Dave Matthews Band – What You Are

General CommentI always assumed this song was written about the tragedy of his sister and her husband. The one who killed her and ultimately killed himself...

What you are is the beast in a lover's arms
What you are is the devil in the sweet, sweet kiss
What you are is missing a piece
What you are is a puzzle to me

The beginning is almost like as if he is describing walking into her funeral. Like everyone is looking to him for answers...

I walk into this room
Oh, all eyes on me now
But I do not know the people inside
They look straight through me, these eyes
Seeking more wisdom than I have to give away
Realize, realize what you are...

The seas unsparing
We're all drifting away
Away from you, I pray for you now
But hoping to God on high
Is like clinging to straws while drowning, oh
Realize, realize what you are...

He knows that his sister is gone, "drifting away." "I pray for you now... He is an atheist so of course to him, hoping to God that she is at peace is like clinging to straws while drowning...

The first time I heard him play it live and he said get down on your knees mother fucker! I had this eerie feeling that he was talking to his sister's husband, but he was the yelling at him to get down on his knees, like he was about to kill him. It was the first time where I felt a really dark vibe coming from Dave and even the inflection in his voice had a sinister tone.

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  @deedubbadoo
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  @deedubbadoo I think your interpretation is one of the best I've seen. I've always wondered what he is saying at the end AFTER he says "Get down on your knees mother fucker". You hear him say something about "God is on my side", but with him being an atheist, that wouldn't seem to make sense, so I've still never been able to figure out what he was saying the adlibbed part at the end. It was extremely obvious there is some very powerful emotion he's feeling when he sang the song in the Central Park show. When he sings the word "self" in the line "don't trust me, trust yourself" is one of the most belted out powerful vocals I've ever heard. It still gives me chills every time I hear it.

  Flag ScottRussellon June 10, 2016  

General CommentPerhaps it's the "afraid if we dance, we might die" that first struck me, but when I heard this song first years ago, I was walking along a college campus, my (now, five-part) novel series in its infancy stages. It hit me so strongly due largely to the fact that it fit my central characters so predominantly, that I'm just as perplexed as to its actual intended meaning as the rest of the forum members. But I'll offer my $0.02 anyhow.

To me, it represents two people from very different walks of life. The narrator of the song pleads continually with the recipient over this fact: "are you and I so unalike?" The characters in my novels are a serial murderer and investigator who grew up together as kids and were best friends long before the hell of adulthood forced them onto opposite sides of the law.

I think that this song can mean just about anything you want it to; the bottom line is that there is an air of mystery, suspence, and a darker quality. The speaker uses all sorts of intriguing imagery to bring the listener onto his side, to the point of intimidation. "What you've become, just as I have." He's saying you're no different than I am. You think you're so much better, you think you're righteous, (remember the album just before this one, everyone, and some of those themes) you think you could never be in my shoes -- think again. In the immortal words of Robert Ressler, any (profiler) could have taken that different road. Who are we to say that when faced with those circumstances we wouldn't have done the same? We can't. "What you are is the Beast in the lover's arms. What you are is the Devil in the sweet, sweet kiss ..." I think it's a wonderfully powerful song full of intensity. It tells a story, but it also tells MANY stories. Pick one. There's your meaning. It fit so perfectly for my instance that I selected it back in 2003 for the radio drama adaptation of the third book.

One of the reasons I appreciate Dave's talent so much; it's incredibly versatile as well as universal.

Anyhow, just my thoughts.

- Aubigne Spratling

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  @mindhuntress

General CommentI totaly agree. This is so obviously a cry out of frustration. I graduated from a divinity school, so I know a thing or two about religious f**kers that think they are holy and righteous. He (much like myself) is tired of hearing about how much better you can be. He is saying that he is sick of always feeling inadequate becuase some hypocrite told him that he needed to change things about himself.

My favorite part is in the live version where he says, "But you pray down on your knees mother F*ckers, you don't say God is on my side." To me, this is a reference to these religious people. They view themsleves as so holy, and they are doing all of the right actions, but there is nothing in their heart to back it up. They look at him and tell him that he's not going to go to heaven because Christianity is like a club to these people. Dave is not in their club. He, however thwarted his actions may be, has a much clearer interpretation of who God really is.

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  @famen

General CommentI acctually feel different than anyone I have seen post so far. I think it is talking about his daughters and being a father. "When you give life, then you become what you are" The song makes a lot of sense if you read it as though he is talking about his family.

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  @dmbcanada

General Commentwell, i'll be the first to comment on this song, it's not one of my favorites, but it's far from being bad.....i think that dave is talking to his fans, saying hey, i'm just like you guys, i don't have answers....he is also saying that people are scared to do what they want because they fear what others think......
don't trust me
trust you
it's up to you
that is saying, don't listen to what other people tell you to do with your life, it's up to you, trust your own feelings.

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  @daverocks

General Commentjust wanted to say that it's not "Are you and i so alike" it's "are you and i so UNALIKE" makes more sence this way too, to fit in Daverocks' idea

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  @Lissy Ratz

General CommentAnybody have the NEW live Outro lyrics? He played it on Last Call with Carson Daily and numerous other live proformances. All i can hear is "Get donw on your knees!" (intreaging enough)

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  @Lissy Ratz

General Comment'What You Are' wasn't initially one of my favorites, but it seriously grew on me. I love the eerie tone at the beginning of the song-- kind of the same feeling I get from 'The Stone' and 'Halloween.' In college, my friends used to like to pre-party to hip-hop style music to get pumped up for a night of beiruit-- but DMB always did it for me ;)

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  @des325

General Comment3 words to decribe this "BEST SONG EVER"...it kicks ass...anyways....lissy ratz...he says "get down on your knees mothafucka" thats why you can't hear the rest...it's censored.

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  @dpu2002

General CommentI love this song, but I really have no idea what this one's supposed to mean...I first thought that it was about religion, but that beast in a lover's kiss thing threw me off.

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  @DMBs_Crush