I decided to give Lions a few listens over the long weekend since it is the album I'm least familiar with in the TBC catalogue. Two things happened: one, my previous suspicions were confirmed in that it is my least favourite TBC album, and two, I fell in love with a few songs from it, anyway. One of those songs being Lay it All on Me. This is one of the gems on the album and it's probably no surprise that I think Lions is the most different sounding album while Lay it All on Me sounds like the older TBC stuff. Regardless, I have had this song (and a few others from Lions) on repeat the past few days.
Crowesbase details that this song has been played 47 times live, on the low end for TBC, but a handful of times on the Warpaint tour! Otherwise, there are no notes on the song. So, for my own notes: I love the jamming, on the album version, at the end of the song. This gives it a live-like quality. And if there is one thing TBC does well, it's live. As for my favourite lyrics of the song, that's easy: "Do you remember when it started / You had a dream / Now you never talk about it." These lyrics seem so perfectly suited to Lions too . . . because I think that album really did get away from Rich and Chris' original dreams in making music. And, luckily, Warpaint is a return to those dreams. But I will keep Lay it All of Me. Along with the way Chris sings that exact line.
Come on down crooked man Step on up broken man Well its ok to cry troubled man Just ease your worried mind and rest awhile
Do you remember when it started You had a dream Now you never talk about it Your fame and riches were everything No matter what the cost Now you wish you hadn't blown it
Well lay it all on me Lay it all on me
Come on down crooked man Step on up broken man Its ok to cry troubled man Just ease your worried mind and rest awhile
I came to see how you were doing Its been a while Looking back over your shoulder You were restless and you were wild Always running away Once was young now is older
Lay it all on me Lay it all on me
So come on down crooked man Step on up broken man Well its ok to cry troubled man Just ease your worried mind and rest awhile
Come on down baby Ease your worried mind Lay it on me
For me, the most seminal track on Warpaint is Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution. It is, quite seriously, perfect. This song was recorded in July, 2007 at Allaire Studios, Shokan, NY. It's already been played 88 times live, so likely at every show on the Warpaint tour. This song, this album, took three years and it was well worth the wait.
As Chris said in the iTunes exclusive interview, "I think Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution, again, is like the-- it's the calling card of what Warpaint could kind of be, you know?" About the song, he also said, "[a]ll the weirdos and all the freaks, we want our freedom, too. . . . So when people run their mouths about what freedom is, it goes both ways. . . .People forget that. And I think Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution is . . . it's like a rock 'n roll song, it's very simple in that way, but it's representative of that, what we feel is an independent person. That what's in your mind. Because it's not just about rock 'n roll. It's about the books you read and it's about the food you eat. And the people you're with. And how you live. It's about your commune. It's about your people. And although there are the worst of times, they are the best of times. And you make that happen. It really starts with turning off your tv-- that's the first step to finding your way out of fear-hole."
I wish I could write as articulately about the song, or any TBC song, as Chris said above, but I guess that's the mark of the artist, of the writer. Chris has talked about Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution a lot on the promo tours for Warpaint because it was a single off that album and, again, it's as Chris said according to Crowesbase, "If people are wondering if this is a rock & roll record, this is a good example of where our hearts and minds are." This statement is true of the entire theme of the record, as well. If you listen to all of Chris and Rich's promo and discussion about this album and song, they always come back to this.
It's hard to pick out any particular lyrics from this song because there are so many good ones, but if forced, I would cite my favourite line as "I'll come to you hungry / I'll come to you sore." Chris and Rich are so amazing-- and this album is just wow. Still. Months later-- it was well worth the wait and the "new" band is a really good fit. And Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution is a wonderful introduction to it.
Caught a rusty engine out of sawdust town Made a deal with the man who shook 'em all down So put a little grease on my axle now I've been from Antioch to Alcatraz I can roll you one from an empty bag So let's take it easy to avoid any snags
CHORUS: Goodbye daughters of the revolution Open your eyes and see the solution Hallelujah come join the jubilee So let's keep on runnin' Through the gates of the city To give up now would be such a pity And don't you want to see the ship Go down with me
I'll come to you hungry I'll come to you sore I'll come round midnight to your back door I'll drag my tail across your floor Gonna run you ragged til you act your age Gonna circle the wagons gonna storm your stage If we all plead guilty will the charges be the same
Chorus
I've been restless, baby I'm feeling wild Caught up in a fever dream Save me child Save me child
Chorus
Said don't you wanna the ship go down with me? Said don't you wanna the ship go down with me? Said don't you wanna the ship go down?
Life Vest is probably my second favourite song from Lost Crowes. It's so happy, for lack of a better word. Unfortunately, the version I'm talking about here has never been played live. Rather, as Crowesbase details, it evolved into Life Vest Jam during the 3 Snakes Fall tour. Life Vest Jam is instrumental, and TBC typically played it after Black Moon Jam on tour in '96.
But, going back to the song I'm talking about here, Life Vest-- it's kind of dark in its lyrics but the tempo is so catchy. And, of course, coupled with the sort of storytelling lyrics one expects from Chris and Rich. The chorus is really one of the most prophetic they've ever written, "How can I make somethin' so wrong somethin' so right." I'm beginning to think that Lost Crowes is a miracle.
Headaches, heartaches windfalls and pitfalls They pay what they pay
Car crash, talk trash Bloodbaths and witchcraft If that's what you see
How can I make somethin' so wrong somethin' so right How can I make somethin' so wrong somethin' so right
Shipwreck, lifevest You swim to shore Or you sink away Mistake, bad taste Just spit it out And it goes away
How can I make somethin' so wrong somethin' so right How can I make somethin' so wrong somethin' so right
How can I make somethin' so wrong somethin' so right How can I make somethin' so wrong somethin' so right
Okay, guys, sorry for the long absence but I am revitalized. And I want to try and make at least 3 posts a week from now on!
So Under a Mountain is off Chris's favourite album, Three Snakes and One Charm, although Crowesbase reports that "this song was worked on during the sessions for Amorica, however, no studio recording from those sessions has been confirmed." I'm not quite sure what to make of this nugget but I guess I could see Under a Mountain on Amorica . . . it fits with the feeling of that album, in a way. The song's been play 95 times live-- which is on the lower end of average for a TBC song.
My favourite part of Under a Mountain is the building (but on down beats) crescendo of the chorus. It's quite catchy. But I'm entirely puzzled by the lyric "Lay down with number 13" . . . any ideas, readers? It's so perfectly Chris sounding and his voice is so melodic when he sings it but it seems out of place in the song. Regardless...another great song! The best lyric being so apropos for today "What makes a Sunday different from Monday / Could be a look in her eyes."
Never a heaven an age old question Written from a cold place I feel sour I need a shower Or just a slap in the face Circumstance has left romance And a puzzle in front of me Who knows the ending, if the truth need bending A lie is the tool that you'll need
So I'm under a mountain Stuck to this mattress Perfume and valium
What makes a Sunday different from Monday Could be a look in her eyes In need of flattery she changes batteries So that her light will still shine The words she utters either flow or they stutter They're either silly or wise Anger with concern But never to yearn Only to be by your side
Cursed Diamond has recently made it into my list of the top five tbc songs. Off Amorica, I actually heard it first on Lost Crowes and immediately fell in love. I think of Cursed Diamond as the "Chris song" for me...maybe because, I now admit, I have such a crush on him or maybe just because I can't imagine this song not being personal. I honestly don't have a lot to say about this song because that would just mar the perfect lyrics...I won't even pick out a few lyrics to highlight because the entire song is so perfect and the lyrics are so true
I lose myself I forget myself Sometimes I fault myself I might fight myself But then I make amends
I freeze myself Rain on myself Ok, so I stone myself And I might even find myself But then again what happens if I do
So unzip my pride Open me up wide So I can show this to you
I want to shine for you I want to sparkle too Just like a diamond cursed Well you know it don't get worse You know that I'll save you time Your trouble now is mine
Hold me baby Hold me girl And I will laugh with you If you want me to Roll me in your splendor I'll envy your surrender And show you victory
I hate myself Doesn't everybody hate themselves So what, I scare myself Then I tell myself that it's all in my mind So I let the poison go 'Cause baby I always know It will be there for me
Movin' on Down the Line does set the tone for Warpaint...it's a one song revolution. It's full of soulful singing, guitar riffs and it sends a good message..."It's all right, sisters / It's all right, brothers / We all get down sometimes." Thus, I can see why Chris would pinpoint this song for the new, better, hungrier version of tbc-- the one that recorded Warpaint . . . Movin' on Down the Line is the start of something crucial because it pays homage to the past but it's still about going forward. And not losing yourself in the process, because, it's really, truly going to be okay.
It's all right, sisters It's all right, brother
The wheel within the wheel The water below the well Keep the curtains drawn Leave the record on And be careful what you say Bring that bottle near Make the real unreal And let's go out and play
It's all right, sisters It's all right, brothers We all get down sometimes
Starting to show me Starting to know me Starting to feel the shine Starting to let go Now that we know It's time to move it on down the line
The x that marks the hex That moves from next to next Keep your head on tight To make it through the night You've got to make a friend along the way So cover up your tracks And avoid attacks And live to love another day
Cause it's all right, sisters It's all right, brothers We all get down sometimes
Starting to show me Starting to know me Starting to feel the shine Starting to let go Now that we know It's time to move it on down the line
It's all right, sisters It's all right, brothers We all get down sometimes
Starting to show me Starting to know me Starting to feel the shine Starting to let go Now that we know It's time to move it on down the line
As I intimated earlier, what I love about this song is its storytelling quality-- it's an entire novel in just over six minutes. And of course, the outro is just stilling, "I said P.S. all my love / P.S. all my love / P.S. all my love," and then a perfect guitar riff. I am more and more beginning to understand Chris' love affair with Three Snakes and One Charm.
With pawnshop eyes and a second hand frown She sat silent at the table Her boots were brown, well should she leave town To play the role of lover expatriate A nod to the waiter, always her flirty behavior You know she always gets one on the house She pulls out a letter From a bag under her sweater And before she reads she straightens her blouse
There's a passion in being alone A grace in a loveless time There's no new cross, there's no new sign Only the sun and the changing tide
And out of respect, well really must confess I never lost your number I never lost your address And if we remain friends at best Sometime later no, no not yet We'll smile and remember it like this
She put back the letter One tear falls like a feather And disappears on the bar room floor The gratuity included You know the letter concluded P.S. with all my love
There's a passion in being alone A grace in a loveless time There's no new cross, there's no new sign Only the sun and the changing tide
I said P.S. all my love P.S. all my love P.S. all my love
