I thought since one of the signs of the apocalypse had occurred -- cf. Revelations c.23 v. 5 - Yea, verily, at the end of times Mitch Stripling will like a Matchbox Twenty song -- I'd honor it with a regular feature of Crisisville, me breaking down some bit of cultural ephemera about the end of the world.
Matchbox Twenty - “How Far We've Come”
Sometimes, there's a lot to learn from the way an artist deals with the end of the world. Here, not so much. But it's hard to argue with those drums! I think a big reason why this is such a good tune is that M20's self-hating drummer finally gave it up and switched to rhythm guitar, which let them get a really who's not afraid to pound those skins like they were a cheap, do-it-yourself sex doll.
But what does it have to tell us about the apocalypse? Read on, MacDuff.
First off, for an end times drama, it's pretty self-absorbed. Rob says:
I’m waking up at the start of the end of the world
But it's feeling just like every other morning before
Now I wonder what my life is going to mean if it's gone.
So, the world's ending, and he's worried what it will mean to him? Newsflash, Robbie, when the world ends, you're ending with it, greatest hits album or no.
In the chorus, Rob gives us his take on the great Frostian Fire v. Ice debate. Rob Thomas's answer: a solid fire.
But I believe the world is burning to the ground
Oh well, I guess we're gonna find out
Let's see how far we've come
Let's break this down. It may not be obvious, but Thomas's thought here is functioning in a Hegelian dialectic with You (yes, you) functioning as interlocutor. He expresses his belief in the coming end. You demur; you scoff, practically. Bad you!
But Thomas is confident. He expresses his belief that you'll find out (aka die a fiery death). When you counter, full of hostility, transferring your own impotent rage onto him (Shame on You!), he presents his synthesis, “Let's see how far we've come”.
This may not make much sense on the surface. But don't worry-it doesn't make much sense in the depths, either. Thomas is saying we'll die from the progress of history, which will kill us (in the video) with a dire weapon--stock footage lifted directly from Billy Joel's We Didn't Start the Fire.
What does it all mean? In the bridge, Thomas finally lays his soul bare, drenching us in the deep power the end times hold over his psyche:
Well it was cool, cool, it was just all cool
Now it's over for me and it's over for you
Don't you see? It's the ice, the ice. The progress of history chills us out, spreading glaciers over our souls. Thomas believes the fire is the only thing that can open us up; Trouble is it, uh, kills us at the same time. As he says:
Said where you going man, you know the world is headed for hell?
Say your goodbyes if you've got someone you can say goodbye to
Oh, you kick us in the teeth, Matchbox Twenty. Right in the philosophical teeth. But if it helps us connect to our loved ones and repurpose video footage from 80's adult contemporary classics, maybe it will let us see how far we've come. Rob Thomas, will you be someone I can say goodbye to?
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