What does that song mean?

"Crash into Me" – and Reality

Posted Mar 1st 2011, 13:07

Arguably the most well-known and widely celebrated homage to women by Dave Matthews, “Crash into Me” topped the charts in its time and continues to receive praise as an iconic representation of the band’s swooning tone of voice and combination of melodic instruments. In many ways humorous, Dave Matthews later attested to the reality of the song as a jive from the viewpoint of a stalker – leading me to question the intentions of a man from the nineties and get back to basics with “Crash into Me.”

Let’s start with the first stanza and go from there.

You’ve got your ball
So we all know this is a sexualized song. Does this have any implications for easy-to-understand second-grade humor?
You’ve got your chain
Tied to me tight tie me up again

This is where is clearly drifts into Creeper Land. Tie me up with a chain? How did anyone even come to appreciate the sexual connotations? Oh, wait, it was the nineties.
Who’s got their claws
In you my friend

Once again, with the S&M references…

Into your heart I’ll beat again
Sweet like candy to my soul
Sweet you rock
And sweet you roll
Lost for you I’m so lost for you

Okay, this isn’t so bad after all. It comes across as sweet and melodic as many of us may remember.

You come crash into me
And I come into you

… what did we say earlier about second-grade humor?
I come into you
In a boy’s dream
In a boy’s dream

There’s no disputing the facts. This is clearly a sexual song, and it’s surprising that any self-respecting woman would allow her ballads author to get away with slipping in anything that remotely resembles a conversation in the boy’s locker-room.

Touch your lips just so I know
In your eyes, love, it glows so
I’m bare-boned and crazy for you
When you come crash
Into me, baby
And I come into you

Now that’s just graphic.

In a boy’s dream
In a boy’s dream

If I’ve gone overboard
Then I’m begging you
To forgive me

Forgive you for using locker-room humor in a love ballad? C’mon, Dave Matthews. You’re not crashing anywhere with those kinds of allusions.

In my haste
When I’m holding you so girl
Close to me

And here come the famous lyrics with Dave’s love of the high note….

Oh and you come crash
Into me, baby
And I come into you

No comment.

Hike up your skirt a little more

Wow.

And show the world to me
That’s actually a little hot….

Hike up your skirt a little more
And show your world to me
In a boy’s dream… in a boy’s dream

That’s it, right? Nope – read further. It’ll jog your memory and clarify just why Dave Matthews made the remark that this is a stalker’s song.

Oh I watch you there
Through the window
And I stare at you
You wear nothing but you
Wear it so well
Tied up and twisted
The way I’d like to be
For you, for me, come crash
Into me

Well, I think we can see that Dave got it right when it came to his suggestion that this is a stalker’s song. There’s not more, is there? Oh, wait –

I’m the king of the castle
You’re the dirty rascal. Crash into me!

That doesn’t even make sense. But it works, and it got Dave and his band the recognition they deserve. Kudos.

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