Dave Matthews Band – Rhyme & Reason

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Send "Rhyme & Reason" Ringtone to Cell

Oh well oh well so here we stand
But we stand for nothing
My heart calls to me in my sleep
How can I turn to it
'Cause I'm all locked up in this
Dark place -
And I do not know
I'm as good as dead
My head aches -
Warped and tied up
I need to kill this pain

My head won't leave my head alone
And I don't believe it will
Until I'm dead and gone
My head won't leave my head alone
And I don't believe it will
Until I'm six feet underground

How long I'm tied up
My mind in knots -
My stomach reels
In concern for what I might do or
What I've don
It's got me living in fear
Well I know these voices must
Be my soul
I've had enough I've had enough of being alone
I've got no place to go

My head won't leave my head alone
And I don't believe it will
Until I'm dead and gone
My head won't leave my head alone
And I don't believe it will
Until I'm six feet under ground

Six feet under
In y grave
Lying wired and shut and quiet in my grave
Leave me here
Leave me here to waste here
So young and here I am again
Talking to myself
A T.V. blares
Oh man
Oh how I wish I didn't smoke
Or drink to reason with my head

But sometimes this thick confusion
Grows until I cannot bear it at all
Needle to the vein
Needle to the vein
Take this needle from my vein my friend
I said

My head won't leave my head alone
And I don't believe it will
Until I'm dead and gone
My head won't leave my head alone
And I don't believe it will
Until I'm dead and gone

In my grave
Lying
Lying cold in my grave
The reason -
My reason
Take my head off this terror
The fearing won't come back
I can't see
My mind's all wiped clean
The needle
Make my great escape
I seem caught in time
My head leaves me behind
Body fall cold
And I see heaven

Send "Rhyme & Reason" Ringtone to Cell


Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae

Track duration: 05:14


Rhyme & Reason song meanings
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25 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:"My head won't leave my head alone and I don't believe it will 'till I'm six feet underground." That's my favorite part of the song. You're restless every second of your life till you're dead and gone. He's talking about the peace you achieve when you die.
    Flag MusicLoverEZLon January 11, 2010   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:It is sad how most think this song is about drug abuse/alcoholism/mental illness. You experience all these emotions while wide awake, sober and sane(if there is such a state of mind). You're just to damn regimented to recognize them, and you need drugs, alcohol or chemical imbalance to recognize any of them.

    Addiction is the way of the lazy.
    Flagged hlakamon May 27, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:fact: this song is about dave and his addiction to heroin:
    "But sometimes this thick confusion
    Grows until I cannot bear it at all
    Needle to the vein"

    "My mind's all wiped clean
    The needle
    Make my great escape"

    also he close to the beginning he says his head won't leave him alone until he's six feet under (meaning dead), and then in the last "verse" of the song he says he's lying in his grave because of the terror in his head that would be fixed when he was high, but continuing to do heroin could lead him to his grave.
    Flag bubaluie56on January 11, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I BELIEVE THIS IS DAVES DARKEST SONG! For one I don't know if this is a song which strictly deals with ther struggle of addiction, but whether Dave struggling with something, (death of his sister Anne, and or his father) and then turning to drugs, to forget. I think the lines towards the end are "the needle, she is my great escape" not makes my great escape. meaning This is what he turns to in order to escape from his unrelenting painful thoughts. Or atleast in some live versions I am sure this is what he says. Ps I love when he switches it up to please leave this needle in my vein my friend, like he is asking for one more time, like he desperately needs it.
    Flag cellordoreon February 29, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:All I have to say is that this song was awesome in concert: The Gorge 2007...can't remember which day but Robert Randolph did the intro and it was kickass.....=D
    Flag trn3ngoon February 08, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I love this song when he played at saratoga the passion and emotion he showed was just amazing
    Flag acoustic27on November 25, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:One of the best song i've ever heard!
    Great great voice! Maybe it deals with drug abuse or maybe not...who knows...)
    i think weathermanbob found the right point of view, the lyrics and dave's voice describe clearly that kind of hell.
    Flag paola_74on May 13, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Although I think this song deals with drug/alcohol abuse i think it is more heavily based on the obsessive-compulsive mindset. For example "In concern for what I might do or What I've done..." indicates that he is afraid that he may cause harm to other individuals or may do things alien to him. This is a common concern amongst the obsessive compulsive population. Other Examples of bad thoughts are: Imagining harming a child. To neutralize the thoughts or to "reason with myself" he has to "smoke & drink". He also indicates moments of profound insight of the thinking with the lyrics "My head won't leave my head alone". This indicates that he is aware that it is his head that is causing the distressing thoughts and it is not reality. I believe that there is acceptance and hope in this song with the lyrics "I don't believe it will, till I'm six feet underground."
    Flag satella-xon May 12, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:the two minds or "heads" are differing thoughts of what daves is attempting to come to a conclusion over.

    its his consious and subconsious mindsets...

    his subconsious is being renewed with the "mind of christ" and his consious mindset is what his outside influences is suggesting. its happens to everyone.

    think of an advertisement suggesting us to purchase something or not. subliminal advertisement is outlawed in america because it makes suggestions to our subconsious. even to our harm...impulse shoppers are screwed. we consume too much because of a weak uncontrolled subconsious.

    if your a christian. your subconsious is being reordered and being taught truth as error is being forgotten. its called renewing your mind. the only problem is that the consious mindset has to change. this is the battle within our two minds until we're physically dead and not affected by outward influences.
    Flag Me2on October 22, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:at the point he wrote it, this was by far Dave's darkest songs. i don't think that he was ever addicted to heroin 'needle to the vein' but i think that it has a lot to do with alcohol. remember that this is part of Under the Table and Dreaming and as they were making this album, which was before the band hit international 'super-stardom' and even before it caught the eye of the U.S. in a major way, Dave's sister(Anne) was murdered by her husband who proceeded to shoot himself. i believe that this is a song that has a lot to do with the sister. after all, the album is dedicated 'To Anne.'
    Flag bwbkelly7on June 15, 2006   Link

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