Lyrics for #41 as interpreted by Demau Senae

#41 Lyrics
Come and see,
I swear by now I'm playing time against my troubles
I'm coming slow but speeding
Do you wish a dance while I'm in the front
The play on time is won
Oh, but the difficulty's coming here

I will go in this way
And find my own way out
I wont tell you what to be
But I'm coming to much more
Of Me

All at once the ghosts come back reeling in you now
What if they came down crushing
In the way I used to play for
All the love and loneliness
That nobody notices now
Oh, begging slow I'm coming here

I'll be waiting
I wanted to stay, I wanted to play, I wanted to love you
I'm only this far and only tomorrow leads the way
I'm coming waltzing back and moving into your head
Please

I wouldn't pass this by
Oh, no I wouldn't take any more than
What sort of man goes by
I will bring water
Why won't you ever be glad, it melts into wonder
I came in praying for you
Why wont you run into the rain and play
Let it just splash all over you

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  • 142 Comments
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sacuna
12-02-2004

Rated 0 
This song has meant so much to me over the years. It has helped me get through some really bad times. DM is a genius.

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chasingmoon888
12-10-2004

Rated 0 
This is one of my ABSOLUTE favorite songs. The intro is just sooo awesome. I could never really figure out what the lyrics meant, sometimes Dave is hard to figure out because he's so poetic. This song to me just feels like raw emotion placed onto paper and he has such a great way of saying things...I love it

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floatingaboveme
12-19-2004

Rated 0 
dave matthews is an awesome poet he inspires me to write poetry and if it wsnt for his music i probably wouldnt be a published poet or as good i think this song is great very expresive and very defineing and meaningful scale one to ten for this song it gets an 11

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ffour4
12-26-2004

Rated 0 
dave matthews BAND...not just dave matthews (although you've got to love him), completely changed the way i approached music.

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Dornan
12-26-2004

Rated 0 
my alltime fav dave song. this was the first song that i just turned up really loud and chilled and absorbed everything it has to offer. one of my fav parts is before the chorus, you can hear a really cool riff softly playing in the background. great song!

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dmbfiredancer41
01-02-2005

Rated 0 
omg the best version of 41 is on Worcester Ma, December 8 1998 cd u can get on the dave matthews band offical website...amazing version the last like 4 min are amazing he adds some awesome heart warming lryics...I LOVE DAVE MATHEWS BAND

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dmbfiredancer41
01-02-2005

Rated 0 
i forgot to say the first time i heard this i cried my eyes out and im not the type of person to cry very much and im also happy to be the first to comment on this song in 2005

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Azdnumis210
01-07-2005

Rated 0 
this is probably my favorite song ever. howie day does a really good version of it live

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rzakovics
01-16-2005

Rated 0 
There are many ways to receive art, in any form, and all of them are valid and important. One way is to answer the question "what does it mean to you?" and another is "what did it mean for the artist?"
When I heard it, it made me think of a love relationship. But looking at some of the song comments it seems like there is evidence in the lyrics and from Dave's own mouth that its meaning is more complex...about losing himself and finding himself again in the context of a work relationship. That makes some sense. But how do we resolve that with lines like "i wanted to love you?" I have two ideas. Was it a work associate that he was involved with??? Was it someone he looked up to so much and admired (someone mentioned it was his mentor). There are many kinds of love...and that seems very reasonable to me.

This song moves me. That in itself is probably the best test of a songs quality to me. This song is top notch.

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davemfan89
01-22-2005

Rated 0 
This song is about Dave's old manager and their differences. He was upset on how long the manager would let him play on stage "my playing time is won"

It also says how dave wanted the manager to stay and make music with him, but that because of thier differences Dave couldnt take all the shit the manager was giving him.

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davemfan89
01-22-2005

Rated 0 
This song is about Dave's old manager and their differences. He was upset on how long the manager would let him play on stage "my playing time is won"

It also says how dave wanted the manager to stay and make music with him, but that because of thier differences Dave couldnt take all the shit the manager was giving him.

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dmband025
01-22-2005

Rated 0 
I totally agree with LiNkNmark. This is by far my favorite DMB song. I dont think you can always take Dave's lyrics so literally though, he's not the type that flat out tells you what the song is about. Sometimes his lyrics arent meant for you to disect...Just to enjoy and feel what he's feeling at the time the song was written.

Anyways, I just love this song and it's probably the song that made me fall in love with the Band.

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dmband025
01-22-2005

Rated 0 
Oh yeah, and 0ne /Vind, why the hell are you spending your time looking at Dave lyrics when you dont like the band. Yeah, you're right you're entitled to your own opinion, but what the hell's the point of going and posting it on the DMB page. Go listen to your shitty ass music and shut the fuck up.

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shan4short
01-24-2005

Rated 0 
I don't know what Dave is trying to say with song, but here is what I got from the song. Someone has a lot to accomplish in a short amount of time. It seems as if he implies that he is willing to do whatever needs to be done alone if he must. The song speaks of a broken relationship whether it's platonic or romantic is debatable. He also sings about how the person should take advantage of what he has to offer, but not to the point of taking advantage of him. I really adore this song. My favorite line is

"Come and see
I swear by now I'm playing time
I against my troubles... and Remember when I used to play for All of the loneliness that nobody
Notice now "

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yu enjoy myselph
01-28-2005

Rated 0 
The song was written about Dave's publicity. It was thought by many that he was just playing for popularity and to make loads of money. And, skimming through the comments on the lyrics, alot of you are right, he does want things the way they used to be, when people didn't accuse him of playing for money:

" Remember when I used to play for
All of the loneliness that nobody
Notice now
I'm begging slow I'm coming here
Only waiting I wanted to stay
I wanted to play... "

it can also be said that he's requesting people to loosen up and just love the music for the music, as he does, and he's asking what's it gonna take for things to be the way they used to:

" I will bring water
Why wont you ever be glad
It melts into wonder
I came in praying for you
why wont you run
In the rain and play
Let the tears splash all over you "

this has been an all time favorite song of mine. the lyrics can be interpreted a level of different ways, which i think is how Dave wanted it to be heard.

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BellaCarmelle
02-06-2005

Rated 0 
I'd have to say that this is the best DMB song ever!!! When ever I need a pick-me-up, I listen and instantly I feel better!!!

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jack_sparrow
02-11-2005

Rated 0 
it could be interpreted as the lack of honesty among his fame. He never plays for himself anymore, always for the crowd, and that kinda takes away from the meaning. As a guitarist, like I am, you notice the sparkle in people's eyes when you play, and that's is emotionally difficult because you don't know who is honestly taking an interest in you, it really is loneliness, and it hurts

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jack_sparrow
02-14-2005

Rated 0 
I think Dave may have written this song to express to a girl that he misses her while he's on the road, and then he reminisces about when he used to play his music for all his loneliness, before his fame, and that this is the way he has chosen in life and it will just have to be this way

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jpell7
03-04-2005

Rated 0 
i think this is one of dave's most emotional and powerful songs - it has tremendous meaning. even if this was written about business troubles, there sure is more to it.

this is true dave piece of work.

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points2honesty
03-18-2005

Rated 0 
absolutely love this song.. how can you not? i love this part: "I'm only this far And only tomorrow leads my way".. to me this means that the beauty of tomorrow is not knowing what is going to happen. also whenever i hear the last part "why wont you run In the rain and play? " this song it reminds me of me and my ex boyfriend... during the summer we were together, whenever it rained, wed get a bunch of people and go to the park and play tackle football-for those of you who have never done that it should be on your "to-do list" ((

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ZManDMB41
05-05-2005

Rated 0 
by far best dave song everrrr... look at the screen name i mean come on... i do believe that it is between a dispute, not with only one business partner but with everyone he knew before his fame, i think that dave is saying that now that he has all this fame everyone wants to come and be friends with him. they all want his money and to be part of his fame, but when he was nothing, they didnt give a damn... but hey, thats just what i think... definately best Dave song, maybe best of all time

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delial
07-26-2005

Rated 0 
to me it sounds like the narrator is struggling with something in his life, but he loves the person he is singing to. he's telling her he doesn't know when, but he'll try to get to her eventually. he doesn't want her to waste time waiting around for him, but all the same he's telling her he will try to get to her someday. at the same time he's lamenting over a past encounter with her when he had the chance to do something, but he missed the opportunity.

he wishes he had made a move at the time, but he didn't... and so he's looking forward to the future when he'll try and do what he longs to, and until then, he hopes she'll remember him and be there when he finally does arrive again. patience is a virtue.

Edited by delial on May 28 2008, at 03:11AM



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shaun050
07-29-2005

Rated +1 
I think this song means that he really likes a girl, to the point that it causes him to act shy around her, and he still doesnt know why he fell for her so hard but she is all he thinks about. And in front of his friends he acts different around her so they catch on quickly. He feels gloomy all the time b/c she doesnt know how he feels and he doesnt know if he will feel comfortable enough around her to act himself. Eventually she finds another guy and it is too late and he realizes that he wasted the whole time because he failed to act and the problems he worried about before dont even compare to the problems he has now and he tries his hardest to act like it doesn't bother him. He feels like he was slowly making progress but in the end his "conscience" let him down when he gets the news.

"I swear by now I'm playing time
against my troubles"

"The play on time is won
But the difficulty is coming here"

"All at once the ghosts come back
Reeling in you now
What if they came down crushing
Remember when I used to play for
All of the loneliness that nobody
Notice now
I'm begging slow I'm coming here
Only waiting I wanted to stay
I wanted to play
I wanted to love you"

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liz8484
08-14-2005

Rated 0 
The meaning of this song cannot be confined to one particular topic, though they may be interpreted that way and strike that area of your emotions. The song is about change in life.. he's looking back on his life and looking forward to everything else that he can become.. see how it's broader, yet it could still be narrowed exclusively to describe emotions in relationships.

Best part of the entire song:

"Why won't you run in the rain and play and let the tears splash all over you"

Basically, hardships are a part of life, whether it be family issues, personal issues, or concerning broken relationships. There's nothing you can do about it, it's jsut going to happen because life is not perfect. But even in the toughest times you can find happiness in yourself, in hope for a brighter future, etc. Tragedies do not disable happiness, as we are the ones who control our attitude.. Not even just hardships, fear for change, life milestones, .. trust your ability to achieve fulfillment and allow yourself to grow into a better you.

Best dave song. That quote's my favorite dave quote too. Tough decisoin, but a definite one.

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AlpineValley
12-24-2005

Rated 0 
i read that its about a friend that died of hepititus, i dont know thats what i read.

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