You’re at a party in 1996. The air is thick with the scent of cheap beer and clove cigarettes. Suddenly, that frantic, staccato horn line kicks in. The room shifts. Everyone starts doing that weird, jerky "Dave dance." You know the one.
Too Much is one of those songs that feels like a caffeinated panic attack, but in a fun way. It’s the fourth track on Crash, the album that basically turned Dave Matthews Band into a religion for suburban teenagers and college kids everywhere. But if you actually sit down and read the too much dave matthews lyrics, you realize it’s not just a frat-rock anthem about overindulgence. It’s actually kind of dark.
Honestly, it’s a song about the bottomless pit of human desire. Or, as Dave might put it, the "hunger that keeps on growing."
The Gluttony of the American Dream
The song opens with a literal intake of breath. "Straight in, suck up and go / Cool it, swallow, swallow." It’s visceral. It’s gross.
Most people hear the chorus—"I eat too much, I drink too much, I want too much, too much"—and think it’s a celebration of partying. It’s not. Dave has mentioned in various interviews (and the song’s vibe confirms it) that this is a critique of consumerism and the "more is more" mentality.
Think about the line: “Ooh traffic jam got more cars / Than a beach got sand.” That’s a 1990s vision of hell. It’s the realization that we are constantly stuffing our lives with stuff—cars, food, media—until there’s no room left to breathe. We’re "packing more lines" in between the lines. It’s a claustrophobic lyrical journey.
Why the "Leroi Moore" Horn Line Matters
You can't talk about the lyrics without the music. The late LeRoi Moore’s baritone sax on this track is legendary. It’s heavy. It’s grounding. It feels like the physical weight of all that "too much-ness." While the lyrics are spinning out of control, the horn section provides this rhythmic anchor that feels like a heartbeat after three espressos.
The song was actually a collaborative effort. While Dave wrote the bulk of the words, the music was credited to the whole band: Carter Beauford, Stefan Lessard, LeRoi Moore, and Boyd Tinsley. This matters because the chaos of the lyrics is mirrored in the polyrhythms.
"I'm No Crazy Creep": The Misunderstood Lines
There’s a weirdly defensive line in the song: “I’m no crazy creep / I’ve got it coming to me because I’m not satisfied.” Wait, what?
In the context of the Crash album, which famously features "Crash Into Me" (a song Dave later admitted is about a peeping tom), the word "creep" carries some weight. Here, though, it feels more like a justification for greed. It’s the voice of someone who feels entitled to everything they can grab.
"I've got it coming to me."
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That’s the mantra of the over-consumer. It's the logic we use when we buy the third TV or the fifth pair of shoes. I work hard, so I deserve this. But the song argues that this mindset is a trap. You get the thing, you're not satisfied, and the "hunger keeps on growing."
The Religious Undertones (Sorta)
Dave often plays with spiritual imagery, even if he's not a religious guy in the traditional sense.
“I told God, I’m coming / To your country / I’m going to eat up your cities / Your homes.” This is where the song goes from "oops I ate too much pizza" to "global imperialist nightmare." It’s about a hunger so big it wants to consume the divine. It wants to swallow the world. It’s a pretty cynical take on human nature for a band that people usually associate with "Ants Marching" and "The Space Between."
Live vs. Studio: The Evolution of "Too Much"
If you’ve only heard the studio version on Crash, you’re missing half the story. The too much dave matthews lyrics take on a whole new life when the band plays it live.
- The "Anyone Seen the Bridge?" Transition: On many live recordings (check out Live at Red Rocks 8.15.95 or Listener Supported), the band transitions into "Too Much" from "So Much to Say." They use a bridge that fans call "Anyone Seen the Bridge?" It’s a funky, jam-heavy instrumental that builds the tension to a breaking point before the "Too Much" riff explodes.
- The Scream: Dave’s vocals get significantly more unhinged live. He leans into the growls. He makes the "too much" refrain sound like a desperate plea rather than a catchy hook.
- The "Golden" Era: In the late 90s, the band would often jam the ending of this song for ten minutes. It became a showcase for Carter Beauford’s drumming—which, let’s be real, is always "too much" in the best way possible.
What Most People Get Wrong
People think DMB is "happy" music. It’s really not.
If you look at their biggest hits from that era, they are almost all rooted in anxiety, death, or obsession. "Ants Marching" is about the drudgery of the 9-to-5 life. "Crash Into Me" is about a stalker. "Too Much" is about the sickness of never having enough.
It’s "feel-good" music for people who feel kind of bad about the world.
The brilliance of the song is that it makes you dance to your own destruction. It’s catchy. You sing along. You yell "too much!" with a smile on your face, while the lyrics are literally describing a man eating himself to death or consuming entire cities.
Actionable Insights: How to Listen Now
If you want to actually "get" this song, don't just put it on as background music while you're cleaning the house.
- Read the lyrics while listening: Use a site like DMBAlmanac to see the variations.
- Watch the music video: It’s a 90s fever dream directed by Ken Fox. It features the band in a distorted, colorful world that perfectly captures the "excess" the lyrics describe.
- Compare versions: Listen to the Crash studio track, then immediately jump to the version on The Central Park Concert. The energy difference tells you everything you need to know about how the meaning of the song evolved from a critique to a stadium-sized celebration of energy.
Basically, the song is a mirror. If you think it's just about having a good time, maybe you're the one "sucking it up" without thinking. If you find it slightly terrifying, you're probably paying attention to the words.
Next time it comes on the radio or your "90s Alternative" playlist, listen for that line about God’s country. It’s way heavier than you remember.
Start by pulling up the Listener Supported live version on a high-quality audio system or decent headphones. Focus specifically on the interplay between the bass and the drums during the verses. You’ll notice how the lyrics "I'm gonna pack more lines" are delivered with a rhythmic urgency that almost makes you feel out of breath—that's the intentional design of the track. Once you’ve heard that tension, the explosive release of the chorus makes much more sense as a commentary on the "release" of over-consumption.