At seven years old Matthews aquired his first guitar, a junior-sized 'Kapok' acoustic (which he still has), although things didn’t quite go to plan. It became neglected very early on as the box it came in was shaped like a coffin and therefore scared the hell out of him every time he went near it! For a brief period he moved on to drums, but soon hit his last snare due to the noise factor in the house becoming increasingly unbearable. It all changed when on his eleventh birthday he asked for an electric guitar. His dad duly obliged and brought him a £25 'Kay' guitar complete with a bunch of old records acquired from a relative. Amongst those records was Smash Hits by Jimi Hendrix. This rekindled Matthew's interest in music and he has been playing ever since.
Matthews' inspiration has been drawn from iconic musicians such as The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Joni Mitchell, Marc Bolan, and Joe Satriani. His first real venture into writing music was with his brother Darren, who plays piano and keyboards, delving into the world of instrumental rock. His colourful musical past led him into prior experimentations with funk, indie/rock and soul. His later band Positive Firefly was his first foray into the role of singer/guitarist. With the determination to no longer be pigeonholed as such he left his role of a band member behind and emerged as a solo artist. However, these past experiences laid the foundations for his own unique fusion of folk, and blues rock to materialise.
Matthews first made waves in 2006 with his award winning debut ‘Passing Stranger’, which was followed by ‘Elsewhere’ (2009) and ‘What The Night Delivers’ (2011). Matthews has toured extensively including shows with Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Foo Fighters and Snow Patrol.
He has received plaudits from all corners including Q magazine who said he was “The most promising home-grown singer/songwriter to emerge in years”, and The Sun saying that ‘It’s no exaggeration to say Scott Matthews is probably the most exciting face of West Midlands Music since Robert Plant’.
Sweet Scented Figure
Scott Matthews Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Way patient now never learn till you call
Silence so sweet, feel the dreams unfold
I awake in my sleep and it's you I hold
Oh, oh, I gaze at the way that the colors
Merge into a beautiful view
But nothing compares to the path that I tread on now
The rise to my senses
I follow the sweet scented figure I tasted now
Taste I can only describe as a dream I once had
It tastes so good
Surmise my soul to the depths of your waves
Under lock and key is the feeling I crave, oh
Sooner, oh, we ache with the touch of your skin
Oh, you're living proof that there's healing within
Oh, oh, I gaze at the way that the colors
Merge into a beautiful view
But nothing compares to the path that I tread on now
And I'm led into
The rise to my senses
I follow the sweet scented figure I tasted now
Taste I can only describe as a dream I once had
It tastes so
Oh yeah, oh
The first stanza of Scott Matthews's song, Sweet Scented Figure, describes the feeling of patience and waiting for something to happen. The line "Say pretty now watch the wishes fall" invokes the idea of making a wish and waiting for it to come true. The following line "Way patient now never learn till you call" suggests that the singer is waiting for someone to initiate something, and they won't take action until that happens. The next line "Silence so sweet, feel the dreams unfold" could be interpreted in a few ways, but it seems to describe the feeling of anticipation and the imagination that comes with waiting. The final line, "I awake in my sleep and it's you I hold" is somewhat juxtaposing - the singer is dreaming, but also awake and holding onto someone.
The chorus of the song focuses on the beauty and wonder of the present moment. The lines "Oh, oh, I gaze at the way that the colors merge into a beautiful view, but nothing compares to the path that I tread on now, and I'm led into," seem to be describing a moment of awe and appreciation for the beauty of the natural world. The singer is able to fully experience the beauty around them because they are living in the present moment and following their own path.
The second stanza of the song shifts to a more sensual focus. The lines "Surmise my soul to the depths of your waves, under lock and key is the feeling I crave, oh, sooner, oh, we ache with the touch of your skin, oh, you're living proof that there's healing within" describe the physical attraction the singer has to someone else. They describe craving physical touch and finding healing in connections with others.
Overall, Sweet Scented Figure seems to be a song about appreciating the present moment and the beauty of the world and others around us. It touches on themes of patience, anticipation, sensuality, and spirituality.
Line by Line Meaning
Say pretty now watch the wishes fall
Observe how your beautiful intentions manifest themselves.
Way patient now never learn till you call
Sometimes, in waiting with patience, we only learn things when we take action.
Silence so sweet, feel the dreams unfold
In quiet moments, our dreams seem to manifest themselves before us.
I awake in my sleep and it's you I hold
In a dream-like state, I find solace in holding you close.
The rise to my senses
I become more aware of my surroundings.
I follow the sweet scented figure I tasted now
I am following a scent that I find delightful, and it leads me to something that I want.
Taste I can only describe as a dream I once had
I can only describe the pleasant flavor as something that I have experienced in a dream.
It tastes so good
The taste is incredibly satisfying.
Surmise my soul to the depths of your waves
I give myself up completely to the depths of your being.
Under lock and key is the feeling I crave, oh
The feeling that I long for is hidden and protected from others.
Sooner, oh, we ache with the touch of your skin
We long for the sensation of your touch so much that it causes us pain.
Oh, you're living proof that there's healing within
Your very existence is evidence that there is healing power available to us.
Oh yeah, oh
An expression of affirmation and agreement.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: SCOTT MATTHEWS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
1smartys
Genius. One of the best musicians that pass by going unnoticed by the masses.
Martyn
Unbelievably underrated.
C. Rab
Oh dear! This is just as wonderful as your other songs! How do you do to be so incredibly talented. My daughter has been taking guitar and cello lessons since two years now, and I wish one day she would perfom in songs like yours! The more I heard the more I love.
sierradelta07
I'm going to keep giving BBC 6 Music their due for introducing me to songs like this. I guess you have to grow into musical appreciation, find your thing and find a conduit that feeds you what you need. That's 6 Music for me. This is an outrageously beautiful tune.
Daniel Duerden
Masterpiece!
MISTYWORLD
Love his voice
Віктор Мазілов
Love this musician from UK.Album Passive Stranger is fantastic.New Album too.
Niap ik
wow!
redrock1963
Nice Harmony H55 Sovereign.
Mondo-Dook Nukem
. . . and this man shall awaken the dormant creationist in us all, for here and only here, do the answers lie. Within this god's humbling tones! or some shit like that, I do rather like this chappie though eh.