Matthew’s career as a solo artist has evolved naturally over the past few years, his fanbase growing organically and his songwriting skills growing exponentially. But it has not just been the quality of Matthew’s songs that sets him apart. The prolific musician has self-released eight EPs since 2008, offering his fans a consistent stream of new music. In September of 2008, Matthew recorded his debut solo EP, The Fire EP, for $1000 in a Birmingham basement. This disc spawned “First In Line,” which appeared in the 100th episode of Grey’s Anatomy.
Matthew’s second EP followed in July 2009. Five Chances Remain Hers, produced by Paul Moak, which landed another track, “Better,” on Grey’s Anatomy. The single skyrocketed to No. 1 on the iTunes singer/songwriter chart and in December of 2009 Matthew offered fans a third EP-- Maybe Next Christmas. The reaction to these releases and to Matthew’s songwriting was so strong it just made sense for him to keep doing it.
“The response was pretty overwhelming and caught me a bit off guard,” Matthew explains. “It reset something inside me and got my wheels turning for the EP series. I wanted to try something that no one else was trying. I knew I had the songs, and I knew that if I worked hard, I could put out records that people wanted to hear month after month. I've had plenty of issues over the years as an artist, but there's never been a shortage of songs.”
Since Maybe Next Christmas, Matthew has written, recorded, and released five more EPs--regularly putting them out every month from January 2010 through May 2010. Each disc has showcased a different facet of the musician, revealing his depth and versatility. Funded by his fans— who were also involved in selecting the tracklists and cover art via Pledge Music--each EP has also reached the top of the iTunes singer/songwriter charts. The whirlwind process has taught Matthew, who toured in the midst of this with Needtobreathe, Pete Yorn, Switchfoot, Blue October and The Civil Wars, an immense amount about both himself and about creating music.
“Each EP is a different chapter for me,” he says. “Essentially, it was an exercise in storytelling.Late '08 into early '09 was by far the hardest period of my life. There was a lot of grief to process, and it was tough to file it down into song form. The ideas spilled out night after night, morning after
morning. I learned to keep a voice recorder close by at all times for that reason. Most of the melodies came to me in the car, the airport, the shower— pretty much the most inconvenient places for making noise.”
Riding on the momentum of this succession of music, Matthew is currently preparing to release his debut album, Now You’re Free, a record that was completely funded by his fans via Pledge Music. Recorded over the course of three weeks with producer Paul Moak in Nashville in June, the disc pairs five songs pulled from Matthew’s past EPs and five brand new tracks. The ten songs walk a fine line between Matthew’s acoustic singer-songwriter tendencies and the group-driven rock ‘n roll he loves making, in the end creating a cohesive, narrative-driven collection of spirited rock songs.
"I want to write songs that people can sing back at me the way I sing back at my favorite artists,” he says. “I'm excited about attempting to change something with a song. It could be someone's mood for four minutes, the temperature in their room or the way they watch the sun set driving down the interstate. Music has changed everything for me. I want to be a part of that for other people.”
Dead To You
Matthew Mayfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
held as ransom by Future's setting
sun
there's no use fighting a faceless tyrant
voices inside of my
head
with their subtle wishes and coldest kisses,
my bed
singin' 'what's the use in pushing through,
when I'm already dead
to you'
Sirens screaming in my ear
like the silence that only I can
hear
and now we're stocking our empty pockets
with remnants of what we had
said
just like tears of daughters for sleeping fathers,
my heart was too much
for your head.
singin' what's the use in pushing through,
when I'm already
dead to you
all this mystery and all this silence,
we don't know what we
have become
we lit this match and we hit the gas
and now we're holding our
ears and our tongues
and our tongues
there's no use fighting a faceless
tyrant
voices inside of my head
with their subtle wishes and coldest
kisses,
they'll climb up inside of my bed
singin' 'what's the use in
pushing through,
when I'm already dead to you'
The lyrics in "Dead to You" by Matthew Mayfield reveal the struggles of a relationship that has lost its spark, and the realization that it's on a path of no return. The opening lines hint at the youthful love that once existed, but now cannot be recaptured due to the inevitability of an uncertain future. The singer seems to have come to terms with the fact that the relationship is dead, but is unwilling to let go entirely. The line "there's no use fighting a faceless tyrant" suggests that the singer's mind has become a prison, as he is tormented by the nagging thoughts of the past.
The chorus repeats the question "what's the use in pushing through when I'm already dead to you," emphasizing the hopelessness in trying to hold onto something that has already faded away. The phrase "dead to you" is telling, as it suggests that the other party has already moved on emotionally. The second verse uses imagery of sirens and empty pockets to describe the emptiness the singer feels. The line "my heart was too much for your head" implies that the love was too intense for the other person to handle, or perhaps that they saw it as a burden.
The song captures the pain and confusion of a dying relationship, and recognizes that sometimes there is nothing that can be done to save it. The repetitive nature of the chorus emphasizes the singer's resignation to the fact that the relationship is over, but at the same time highlights the difficulty in accepting it.
Line by Line Meaning
Chances
we had when we were young
held as ransom
by Future's setting sun
The opportunities we had in our youth have been taken away by the passing of time and the uncertainty of the future.
there's no use fighting a faceless tyrantvoices inside of my head
The internal struggle and doubt that we feel cannot be fought against because it is faceless and within our own minds.
with their subtle wishes and coldest kisses, they'll climb up inside of my bed
The negative thoughts and doubts will creep into every aspect of our lives, even our intimate spaces and relationships.
singin' 'what's the use in pushing through, when I'm already dead to you'
The feeling of being emotionally disconnected and irrelevant to someone else's life, making it hard to see the point in trying and pushing forward.
Sirens
screaming in my ear
like the silence that only I can hear
There is constant chaos and noise around us, but sometimes the loudest thing is the silence of our own thoughts.
and now we're stocking our empty pockets with remnants of what we had said
Trying to hold onto what we said and the memories of the past, but only finding emptiness and hollow reminders.
just like tears of daughters for sleeping fathers, my heart was too much for your head.
Comparing the sadness of daughters missing their fathers to the feeling of rejection and hurt when someone cannot or will not care about our emotions.
all this mystery and all this silence, we don't know what we have become
The unknown changes that happen over time and through relationships, leaving us unsure of who we are becoming.
we lit this match and we hit the gas and now we're holding our ears and our tongues
We created the problems in our lives, and now we are left trying to cope with, and silence, the fallout of our actions.
there's no use fighting a faceless tyrantvoices inside of my head with their subtle wishes and coldest kisses, they'll climb up inside of my bed
Repeating the idea that our internal doubts and fears will plague us in every aspect of our lives.
singin' 'what's the use in pushing through, when I'm already dead to you'
Closing the song with the idea that it is hard to keep trying and pushing through when someone else has made us feel like we no longer matter or exist in their life.
Contributed by Emma N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
suuzzee5
Beautifully done!!
Kerri Pitts
He is incredible live. I would drive 3 hours to Birmingham to see him ANY DAY.
Michela Marlow
im currently obsessed with this song. hopefully when he comes back to birmingham i will get to see him!!!!
LouisTheBassman
wow mat is incredible not many people can write like him
Chan
hey ladies? does he say "my heart was too much for you head" ??? wow.....he is just so amazing...seriously....wow
gtrflwr
so amazing, i love matthew. <3 i'd love to see him live. @TINLTL606 haha i'm with you there on driving, unfortunately i'd have to drive 16 or so hours o_o... but i totally would haha.
Just Amy AKA Janice
Awesome. Wish I had none you were in B'ham!
Jennifer Imil
i like!
Chayla MF Butler
he is coming to the Big Spring Jam in Huntsville