Stay or Leave

I don't know exactly what this song means. Like kbkaitemarie5 said, it could mean any of a dozen things.

I know what it means to me though. This one is about a man looking back at his relationship. Not from the table, weeping over a dear john letter. But from the distance of time. Remembering the good times. The freedom and passion that comes in love. And remembering the end, the distance and pain. But muted, and with the sense of realism that comes with stepping outside of something. He can see the reality of things. The growing distance. What he should and shouldn't have done to stop what seems now to have been so obvious. He loved her, and he hated her. He blamed her for leaving, but sees now that there really was no other choice. He misses the simpler times, when they were happy for no other reason than being together. When life was something that would change itself to their desires. Instead, it was them that changed. Routines slipping in and replacing passion with the 9-5 grind and credit card bills. Real life replaced the honeymoon disconnect from reality. The fires burned low until maybe, one day, it was another spark that blossomed in her bosom. Maybe someone else stepped in and breathed life into her ashes. Maybe she just grew tired of the cold. Either way he looks back with a sad reminiscence on a time filled with joy, and sorrow. With life.

A more reminiscent lost love tale then the average Dave written song; The song uses a day as an allusion to life. The opening line tells that the song is sung in a positive light, i.e., some of the memories, ‘maybe different’, but ‘remember’ the positive times. The singer is aware that the lost love is better off without him, but the pain is still present. ‘Wake up naked…’ represents birth, with the coffee reference as an awaking to the world. ‘The rest of the days afternoon…’ represents midlife, pondering how the singer will continue now that the love is gone. Time becomes insignificant, because every day remains ‘…the day you went away’.

The raw honesty of the picture that these lyrics paint tears my heart to shreds....

This song to me could mean 15 different things. But what i prefer to think is that its about a man who knows that he loves this woman. He knows she loved him with everything she has. but he also knows that she deserves better. He misses the times where it was carefree and there were no problems. and He hates the fact that he couldnt be there for everything.

lol I'm a little biased. but this is what i believe.

This song is absolutely perfect. the lyrics, the melody, his voice. just everything. I can't even pick out a favorite because it's all just incredibly beautiful.

this song procures this sweet nostagic feeling mixed with a tone of inner saddness...very bitter sweet

It tells a story of rememberance from start to finish the favorite parts of a relationship, up until the break up.

Although I've become rather burned out with Dave Matthews, I still have great appreciation for his amazing musical talents. He comes up with the best guitar licks and he seems to be able to capture a moment perfectly in his lyrics. This song is a good example of that. Dave will go down as one of the greatest singer/songwriters ever. He needs to be given more props for his guitar playing because he brings a style like no other and is one of the best guitarists ever in my opinion. No band on earth can give a show like DMB.

Yet another brilliant song...

amazing

'remember we used to dance and everyone wanted to be you and me'