, found it on my MP3 player :))

Jonathan Karpatkin

11y↑1

This song is my life rn.

Tré Cole

5y↑6

the only song that i had on my Phillips mp3 player😭😭😭😭the memories

Leonlloyd12

Same ❤️

Bruh The Bruh

8y↑5

Dude i heard this on my mp3 as a child too so many here ahh the nostalgia

Trey Kos

7y↑22

i herd this on my brothers mp3 player i was like 7 when i started to really like this song

Mikeswagger268

Omg same

emmy

Trey Kos sammeeee

Patty Nuñez

6y↑5

Lmao I remember getting my Philips Go Gear Mp3 when I was 8 years old. The nostalgic feeling of that choris part tho! I'm sad that I took goog care of it for 9 yeats and I finally lost it. #heartbreaker

M

I first heard this on my MP3 player when I was like 10 and I remember this so vividly

BramMajor 7

This song is so great!

lumlumism

13y

i love this... its like a mash up between the scrict and goo goo dolls!!

Albert Escobedo

greetings from 2017 a lot of messed up things have happened between the mp3 magnavox and now. But within the past decade or so we can still remember the wonderful things we once had. Music has preserved those memories and it's wonderful to share this song with you all. Isn't life just a crazy and beautiful car ride?

Jiří Maršík

7y↑7

I still have that mp3 working, top song √

Dope Slope

3y↑1

haven't heard this in at least 5 years, glad older sis put me on :)

imani monique

12y

I love this song know matter how old it is

raven moss

11y↑1

1 of the best songs

Elisabeth Hall

14y

i LOVE this song

Morelia Martinez

12y

i have this song in my mp3 player love this song!

R K

3y↑1

I FUCKING FOUND IT
I FUCKING FOUND THE MP3 SONG
THIS HAS BEEN STUCK IN MY HEAD FOR LIKE 10YEARS
I FUCKING FOUND IT OMFG FINALLY

Willian Aprato

Saudads dessa época

Mahler

11y

I got a MP3 player on my 9th birthday and this was the only song on it I liked. I listened to this everyday for a couple months.

iSpy48

12y

i love this song

Le Grand Cat

11y

My Philips mp3 player brought me here 3 years ago! Now I love Matt Nathanson's music!

Macs Channel

13y

this is the official preset on mp3 players,if you buy a brand new one,this is one of the songs alredy set on it,you know why,CUZ IT ROCKS

Vittoria Giaganini

10y↑12

ho cercato questa canzone per 2 anni....ALLELUIA!!!!!

Nikola Bekcic

@f credo tutti siamo qua per quello

f

Da un lettore multimediale presumo?

David N

Haven’t heard this song in about 6 years, damn.

michelina messina

12y

im going to his tour on march first so excited!

alexus Beal

Nostalgic 🥺

Luis Mota

2y↑1

Dam l remember when l had that mp3 player this song brought back so many memories when l was in middle school

The clapper

13y

i heard this song frm my MP3 player...it was a pre placed song and i LOVE it....

Sammy Wammy Casey

11y

Just looked up this song!!! wow its good!!! :)

xantana

12y

This song deserves more views.

Kate-Emma Murray

I will keep coming back to this every so often because no spike has spoken to my dramatic teenage ass like this song.

Lindsey Bartlett

8y↑2

so I first heard this song when I was like 7 on my mp3 player and I was like wow I love this song and I have always loved this song so much and it reminds me of my deceased grandma she is the one that got me it so I love you mamaw spry rip