Since Mutemath released its first EP in late 2004 and hit the road in 2005, their musical style has transformed over the years. By the time of their 2006 self-titled debut, their blending of adverse genres earned them a reputation as one of modern music’s most daring young groups. By 2007, they found themselves Grammy nominated and declared by Alternative Press as “the #1 band you need to see live before you die.” But in the band almost broke up during the making of their sophomore album Armistice. “It was a risk we had to take,” says King looking back on what they set out to accomplish for Armistice. “This record was by far the most painful music-making experience I’ve ever had, but also the one I’m most proud of.”
The band is best known for the 2007 single “Typical”, taken from their 2006 self titled album. The song’s innovative backwards video was nominated for a Grammy in 2008 for Best Short Form Music Video. Speaking with Songfacts in a 2011 interview, Darren King poked fun at the somewhat futile nomination : "For the rest of our career, we get to say "Grammy nominated band." We don't have to say what it was for. (Laughing)." Mutemath re-enacted the "Typical" video during a live performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, using the same reverse playback technique used in the original video. The song also peaked at #33 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.
The band has contributed songs to various films such as Twilight, Transformers, Never Back Down, The Stepfather, The Rocker, and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2.
Alongside contributing songs to film and product endorsements, Mutemath has appeared on every major late night television program including: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
In April 2011, it was announced on their official website that founding guitarist Greg Hill had left the band in October 2010. The new album was recorded with other band members filling in on guitar and a new guitarist, Todd Gummerman, was named shortly after Odd Soul was released and he features in most music videos from the album.
One More
Mutemath Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I walk in shackles across your mind.
Dead in the water,
I know I've got to convince you why.
You should give me one more reason,
Give me on more try,
Give me one more feeling,
Flower made fool,
I keep parading while dressed in rain,
What else can I do,
Might as well wait here until you break.
Just give me one more reason,
Give me on more try,
Give me one more feeling,
Give me one more high.
Give me one more healing,
Give me one more sign,
Give me one more feeling,
Give me one more high.
I've been changed,
I swear I've been changed.
Anything for you,
Why not for old times just smile for me.
Am I getting through,
Or this just how it's got to be.
The lyrics to Mutemath's song One More convey desperation and a plea for redemption. The first stanza is particularly striking as it conjures up an image of the singer as a prisoner, walking in shackles through the listener's mind. The second stanza builds on this image, with the singer admitting to being a "flower made fool" and "parading while dressed in rain." The chorus repeats the plea for "one more reason," "one more feeling," and "one more high" - it's as if the singer is addicted to this person's love or presence, and is begging for even just a little more of it.
The lyrics do have an overall hopeful feel to them, though. The singer swears that they have changed ("I swear I've been changed"), and pleads for the other person to just "smile for me" - perhaps indicating that all they need is a small gesture of acceptance or forgiveness to turn their lives around.
Overall, the lyrics in One More convey a yearning for connection, redemption, and a second chance at love.
Line by Line Meaning
Serving the time,
I am carrying the burden of my mistakes.
I walk in shackles across your mind.
I am constantly on your mind and you cannot forget what I have done.
Dead in the water,
I am stuck and unable to move forward.
I know I've got to convince you why.
I need to prove to you that I am worth another chance.
You should give me one more reason,
I need you to give me something that will make me believe that another chance is possible.
Give me on more try,
I am asking for another opportunity to show you that I have changed.
Give me one more feeling,
I want to experience the emotions and happiness that come with a second chance.
Give me one more high.
I want to feel the thrill of success that comes from proving myself to you.
Flower made fool,
I am foolishly trying to impress you with my outward appearance.
I keep parading while dressed in rain,
I am persistently trying to prove myself, even when the situation is not in my favor.
What else can I do,
I am out of options and ideas to make you give me another chance.
Might as well wait here until you break.
I have nothing left to do but wait, hoping that you will change your mind.
Give me one more healing,
I need another chance to make things right and heal the wounds I have caused.
Give me one more sign,
I am asking for a clear indication that you are willing to give me one more chance.
Am I getting through,
I am unsure if my message is being heard and understood by you.
Or this just how it's got to be.
I am questioning whether or not we are meant to be apart forever.
I've been changed,
I am a different person than I was before and I hope you will see that.
I swear I've been changed.
I am serious about my transformation and want to convince you that I have truly changed.
Anything for you,
I am willing to do anything to make things right between us.
Why not for old times just smile for me.
I am asking for a simple gesture to remind me of the good times we had together.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JASON MIZELLE, JAKE MITCHELL, J P WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind