Perhaps the most underrated singer/songwriter of the past 12 years, Matthew Ryan arrived on the music scene in 1997 with Mayday. A combination of influences from Tom Waits, Waterboys and Bruce Springsteen can all be heard here, but the sound and songwriting are Matthew Ryan's alone.
After being dropped by Interscope Records Ryan started working on demo material with David Henry. The material was stark and bare, Concussion was recorded and mixed in 8 days with Richard McLaurin. It was released in 2001 on Nashville, Tennessee label WaxySilver and features a duet with Lucinda Williams. Ryan was asked by actor/director Edward Burns to contribute a song to his film Ash Wednesday. "Be Thou My Vision" was used on the closing credits of Edward Burns’ film. Ryan opened tours for Kasey Chambers and Lucinda Williams for much of 2001, along with his own headlining shows.
2002 was a quiet period for Ryan, eventually releasing two collections of Stereo-Pak demo recordings, Dissent from the Living Room and Hopeless to Hopeful. These were made available on CDR through Ryan’s website.
Ryan started recording again on February 2003, Regret Over the Wires was released in late 2003 by Hybrid Recordings. In April, Concussion was released in the UK and Europe through One Little Indian Records. This included a UK tour with label mate Jeff Klein. On September 9, 2003, One Little Indian Records also released Happiness in the UK and Europe only, a collection of songs taken from Ryan’s self-distributed collections Dissent from the Living Room and Hopeless to Hopeful. Ryan made another self-distributed release in December entitled These Are Field Recordings, a two-disc collection of live recordings and early tracks.
Matthew Ryan approached Neilson Hubbard in 2004 about a collaboration, which could result in an interesting self-distributed release for fans. The collaboration was much more successful than expected and Strays Don't Sleep was formed with Neilson Hubbard, Brian Bequette, Billy Mercer and Steve Latanation.
In the Autumn 2005 Strays Don't Sleep's debut self-titled album was released in the UK on One Little Indian Records. The release includes a DVD of short films that were directed and shot by professional filmmakers and friends, including Gorman Bechard, The Barnes Brothers, Martin Glenn, Matt Boyd and Jared Johnson. Matthew Ryan and Neilson Hubbard also directed three of the short films with the help of Nashville film student, Matt Riddlehoover. A 5.1 surround sound mix of the entire record and films, by Paul PDub Walton of Björk and Sneaker Pimps fame, is available on the DVD.
Strays Don't Sleep was released to great reviews from Time Out, Uncut, The Sunday Express and The Times. The success helped secure a US release, which was helped further by a placement in the hit CW (former WB) drama One Tree Hill. "For Blue Skies", a song concerning the sentencing of Matthew Ryan’s brother to 30 years in prison, was made available on the One Tree Hill Soundtracks. Strays Don't Sleep toured the UK with Josh Rouse to support the album. Strays Don't Sleep was officially disbanded mid-2006. Their Music Video DVD Album "Strays Don't Sleep" with each song presented by a different director, won the top Award - The Grand Remi for Best Music Video - at the 2006 WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival in April 2006. The group performed in person at the Remi Awards Gala dinner for 500 international filmmakers to a standing ovation. They disbanded shortly after this remarkable performance.
In 2006 Ryan completed recording for another solo album called From a Late Night High Rise. It's a collection of songs inspired by the death of a friend and the sentencing of Ryan’s brother to 30 years in prison. The album feature band members from Strays Don’t Sleep and was self-produced with Neilson Hubbard. From a Late Night High Rise was released on December 5, 2006 through 2minutes59 and iTunes, and Ryan embarked on a US tour with Tim Easton in February 2007. From a Late Night High Rise was met with the strongest wave of critical support Ryan has received to date. It was praised as "A must-hear, have-to-own epic of an album that should be required listening for every songwriter—and music lover—in the world."
Anymore
Matthew Ryan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I wish it wouldn't stick around
I was the ghost but now I'm being haunted
Who was I then? Who am I now?
We used to sleep in the ruin
We used kick it when it stalled
If this is space what the hell are you doing?
It ain't me you're looking for any more
It ain't me you're looking for any more
Tell me are you being borrowed?
Or was it you that closed the sale?
I hear you're moving in with him tomorrow
He'll call it home, I'll call it jail
It ain't me you're looking for any more
It ain't me you're looking for any more
When you're wild and your eyes are bright
When you're buzzed and you're giving your goodnight
When your dress is falling to the floor
It ain't me you'll be looking for
Congratulations and I mean it
Looks like you're coming through first
Forget the money, hon', you can't afford it
He'll never know what you are worth
I'm taking back what I had squandered
You lose your heart, you lose your voice
I knew it from the first time that I saw her
She'd be my peace, she'd be my noise
It ain't me you're looking for any more
It ain't me you're looking for any more
When you're sad and you're rubbing your eyes
When you're frozen and you're full of goodbye
When you're opening your front door
It ain't me you'll be looking for
The song "Anymore" by Matthew Ryan seems to reflect on a past relationship that has ended. The chorus repeatedly emphasizes that the singer is not the person the other party is looking for anymore. The song delves into the mixed emotions of moving on from a relationship that was once precious to the singer. The verses recall the memories of the past relationship, how they had used to sleep in ruins and used to kick it when it stalled, drawing comparison to the present, which is just like space, and it is not how they planned it to be.
The singer clearly seems to be hurting and trying to understand why the relationship had ended. They question if it was them or the other party, and if they were merely borrowed for a while. The lyric “Tell me are you being borrowed Or was it you that closed the sale?” suggests the possibility that the other party may have never committed to the relationship, and it was a mere transactional arrangement. The singer seems to be coming to terms with this reality and expresses some bitterness and hurt in lines such as “I'm taking back what I had squandered, You lose your heart, you lose your voice“.
Overall, "Anymore" seems to be a poignant reflection on a past relationship that once meant everything but now feels like a painful memory. It portrays the conflicting emotions that come with moving on, the pain of letting go and the joy of finding peace.
Line by Line Meaning
I guess it's funny how we lost it
It's strange how our relationship ended
But I wish it wouldn't stick around
I don't want to keep thinking about it
I was the ghost but now I'm being haunted
I used to be distant but now I can't stop thinking about you
Who was I then? Who am I now?
I don't recognize who I was before and who I am now that you're gone
We used to sleep in the ruin
We used to be comfortable in difficult situations
We used kick it when it stalled
We used to have fun even when things weren't going well
If this is space what the hell are you doing?
I don't understand why you're acting this way
You got to fall before you crawl
You need to make mistakes before you can succeed
It ain't me you're looking for any more
I know I'm not what you want anymore
Tell me are you being borrowed?
Are you just using someone else temporarily?
Or was it you that closed the sale?
Did you make the decision to be with someone else?
I hear you're moving in with him tomorrow
I heard you're starting a new life with someone else soon
He'll call it home, I'll call it jail
He'll be happy, but I'll feel trapped
When you're wild and your eyes are bright
When you're happy and full of energy
When you're buzzed and you're giving your goodnight
When you're drunk and saying goodbye for the night
When your dress is falling to the floor
When you're undressing
It ain't me you'll be looking for
I know you'll be thinking of someone else in that moment
Congratulations and I mean it
I'm happy for you, even though it hurts
Looks like you're coming through first
It seems like you're getting what you want first
Forget the money, hon', you can't afford it
Money won't solve all of your problems
He'll never know what you are worth
He won't appreciate you the way I did
I'm taking back what I had squandered
I'm trying to make up for my mistakes
You lose your heart, you lose your voice
When you lose love, you lose your ability to speak up
I knew it from the first time that I saw her
I knew she was special from the beginning
She'd be my peace, she'd be my noise
She would be both my calm and my excitement
When you're sad and you're rubbing your eyes
When you're crying
When you're frozen and you're full of goodbye
When you're numb and saying goodbye
When you're opening your front door
When you're starting a new chapter
Contributed by Dylan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
TheNorthwayKid
Beautifully done. But I’ve come to expect nothing less from this guy.
PAT SACHER
Very profound and provocative...the video and the lyrics are caught in a web of prophetic symbolism.
Tricia Hoffman
Yes. Love it as usual.
Nils Karczewski
this must be it!!!!
Mitchael Hollingsworth
fuzz for days
Azrul Ahloi
Hi Matthew, the first link is broken