(at Least; I Can't Get My Guitar Out And Try To Hash Out Some Chords Wherever I Want) - Tumblr Posts

How do you write?

Generally, it’s the music first. I’m always trying to find chord structures that haven’t been used before. That’s the first thing I look for; I try to find a chord structure that inspires the melody to just fall out of my mouth automatically. That usually inspires the lyrics. The words come very naturally to me. I think if you’re struggling to write words to a piece of music, it’s probably not inspiring you enough.

In a song like “Apocalypse Please” on Absolution, the chord structure was so epic and in your face, and the words just fell out. The lyrics weren’t the kind of words I ever expected to sing. But in finding those kinds of weirder chords first, it inspired me to want to say something.

Matt on songwriting, lyrics and Apocalypse Please | "Innocence And Absolution", Keyboard Magazine, June 2005