Born in Chicago on February 24, 1976, he moved to the suburb of McHenry, Illinois at the age of three. Playing drums at an early age, his first concert was Public Image Ltd. But in 1996, while working as a bike messenger, he decided to take up the guitar. Skiba dropped out of art college to form Alkaline Trio with drummer Glenn Porter and bassist Rob Doran. Matt Skiba is a vegetarian and holds a membership card to the Church of Satan. His central influences include punk groups such as The Ramones, The Misfits, and The Damned, Naked Raygun, Pegboy and Jawbreaker as well as 1980s new wave/gothic rock groups like as The Cure, Sisters Of Mercy and The Psychedelic Furs.
He now resides in California.
Skiba's latest project Heavens released their debut album "Patent Pending" on Sept. 12, 2006.
His mother, Joan Skiba, is a 4th Grade teacher in Crystal Lake, Illnois.
Skiba remains the only original member of the Trio (they suffered several lineup changes that ultimately resulted in the addition of bassist Dan Andriano and drummer Derek Grant). Alkaline Trio signed with Vagrant Records in late 2000 and released From Here To Infirmary in 2001, Good Mourning in 2003 and Crimson in 2005 to mixed reviews.
Skiba is also an active solo artist; in addition to the split with 7 Seconds' Kevin Seconds, he contributed to Fat Wreck Chords' 2005 compilation Protect: A Benefit For The National Association To Protect Children with the song Demons Away.
In September of 2006, his side project "Heavens" was released and started to tour.
Also in 2006 Skiba contributed to the "Rock 'n' Roll High School" track that appears on the "Brats on the Beat: Ramones for Kids" tribute album released on Go-Kart Records.
In Your Wake
Matt Skiba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't let your dreams of blood hunger in the way
You know these streets, they lay there patiently
Awaiting your fall, like a phone call
And I see you made all the right decisions
I believe your head stone received the wrong inscription
Didn't read anything about how much we miss you at all
So with a broken stick, in dirt we scrawled:
"Here lies our dreams come true-
Here lies X's for eyes on me and you"
Want you know, I hope you got all you wanted
Want you to know that I took all I could take
It's been so hard to see and breathe through
All the smoke left in your wake
In your wake
Now I've seen you made all the right decisions
I believe your head stone received the wrong inscription
Didn't read anything about how much we miss you at all
With a broken stick, in dirt we scrawled:
"Here lies our dreams come true-
Here lies X's for eyes on me and you"
Want you know, I hope you got all you wanted
Want you to know that I took all I could take
It's been so hard to see and breathe through
All the smoke left in your wake
In your wake
In your wake
In your wake
The lyrics of the song "In Your Wake" by Matt Skiba tell the story of someone who was king for a day and made all the right decisions, but eventually fell and was buried without being missed by anyone. The first verse describes the fleeting nature of power and how the streets are waiting for the king's fall. The second verse reflects on the mistakes made in the past and the wrong inscription on the headstone that fails to convey how much the person is missed. The chorus expresses the hope that the person got what they wanted while acknowledging the difficulty of dealing with the aftermath that they left behind.
The final verse features the broken stick in the dirt, symbolizing the humble and temporary nature of human existence. The words on the stick describe the dreams that they shared and how they will never come true. The song could be interpreted as a cautionary tale about the dangers of pursuing power and fame at the expense of personal connections and family. The underlying message is that we should focus on creating genuine relationships and leaving a positive legacy instead of chasing fleeting success and popularity.
Line by Line Meaning
And so it seems you were to be king for a day
You appeared to be in charge temporarily
Don't let your dreams of blood hunger in the way
Don't sacrifice your morality for ambition
You know these streets, they lay there patiently
The environment is waiting for your downfall
Awaiting your fall, like a phone call
Anticipating your failure as if it were predictable
And I see you made all the right decisions
You seem to have chosen wisely
I believe your head stone received the wrong inscription
Your legacy is misrepresented
Didn't read anything about how much we miss you at all
Your presence was not as meaningful as you thought
So with a broken stick, in dirt we scrawled:
We memorialized you with crude means
"Here lies our dreams come true-
Our aspirations ended with your passing
Here lies X's for eyes on me and you"
Our eyes are closed in mourning
Want you know, I hope you got all you wanted
I hope you attained your goals
Want you to know that I took all I could take
I reached my limit with your negative influence
It's been so hard to see and breathe through
The aftermath left a negative impact
All the smoke left in your wake
The consequences of your actions still linger
In your wake
The aftermath of your presence
In your wake
The aftermath of your influence
In your wake
The aftermath of your legacy
Contributed by Jordyn B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
weakweek85
does anyone notice how matt skiba sounds different on every album? i think this was when his voice was starting to get raspy...
S D
this was directly before good mourning and prob a round the time of the infamous halloween at the metro
zibeddy
one of my fav songs and i just love singing along to it more than any other.
Boromir Of Gondor
That would make 2 of us
keybladeguy776
Matt Skiba is amazing.
swatchwatchable
Great song from a great split. Hard to believe this is ten years old already. I feel old.
York-Houngan
@Alex Denisov Around 20 now :O
Alex Denisov
16
Kyle Mellick
The Chord Progression, Drums and Song Structure sounds just like a specific green day song.
Cam Bivens
They did a split? Fuck man. How did I miss that? Haha.