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.

Trace of a Cat's Eye
Matt Nathanson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When the leaves have changed,
When the world around you
Starts to grow deranged,
The faces that you see are looking strange,
And your principles have all been rearranged,
When only tears remain,
In the residue the ruins of your brain.

Start looking for a way you can explain,
Though the reasons should've
Made themselves quite plain.
And then you'll think of me,
In the moment when we'd almost broken free.

Your mind will start its drifting wistfully,
To the corner of your heart nobody sees.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Trace of a Cat's Eye" by Matt Nathanson are about a person going through a difficult time in life. They see the world around them changing, and the familiar faces they once knew are now looking strange. Their principles have been rearranged, and they are left with nothing but tears in the ruins of their brain. The singer encourages the listener to start looking for a way to explain the situation, even though the reasons should be clear.

Line by Line Meaning

When the leaves have changed,
When autumn arrives and the leaves on trees turn from green to yellow, red, or brown.

When the world around you Starts to grow deranged,
When everything around you suddenly seems chaotic and out of control.

The faces that you see are looking strange,
The people you are seeing around you seem unfamiliar or different.

And your principles have all been rearranged,
Your moral beliefs or standards have been changed or reorganized in some way.

When only tears remain,
When you are so overwhelmed with emotions that all you can do is cry.

In the residue the ruins of your brain.
In the aftermath of it all, your mind is left feeling damaged or broken.

Start looking for a way you can explain,
Try to find a reason for what has happened or why you feel the way you do.

Though the reasons should've Made themselves quite plain.
Even though the reasons may be obvious, sometimes it's difficult to see them clearly.

And then you'll think of me,
At this point, the artist of the song assumes that the listener will think of them.

In the moment when we'd almost broken free.
During a time when they were close to being released from something, whether it be a relationship or some other situation.

Your mind will start its drifting wistfully,
Your thoughts will start to wander and become nostalgic.

To the corner of your heart nobody sees.
To a part of you that you keep hidden from others and may not even fully understand yourself.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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