Matchbox Twenty

Released: January 1, 1996

Songwriter: Rob Thomas

Producer: Matt Serletic

[Verse 1]
It's sitting by the overcoat
The second shelf, the note she wrote
That I can't bring myself to throw away
And also
Reach, she said, for no one else but you
'Cause you won't turn away
When someone else is gone

[Verse 2]
I'm sorry about the attitude
I need to give when I'm with you
But no one else'll take this shit from me
And I'm so terrified of no one else but me
I'm here all the time
I won't go away

[Bridge]
Yeah, hey, it's me
Yeah, well, I can't get myself to go away
Hey, well, it's me
And I can't get myself to go away
Oh God, I shouldn't feel this way, now

[Chorus]
Reach down your hand in your pocket
Pull out some hope for me
It's been a long day, always
Ain't that right

And no, Lord, your hand won't stop it
Just keep you trembling
It's been a long day, always
Ain't that right

[Verse 3]
Well, I'm surprised if you believe
In anything that comes from me
I didn't hear from you or from someone else
And you're so set in life, man, a pisser they're waiting
Too damn bad you get so far so fast
So what? So long

[Chorus]
Reach down your hand in your pocket
Pull out some hope for me
It's been a long day, always
Ain't that right

And no, Lord, your hand won't stop it
Just keep you trembling
It's been a long day, always
Ain't that right
Oh, ain't that right

[Bridge]
It's me
Yeah, well, I can't get myself to go away
Hey, well, it's me
Yeah, well, I can't get myself to go away
Oh God, I shouldn't feel this way now

[Chorus]
Reach down your hand in your pocket
Pull out some hope for me
It's been a long day, always
Ain't that right

And no, Lord, your hand won't stop it
Just keep you trembling
It's been a long day, always
Ain't that right, now, yeah

[Chorus]
Reach down your hand in your pocket, well
Reach down your hand right now
It's been a long day, always
Ain't that right

[Chorus]
Reach down your hand in your pocket, well
Reach down your hand right now
It's been a long day, always
Ain't that right

[Outro]
Oh ain't that right
Well ain't that right, oh right, right
Oh child
Right, oh right, right, oh right, right
Oh child
Oh child
So come on

Upon the release of their debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You, in fall 1996, Matchbox Twenty was pigeonholed as one of the legions of post-grunge guitar bands that roamed the American pop scene in the middle of that decade. As their first single, “Push,” climbed the charts, it was widely assumed (at least by cynical critics) that they were a one-hit wonder, but Yourself or Someone Like You continued to spin off singles well into 1998. By that time, the group’s blend of ‘70s arena rock and early-'90s American alt-rock – closer to Pearl Jam and maybe R.E.M. than Nirvana – had become the sound of mainstream American rock. That transition slipped underneath the radar of many pop music critics and fans. Yourself or Someone Like You sold millions of copies without ever truly dominating the charts – by 1998, it had gone platinum five times; by 2000, ten times. At no time did the record top the charts, but it was always around, a staple of modern rock, adult alternative, and Top 40 radio alike. Matchbox Twenty was omnipresent because they managed to blend the structure and sentiment of '70s arena rock with '90s hard rock, thereby winning a large audience by seeming simultaneously classicist and modern. They were a little more classicist than modern, but that’s the reason why they became America’s most popular rock band of the late '90s – even if nobody quite realized they had achieved that status.

The de facto leader of Matchbox Twenty is lead singer and songwriter Rob Thomas. An Army brat born on a military base in Germany, Thomas spent much of his childhood between his mother’s house in Florida and his grandmother’s place in South Carolina. The stress of the constant movement spilled over into his schoolwork, and he dropped out of high school at the age of 17. He spent some time wandering around the Southeast, singing in a variety of rock bands before he made Orlando, Florida his home base. There, he met bassist Brian Yale and drummer Paul Doucette, and the three spent several years drifting through local bands before Matchbox Twenty officially formed. They rounded out the lineup with Adam Gaynor (rhythm guitar, vocals), who had previously worked at the Criteria Recording Studios in Miami, and Kyle Cook (lead guitar), a former student of the Atlanta Institute of Music.

The band hooked up with Collective Soul producer Matt Serletic and recorded a batch of demos, which helped the band secure gigs throughout the U.S. Soon, the band signed to Lava, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records, and recorded its debut, Yourself or Someone Like You, also with Serletic. The album was released in October 1996 to little attention, but Matchbox Twenty continued to tour America, cultivating a fan base. They eventually landed their single “Long Day” on several influential radio stations, which paved the way for their breakthrough hit, “Push.” In spring 1997, “Push” began climbing its way to the top of the modern rock charts, as it received heavy airplay from radio and MTV. By the summer, the single was in the modern rock Top Ten, and Yourself or Someone Like You had reached the album Top 40 and gone gold.

more tracks from the album

Exile on Mainstream

From the albums

Yourself or Someone Like You (1996)
Exile on Mainstream (2007)

Matchbox Twenty popular songs

Long DayMatchbox Twenty

Matchbox Twenty

Exile on Mainstream