In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
One last kiss one only
Then I'll let you go
Hard for you I've fallen
But you can't break my fall
I'm broken don't break me
When I hit the ground
Some devil some angel
Has got me to the bones
You said always and forever
Now I believe you baby
You said always and forever
Is such a long and lonely time
Too drunk and still drinking
It's just the way I feel
It's alright
Is what you told me
Cause what we had was so beautiful
Feel heavy like floating
At the bottom of the sea
You said always and forever
Now I believe you baby
You said always and forever
Is such a long and lonely time
Some devil is stuck inside of me
I cannot set it free
I wish, I wish I was dead and you were grieving
Just so that you could know
Some angel is stuck inside of me
But I cannot set you free
You said always and forever
Now I believe you baby
You said always and forever
Such a long and lonely time
Stuck inside of me
Then I'll let you go
Hard for you I've fallen
But you can't break my fall
I'm broken don't break me
When I hit the ground
Some devil some angel
Has got me to the bones
You said always and forever
Now I believe you baby
You said always and forever
Is such a long and lonely time
Too drunk and still drinking
It's just the way I feel
It's alright
Is what you told me
Cause what we had was so beautiful
Feel heavy like floating
At the bottom of the sea
You said always and forever
Now I believe you baby
You said always and forever
Is such a long and lonely time
Some devil is stuck inside of me
I cannot set it free
I wish, I wish I was dead and you were grieving
Just so that you could know
Some angel is stuck inside of me
But I cannot set you free
You said always and forever
Now I believe you baby
You said always and forever
Such a long and lonely time
Stuck inside of me
Lyrics submitted by SuperKind311
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I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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Great version of a great song,
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this song is absolutely breathtaking in my opinion. the raw emotion so easily felt by dave as he simply sings and plays is amazing. in my opinion, this is the story dave is hoping to tell through this song:
this man so desperately loves this woman, yet they cannot be together. he has fallen for her so deeply and nothing (not even the girl) could control his falling for her, yet because they will never be together he is broken and completely broken hearted. all he wants from her however is one last kiss, one last remnant of her, before he lets her go and finally lets go of their relationship. all these emotions and the entire experience of their relationship take both good and bad effects on him: he feels the joy and elation of the love he felt for her, however the emotions the relationship stirred in him also cause him to feel as if he were in a hell for he is not able to be with her ultimately. he admits he now finally believes her after she told him theyd always be together because ironically, he realizes that although they cant physically be together, his memory of her will still be forever and always with him and that this will sadly be a reminder of how lonely they will be without each other. he then admits that he is coping with the breakup through alcohol and drinking, he remembers her telling him that the end to their relationship was alright because their time together wasnt wasted since their connection was so real and beautiful. he then feels as if he is at the bottom of the ocean without her, yet it ironically feels like heaven because anything to be thinking of her, he prefers. he continues to talk to the girl and explain to her how there are conflicting feelings of bliss and hell overtaking him (the angel and the devil), and how he wishes she wasnt physically absent and dead from their relationship so she could understand the emotions inside of him. he finishes by proclaiming to her how their time of always and forever will always live on, and although it is lonely because theyll never be together physically again, she will always ultimately live inside of him.
i believe this is one of dave's most beautiful songs. the emotion and love and yearning for this girl are remarkable, and it is heart-renchinly sad as he realizes he can only want that one last kiss. extraordinary, life-changing song in my opinion. thank you.
Yea, I basically agree with the gyst of what everyone else has entered: "Some Devil" depicts the feeling that one will remember their lost love "always and forever" now that they've been left. Dave's broken voice is mournful as hell, and I can hardly stand to listen to it sometimes, but the message is quite beautiful. Days following the conclusion of a long time relationship, I felt terrible, completly devoid of any emotion other than love for the girl who had just broken my heart. It's hard to listen to on a cloudy day, but Dave sings this one with honesty and heart; one of the most touching songs I've ever heard.
WOW i can't believe that more ppl haven't commented on this song. I think it is 1 of the best song on Some Devil...Dave voice is amazing and it so beautiful and heart pouring cause its just dave and his guitar and it is played so well that u can almost feel the pain and heart break that dave is singing about...LOVE DAVE MATTHEWS BAND 4 LIFE!!!
i think it's about losing love. it's also about taking that person for granted. you think they'll always be there, and then one day they're not. that emptiness that follows the loss is almost overwhelming.
You know, at first I thought it was about a man that lost the love of his life to death. Almost that he wished it was him that was taken instead of her, but after reading all these.. I think the "Some Devil" that's trapped inside is the anger that has built up inside over her leaving him but he loves her so much that he can't let her go. Everything he sees and does reminds him of something so beautiful that he doesn't want to let it go. I listen to the song all the time because there's a connection you can make with it. It sounds so sincere and honest.
umm... I thought (and thought it was obvious, so maybe i've missed something) but someone he's loved (wife i assume) (and 'he' is not necessarily refering to Dave himself)has died. "You said always and forever, now I believe you" If she'd left him, it's not like he'd be believing her. "some angel is stuck inside of me, but I cannot set you free" same with the 'some devil is stuck inside of me' line this is saying that she is still in his head permanently, and he doesn't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but either way, there is nothing he can do about it, she is there forever and now he dreads spending the rest of his life without the one he loves.
I agree with you. He is the one who has died. In their relationship she told him she would love him always and forever but he didn't beleive her. It was only after he was gone and saw how she grieved that he knew. I think he wants to set her free but she is stuck inside of him. I lost my one true love to suicide almost two years ago. I told him I would love him always. Even though we had been together for 17 years, he couldn't understand how I could be so sure that would never change. A few weeks ago I was compelled to watch the movie 21 grams. Not a movie I should watch by the way, but I couldn't turn it off. At the end of the movie when I heard this song, I knew this was why I was suppose to see it through to the end. When I looked up the song and the lyrics, I understood the message. I think you got it right up to him dreading spending the rest of his life without her. He is heartbroken that she truely will love him always and forever and that is a long lonely time. I know. I live it everyday
The one line that everyone keeps mentioning "always and forever" is really what makes this song stand out above most other songs of this type. Few musicians will throw those words out, because the love their talking about is shallow. The love that Dave is bringing out is deep and fixed, that makes the song more stirring and passionate.
Everything about this song is mournful. Dave's voice at some points makes it sound like he's actually close to crying...and the fact that it's just his voice and a single guitar adds to the feeling of loneliness. I agree 100% with p_nunan. He's grieving the death of the woman he loved, and still loves. The memory of her and the feelings he has for her will remain stuck inside of him forever, and this is the "some angel, some devil" reference. The memories of her are obviously special, hence the "some angel," but the fact that she's gone forever will make these memories almost like a devil inside of him - an impediment to his happiness, that he cannot relinquish. This song is so beautifully written and composed in such a sincere and heartbreaking manner...it's definitely one of my favorite songs by Dave.
well, i thought initially that this song was about a break up, then the " i wish i was dead and you were breathing" part came up, and at that point i realized it was about someone whose lover had died. When he says, "you said always and forever, i now i believe you baby", i think it makes it more obvious that its about death. if you lose someone because of a break up, that comment wouldn't hurt as much, because you feelings will eventually fade. If someone dies, you have no closure, you feel as you did when they were alive. The love remains exactly as you remember it, always. The some devil reference, i think has to do with guilt or grief. when someone dies you feel guilty about moving on, hense not being able to set it free. This song is So beautiful, and im not even a dave matthews fan really, but jesus christ, you'd have to be souless to think this song was bad
I wonder if that line" i wish i was dead and you were breathing" could be interpreted by some to symbolize the realization of (idk how to put this correctly but) a genuine source of life (i.e. "breathing") and after realizing that source had been taken for granted for a certain amount of time, maybe that individual had grown tired and that love had died...somehow causing that individual to be thought of as "dead" after being taken for granted for so long....but after being completely shut off he (or she i suppose C:) has realized how sincere and beautiful that connection was...its strength and power ....because sometimes (for me personally) it seems that its just as painful when the other person is alive and after so many moments spent together, you become strangers. Such a great work of art. amazing...
I claim no profound insight. During a concert, Dave says the song is about t he death of someones spouse.
sometimes the person that you love can become your worse devil.... and you think about it, you miss it, a lot.. and you cant get it back... and the memories stays inside you and make you miss more...
break up or dead, it s the same... the person that you love die... there s not much difference... but the memories stay inside you like a evil thing....