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Matchstick Man Lyrics
So there he was then, Penzance to play
Christmas Eve in a nowhere band
Now early morning Christmas Day
He's hitching home to Geordieland
Last night the snow came, just my luck
And who the hell do you think you are
Climbing up into that truck
With your old bag and your guitar
And you, you would-be vagabond
No one invited you, you know
Matchstick man, up in the dawn
You've got five hundred miles to go
The driver now must drop off his load
The snow still laying thick on the ground
Leaves him on a high crossroads
Where he can see for miles around
The sun is shining, sky is blue
And everything is white and bare
Not a car comes into view
There's nothing moving anywhere
And you, you would-be vagabond
No one invited you, you know
Matchstick man, you speck upon
These vast and silent plains of snow
Christmas Eve in a nowhere band
Now early morning Christmas Day
He's hitching home to Geordieland
And who the hell do you think you are
Climbing up into that truck
With your old bag and your guitar
No one invited you, you know
Matchstick man, up in the dawn
You've got five hundred miles to go
The snow still laying thick on the ground
Leaves him on a high crossroads
Where he can see for miles around
And everything is white and bare
Not a car comes into view
There's nothing moving anywhere
No one invited you, you know
Matchstick man, you speck upon
These vast and silent plains of snow
Song Info
Submitted by
mellow_harsher On May 09, 2019
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Saw MK at Wolf Trap on Aug 18, 2019. He gave a rather lengthy introduction to this song. What I heard....
When he was 17, he was in a band that was 'not very good' and 'nobody liked each other'. They played a show in Penzance, UK on Christmas Eve. Next morning, he decided to quit that band and hitchhike home with 'his old bag and guitar'.
After 500 miles in the truck, he is dropped off on the 'high crosssroads' that overlook the valley he grew up in. Snow has covered everything. Trees are bare. Nothing looks the right.
At this moment. he despairs. He life seems to be going nowhere. But in this moment of dispair, he realizes that the life of a traveling musician ('would be vagabond'), with it ups and downs, is what he wants to do with his life. His choice
Not sure if this year (2019) was his final tour. But I gathered he was sharing the story of the day/moment he decided what he was going to do with his life. Remembering back to the start as he was finishing up.
Good song. Good moment.