It was during his first year of college, that Matthew began playing guitar and writing songs. By Matthew's senior year, he was playing at every venue imaginable, from Fraternity houses to churches, and youth groups.
He signed an exclusive songwriting deal only a week after graduating and making the move to Nashville. His songs have been recorded by various artists including Rachel Lampa's most recent single, "Savior Song," which was Matthew's first top-5 song as a writer. Some other highlights were having songs placed on the platinum selling WoW 2002 project and also having his song, "Heart of Every Man recorded for the World Youth Day 2000 official soundtrack.
Matthew continued pursuing his dream of singing his own songs. Matthew had the opportunity to travel to universities across the country, and quickly began building up a steady following. With the help of Word Music and Extreme Writers Group, Matthew recorded an independent CD called, "Sellout," which caught the attention of Universal South Records.
Since signing with Universal South, He has released several albums, starting with "Happy" in 2003, "History" in 2005, and "Something to Say" in 2007; along with the re-release of Sellout in 2006. The Forgiveness Songfacts reports that West's fifth album, "Into the Light," is scheduled to be released on September 25, 2012.
Intro
Matthew West Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We've been working together for a long time
Do you want to know what all this screaming is about
Do you want to know what all this writing is about
Do you want to know what all this singing is about
Come on, just hear me, come on
Over and over again let's present to you, the black mask, my best friend, hey
Put it on baby, this mask against our skin, there's no way we can't win
Over and over again let's present to you, the black mask, my best friend, hey
The opening lines of the Matthew West song “Intro” introduce an old, familiar friend that he has been working with for a long time. This friend is not a person, but rather a metaphorical “black mask” that represents the idea of putting on a performance or persona in order to win the attention and approval of others. The lyrics ask the question of what all the “screaming,” “writing,” and “singing” is about, implying that all the effort is focused on projecting a certain image to others rather than being true to oneself.
The song continues to urge the listener to put on the black mask, to feel the fabric of it against their skin and embrace the sense of power and control that it brings. There is a sense of repetition and urgency in the lyrics, as though West is trying to convince the listener to embrace this way of being in order to succeed in the world. The underlying message seems to be one of the pitfalls of putting on a façade to impress others and the importance of staying true to oneself.
Line by Line Meaning
Let's present to you this old friend of mine,
Introducing this song which is like an old friend to the artist and has been with him for a long time.
We’ve been working together for a long time
The artist has been creating music for a long time and this song is a continuation of his work.
Do you want to know what all this screaming is about
The artist is asking the listeners if they want to understand the meaning behind his music which may contain screaming sounds.
Do you want to know what all this writing is about
The artist is asking if the listeners are interested in knowing the inspiration behind his writing.
Do you want to know what all this singing is about
The artist is questioning whether the audience would like to know the reason and message behind his singing.
Come on, just hear me, come on
The artist is encouraging the listeners to pay attention to his music and give it a chance.
Over and over again let's present to you, the black mask, my best friend, hey
The artist is repeating the line to emphasize the importance of this 'black mask', which is a metaphor for his music.
Put it on baby, this mask against our skin, there's no way we can't win
The artist is saying that his music is something that they can wear and feel confident, that there's no way they will fail or lose with this music.
Put it on honey, feel the fabric, it feels so sweet
The artist is describing how his music is like a garment that listeners can wear to feel good, just like the feeling of the fabric of the garment.
Over and over again let's present to you, the black mask, my best friend, hey
The artist is repeating the concept of music as a black mask, a symbol of something that brings people together and is always reliable.
Lyrics © DistroKid, BMG Rights Management, Songtrust Ave, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ROLLO ARMSTRONG, AYALAH BENTOVIM, MAX FRASER, A NUNN, D RANDALL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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