The Bartender is God! He’s asking god to forgive his sins. He’s either dead, dying or begging for more time depending on how you want to look at it. What a beautiful song he absolutely crushes!
This song is so powerful it makes me cry every time I hear it. Now, The man is facing his death. He talks to God (Bartender), He asks not to be forgotten, and to have no regrets. Fill my glass for me, is to give hime more time, so that he might not be obsessed with money, and work. all the things that are killing him. (the wine) . This song makes me be a better person, to not want, to not be greedy. and to ultimately be remembered with out regret for the things we have done (original sin). And then begging PLEASE let me be a better person! I'm on my knees! Now praying to be forgiven for the things I have done, give me salvation. Bartender please. *In my daily life, I ask myself with each and every decision I make, "Is this the RIGHT thing to do." ~Nate
This song is about Dave becoming an alcoholic and fighting those urges. When he says "the wine that's drinking me" is literally the alcohol consuming him...
Dave is a lyrical and musical God given genius! EVERY SONG will blow you away!!! And just as you said, I use this song to calm me when I’m anxious and it works better than anything else! He soothes the soul more than the ears 😊
I absolutely love Dave Matthews Band. Their Live in Central Park concert is still one of the best live recordings I've ever heard. I've had the pleasure to see them live more than a dozen times and it is always the best time! Such a vibe at a Dave show, go if you ever get the chance!
I love this song, it's not really religious (it can be, if you want), it's an allegory, like most of religion. it's about life, death and family. It's about fears and doubts, it can be whatever you want it to be.
There's so much I could say about this reaction, but it looks like some of the other commenters are on top of things. One of the best reactions to this song. So glad you pulled up the lyrics. Dave Matthews is a poetic genius and I think it often gets lost or overlooked by most people since he's typically surrounded by some of the best musicians in the industry. He is always writing lyrics in a way that they can have multiple meanings depending on the listener. Some background about Dave that may help your interpretation: he was a bartender when he started playing live music (so maybe he is singing from the POV as a bartender) and where he met Tim Reynolds, he owns a winery (dreaming tree winery, so that is something that he is also experienced with), he was born in South Africa and a naturalized US citizen (he musical and artistic choices have deep roots in that culture). 1 Additional Note: Live Dave Matthews > Studio Dave Matthews ... but studio albums are still delightful
Live performances are the way to go whether it is DMB or Dave and Tim Reynolds. One of the few examples where the live versions are better than studio.
I totally agree. I’ve been listening to DMB since they started and have seen them many many times live across the country. When he started doing shows with Tim I never missed a single one.
Glad you saw this one. Yes, it is deep. His vocalizations before and after the song are likely from his being from South Africa and loving the spiritual sounds & rhythms from the people there that he still loves today. He says his 'dancing is from Africa' as well! Love him, I've been to about 20 of his concerts..an unbelievable experience, each and every one.
So, for myself, I watch reaction videos in an attempt to achieve a similar feeling I had when I discovered a song or movie the first time. I cannot speak for other folks and thier reasons. For this reaction video Britt, I wish I could hit the like button 1000 times. I was literally, and out loud, feeling the same things you were on my first time. Thank you for helping me relive the moment I heard this song live. BTW I have seen these two in concert together twice. If you notice the crowd stay pretty quiet during the songs, its because they call the concert an "intimate evening" and they literally ask the crowd to hold it down during the song. GREAT WORK! Subbed
Dave likes his metaphors... I've always taken this one as trying to grasp his mortality and the success his band had experienced in the 6 years before it was written: the character is literally reaching out to everyone: his brother, sister and mother to say he was a good person, and the bartender in front of him: "What do you have so I don't leave this mortal coil?" Just me. The sound Tim is making is use of a slide (the silver thing) and a delay pedal--even though he's playing acoustic, Tim's guitar is plugged into a pedal board with a ton of effects on it. When you see him tap down with his right foot, he's bringing up another effect to tweak the sound of his guitar.
Not mention that Dave has the real-life experience of being a bartender for several years, so he's also pulling his metaphors from there as well. It's how he met Tim Reynolds. Reynolds was one of the performers at the place Dave bartended.
Hearing the entire band perform this one live is so powerful (like all of them!), and yet this acoustic version with Tim is just elevated to a spiritual level. DMB is such a deep and worthy rabbit hole to explore. Their 1st 4 albums are all musical masterpieces and ear candy for the soul.
You've gotta hear "Don't Drink the Water" from this same concert. Matthews used his experiences from Apartheid to inform a song about the colonial displacement of indigenous peoples everywhere. It's one of those "the moral IS the story" tales, and one of the angriest songs I've ever heard. For which I am grateful.
Thank you for this beautiful review. Dave is an amazing, musical genius and you nailed it. I’m in my 40s and have been a fan for almost 30 years. I love to see younger people discovering him and really enjoying and appreciating his music. Keep doing your thing. And keep listening to Dave! He will never disappoint.
his full concert with this song is absolutely fantastic, pretty sure you can find the whole thing on Dave's youtube. Oh and Dave Matthews has his own label, and he's pretty fan friendly. Dave Matthews Band "Jimi Thing" live. "41" live pretty much anything live. Their live performances are amazing.
Dave can barely sit still in his seat. He’d be dancing his ass off the whole time in a different setting. I saw them at Madison Square Garden with Soulive opening. Shortly after that Rashawn Ross (trumpet player with Soulive) joined DMB full time. They played “All Along the Watchtower” with Eric Krasno from Soulive on lead guitar. After 100s of shows that’s one of my favorite live performances to this day.
Dave Matthews often mixes the concepts of sin and redemption into his music. Also human frailty & faith, love and lust, judgement and acceptance. He sings deeply about the realities of humanity. It's not easy to get the depth of meaning on a first listen. His lyrics really deserve academic study.
I've been a Dave Matthews Band fan since 1994. The response you had to this tells me you definitely should see them live. If you want an experience of a lifetime, come out to Washington for LaborDAVE weekend at the Gorge. The venue is surrounded by a vineyard & the stage sits on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Columbia River. It's worth every penny.
I love you, I love Dave Matthews, and for some reason it’s taken 5 months for this to show up in my algorithm. I’m just glad it finally did, because now it’s like an early Christmas present! Great reaction to this primal and hauntingly beautiful version of this song 💛xo
You gotta do more songs from this live show, it's so incredible. He has some short talking point and 'speeches' I guess you could call them in the show that are really cool to hear too
Fantastic reaction, thank you for your realness!! I always love seeing peoples first reaction to my favorite band and you're spot in the emotion we all feel 💜 It IS raw and spiritual and nature and bed time ness, well done Britt!!
Probably heard this song 10,000 times. Watching you watch it for the first time was like me reliving my first time all over again, this time with even more appreciation for the song and your taste! Thanks for the shared experience:)
The melody he sings/hums at the beginning and end is sampled from Peter Gabriel’s score of “The Last Temptation of Christ.” If you’re familiar with the film, it’s incredibly clever what Dave does here.
There's two "wine's" in the song. The "wine that strung Judas" represents evil and the wine that he's asking the Bartender (God) for is good. He feels that the "wine that strung Judas" (evil) is taking over him and he's asking God to fill him with good. He's thinking about dying and the people he loves (mother, sister, brother) and facing his God. At one point he does say "Father please" while talking to the bartender which is the only time he really reveals that the "Bartender" that he's talking to is actually God.
Seriously funny and amazing singer , one of my favourites for sure. The man can belt like a warrior and be a as playful as a little kid... something like that... him and Tim together are something special to behold Also , Dave used to be a Bartender ..
I have seen them 10+ times at the Gorge and were all amazing shows. Nothing beats their yearly 3 night show on the beach in Cancun at Moon Palace, which i went to in February. By far the most spiritual experience i have ever had at a concert
The song is a prayer. For me, it paints a double picture~ First, of a troubled man trying to escape from the pain of his realities by drinking and asking the bartender for a drink that is going to make everything okay. The second, a picture of a man kneeling before God and asking for salvation
Solid choice for a reaction, I am not practicing a religion but. I do BELIEVE in dave. Always manage to nail a reaction. Even when claiming to be lost a bit😊
Only the Bartender (God / Father - "Father please!") can give out salvation in the form of filling one's glass. He's reflecting on his circumstances near the end and asking for that salvation. The acoustics with Tim on the slide and the tribal/hymnal fills of Dave's voice are meant to sound very church-like in my opinion. Besides any meaning like I mention here, the soundscape they create alone is probably the best I've ever heard - it's stunning. Probably one of the best live performances in modern times... how lucky for those that were there!
I think he is writing about fear of death (is it truly the end of his being or is there something beyond), the fear of not have lived up to what he believes to be good and right, and the need to feel his life has meaning beyond the fame and wealth he has and the decisions he has made. His upbringing and the tragedy of his family may have affected his songwriting. It feels like DMB a seeker--of truth and meaning, so it comes out in a lot of his lyrics. Out of all of his songs, this one feel to me like the most intimate. And it is my favorite.
Not sure if you're referring to the SNL skit, or Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by Smashing Pumpkins, but you've put me in mind of one of my favorite old dumb jokes: What do you get when you cross Lassie with a cantaloupe? A melancholy baby! 😆 edit: And that early tremolo kinda took me to the love theme from the original Blade Runner by Vangelis. I can't stop my mind today!
It's Tim Reynold's slide git. Definitely a spiritual experience! Not only is Dave magic, but makes damn sure he is always surrounded by magic, as well!
That sound is a majestic "Tim Reynolds" in his natural habitat. (in the best nature doc voice) lol ... The metal pinky thing is a "Guitar Slide", they also make em out of Glass depending on the sound you are looking for. You may be more familiar with that sound / technique, in the context of Country, where it's used a lot on the Lap Steel. First time I heard Tim Reynolds was on the "Live at Luther College" Album. Such a great "story telling" album that reminds me a lot of MTV Unplugged.
There’s a reason this bands fans go to see them OVER AND OVER again, some people have show numbers in the hundreds and I’m not even joking. Myself I’ve been to 34 shows and I have 6 more planned for this summer 2023. I’m single with no children and I literally spend most all of my extra time and money on DMB because they have been a huge part of creating joy in my life even after the shows are over. I really love seeing others discover and get into them too. If you think Dave and Tim are amazing, you gotta see the whole band! Thanks for reviewing and sharing, I really enjoyed your take.
Oh Brit…. You have to listen to more Dave and Tim songs together. It’s an experience. I’ve seen them live together 17 times. I used to make road trips from Nothwest Indiana to see those two play many many times.
His sister was brutally murdered by her husband and Dave and his brother took in her son and daughter and they raised them. But the Bartender is God and he’s talking about his troubles with drinking and asking him to forgive him and help him with his problems. The lyrics about the gold is about the temptations of being rich. Yes girl! You just got to the part of the Judas tree. We used to call going to a DMB show as going to Church. His music is so great! Please listen to Grey Street or Dreaming Tree. They are both incredible songs for women who have been through some tough times ❤
“When I was young I’d never think about it now I just want to run and hide” he’s thinking about his mortality and talking to God (The Ultimate Bartender) and his family… can you give me that wine that set Jesus free after 3 days. Maybe just another shot at it.
It's about alcoholism. He's praying to the bartender to ease him of his troubles, knowing full well his troubles are due to drinking too much. You're welcome
An AMAZING STORYTELLER is Canadian artist Gordon Lightfoot who just died Monday, 1 May, at age 84. Released in 1970, this song is PERFECTION: If You Could Read My Mind Love.
Yup the “bartender” is “god”… Other than that and a few details that you pretty much got this song call be interpreted and the meaning filled in for loss, for wanting more time (being terminally ill), control or lack of control of your life…. Sooo many different ways to relate to this song…. For me it’s always been about loss and wanting more time with the people I have lost. When the song came out this interpretation was more theory for me… but in the last 5 years loosing a BF, my father, all of my grand parents, and other friends this song just represents regret and wanting more time with those people.
