|
matt morton - lead guitar, vocals
matt morton is a composer, songwriter, producer/engineer, guitarist, bassist, and music teacher in columbus, ohio. he is the founder and principal composer for studio 651, a full-service music production company that supplies music for film, tv, and commercials. matt has composed music for many companies including popcast.com, abercrombie & fitch, and headball films. he has also engineered and produced several albums for independent artists in his home studio. he was a founding member and lead guitarist/vocalist/songwriter for the shantee (www.theshantee.com), an original rock band with 3 studio cds, a live dvd, and national radio airplay. during their nine year run from 1995 to 2004, the shantee toured extensively in 16 states and played with bands including george clinton and parliament funkadelic, blues traveler, bela fleck and the flecktones, government mule, the neville brothers, david grisman, dickey betts of the allman brothers, widespread panic, and o.a.r. matt began teaching guitar and bass in 2003, and consistently teaches around 40 students each week in his home studio. he has been playing guitar for over 19 years. information about his guitar and bass lessons can be found at mattmortonmusic.com. matt is a magna cum laude and honors program graduate of denison university. matt is currently playing with a new band, seen tru (seentru.com). seen tru is reggae band that specializes in caribbean-flavored grooves. they play a mix of island-inspired originals and vintage reggae covers, blurring the lines between roots reggae, dub, funk, and experimental rock and jazz. visit matt's myspace page at: myspace.com/studio651
1-4-03 in response to some requests i've gotten, here are the lyrics to "you're still here (for a good reason)". i was also asked about the philosophy behind the song. as with all songs, what you hear and feel in them is what they're about - for you. i've even had songs that meant more to me before i even knew what the real lyrics were! the songs i love the most are the ones that keep meaning and revealing different things to me throughout time. our songs are trying to do the same thing - no matter what the authors of the songs were thinking and feeling when they wrote it, the song takes on a life of its own when the band interprets it, and when listeners interpret it. whatever it means for you is the real meaning of the song. that being said, i also love reading about what songwriters were trying for when they wrote a certain song. the following is just a few of the things i was thinking about when i wrote "you're still here (for a good reason)". the verses come from the practice of meditating on the realities of existence, including the fact that we all get old, we all will die some day, and that the next moment is not a sure thing. our lives are like bubbles on a swift stream - that sort of thing (dust in the wind, dude). the idea is that the more you're in touch with death, the more you can appreciate the present moment and all the good things in your life right now. western culture often celebrates youth to such a huge extent that it treats death (and disease and old age) as unnatural, or something that should be hidden away, not thought about. but no matter what your religion or philosophy, no one can escape death - it will happen sooner or later. and don't trust any religion or philosophy or savior or guru that doesn't focus on tools to positively affect your life right now. as bob marley said "some people think great god will come from the sky / take away everything and make everybody feel high / but if you know what life is worth / you would look for yours on earth / so now you see the light / stand up for your right" like most people i know, i have lost loved ones (and almost lost loved ones) and it's a very sad experience. however, i've seen it bring families and "communities" together in the most amazing way. i've also felt a "wake up call" in my own life several times from the experience, or from a near-death experience of my own. it used to be we had to run from lions and tigers and bears (oh my) and fight hand to hand with neighboring villages to survive - our lives were filled with near-death experiences every day, and you have to wonder if every moment in their day to day lives was more real and more important when a forty year old was the oldest person in your village. nowadays, the most dangerous thing we do is drive our cars - we have to go amusement parks and ride roller coasters to approximate those visceral adrenaline rushes that humans of old felt every day, just trying to stay alive. meditation upon the fact that you, the person reading this sentence, will die (growing old and getting sick aren't even assured - as al paccino said in the movie heat: "you can die walkin' your doggie") will help you to wake up to the present moment and appreciate all that you have. don't take this as some morbid thought, embrace the truth and stop putting your life off for tomorrow! the chorus is inspired by the idea that all people have within them a pure, self-contained, perfect luminous center (also the inspiration for yoda's speech in "the empire strikes back" and also for the song "luminous"). we all have everything we need to be happy and break the cycle of suffering in our lives, however, we have to work very hard to dig through the layers of ignorance, selfishness, negative karma, and fantasy that we've built up throughout our lifetimes. these layers block the "light" from shining through. the first step is to open your eyes and start the difficult process of stripping away these layers and trying to get to the center of who you are underneath - an amazing, beautiful, and enlightened person.
verse 1 to jimmy, nothin' mattered much until the car crashed woke up thrown far from the bloody glass but danny didn't make it, his gifts couldn't break his fall get up jim, wake up call verse 2 tell me what it's gonna take what's a big enough excuse things you own they end up owning you there's a madman thief, your neck's up against his knife if you live through this, will you finally try? bridge death is not opinion, no one gets to stay don't pin it on religion, no, your only life is right now chorus my eyes are open working through what i see the more you peel away the more your light is shining verse 3 maybe when you were a kid they told you you were no good those bruises, yeah, they're with you still you decided to die, you couldn't take it but something wouldn't let you say goodbye verse 4 i say hello my friend, we're gonna make it yeah you're still here for a good reason everybody's got everything they need so wake up and look around you're shining like the sun bridge death is not opinion, no one gets to stay don't pin it on religion, no, your only life is right now it's not morbid reflection, the truth will set you free exercise your option, stop lying to yourself chorus my eyes are open working through what i see the more you peel away the more your light is shining
chorus i wanna pack you up and bring you along is that so much to ask, is that so much to ask? the night you left you left me burning cold took some time to face the fact but i will not look back hope you find what you're looking for
verse 1 i've had enough i'm on my way please don't look for me i won't be there so tired of wishing you were here i hope you understand but it's the only way i know to get by
chorus
verse 2 through the years the earth has proved to reward those with the genes that moved first to kill the mighty lion now he not busy born's busy dyin' evolution's in our mind the thoughts and world we choose to find it's not our fault it's just our rails took some time to realize livin' in the past's a wall-less jail
bridge i think i better slow down, slow down, slow it's like heaven to take a breath, we're all here, surround
chorus
verse 3 i find it hard to just sit still scared to face the thoughts i feel within don't deny the place you're in don't you know that you're doomed to repeat the fights you won't begin in search of cool we look outside in vain i look for peace i can provide true revolution comes from love it's scary to be different but can you see the world i'm speaking of?
bridge i think i better slow down, slow down, slow it's like heaven to take a breath, we're all here, surround can't you see what you see happening is the child of your thoughts look inside, look inside |
||||||
