His style is no style, an honesty that resonates through all that listen, and performances built on baring the soul through darkly personal lyrics over sparse rustic guitar chords. It's a do it yourself philosophy, a hark back to the good ole days, when a man could jump a train with a guitar and find the meaning of his life on a long and lonely road.
All songs recorded on a 2002 Roland VS-890 8 track.
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“Our old Melbourne town has a fondness for dark country, for stout musical melancholy to be consumed in our grimy parlours. I’ve been attending live music regularly in Melbourne for over four years now and-not to blow my own horn-thought I had a pretty good grasp on who were the best musicians in town. Then along comes Hawk Moth. Mathew Barker had been a writer of sorts for a time before taking to music, and his listing of John Fante and Hank Chinaski as influences on his Facebook may give an indication of the lyrical content on Hawk Moth (other influences: cigarettes, the ocean). These are simple acoustic songs that I grew very fond of, songs that lament loss and celebrate friendship. Barker’s voice has a lovely high reediness, flavoured with nicotine and Coopers Pale Ale. Since discovering this record I’ve had a bit of contact with Matt-seems he’s been out of town but is playing a few local gigs soon. He reckons he’s going to buy me a beer. I’ll be returning the favour.”
BH — Bandcamp Hunter
"There are a lot of good things to say about Mountains. Spend a little time with this release. Beautiful, honest music worth it’s weight.”
MT - Whothehell.net
“Mathew Barker is a treasure; a true romantic with a touch of sinister. He’s been writing poetry for as long as I have known him, and is about to tour the United States for the first time, performing his music. If you are in any of these cities, please go see this little Aussie… I promise it will make your heart bleed.”
Amber B Dianda - Mumble
mountain
Water Music Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just minutes before I was on a mountain.
I screamed "I can see all."
The ground broke from the sound.
It was all built on nothing.
And the pretty lights down below
Begged me to just let go;
To let myself be condemned;
I opened up my aching hands.
I went down like an avalanche.
I took with me the things I found.
I used them to help slow me down,
And start again.
Chorus:
Caution: The solid ground that you
Are on will slide from under you.
The lyrics to the song "Mountain" by Water Music depicts a moment of vulnerability and turning point in the singer's life. The opening lines, "I was hanging on by a little thread. Just minutes before I was on a mountain," suggest a sense of precariousness and uncertainty in the singer's life. However, she seemed to have a moment of clarity and saw things more clearly before everything came crashing down. The line, "I screamed 'I can see all,'" shows that despite feeling like she was hanging by a thread, there was a moment of hope and clarity. Unfortunately, this moment of clarity was short-lived as she realized that everything around her was built on nothing, and the ground broke from beneath her.
The next lines, "It was all built on nothing. And the pretty lights down below begged me to just let go," suggest that the singer was contemplating giving up and starting over. However, she chose to take control of her life, realizing that there were things she could take with her to help her along the way. She "opened up [her] aching hands" and went down like an avalanche, suggesting that she was starting over but with a newfound level of determination and conviction.
The chorus, "Caution: The solid ground that you are on will slide from under you," acts as a warning to the listener to be mindful and not take anything for granted. It suggests that life is constantly changing, and one must be prepared to adapt and make changes along the way. Overall, the song portrays an empowering message of taking control of one's life and starting over, even when everything seems to be falling apart.
Line by Line Meaning
I was hanging on by a little thread.
I was barely holding on and my situation was desperate.
Just minutes before I was on a mountain.
I was on top of the world, feeling invincible.
I screamed "I can see all."
I felt like I had a clear perspective of everything around me.
The ground broke from the sound.
My confidence led to my downfall and everything fell apart.
It was all built on nothing.
My success was not based on anything substantial or lasting.
And the pretty lights down below
Begged me to just let go;
The tempting distractions and easy way out were calling to me.
To let myself be condemned;
To start again
Giving in to temptation would have been my downfall, but starting over was necessary.
I opened up my aching hands.
I let go of my old way of thinking.
I went down like an avalanche.
I fell hard and fast, but that was necessary to move on.
I took with me the things I found.
I learned from my mistakes and took valuable lessons with me.
I used them to help slow me down,
And start again.
I used my newfound knowledge to pace myself and begin again with a solid foundation.
Caution: The solid ground that you
Are on will slide from under you.
Don't get too comfortable with your current success, as it may not last forever.
Lyrics © TERRORBIRD PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: CHARLES ALLEN RAGAN, CHRISTOPHER JAMES WOLLARD, GEORGE REBELLO, JASON WILLIAM BLACK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind