Pavement, a band started by Malkmus post-Ectoslavia, pre-New York, at this point began to gain attention. This attention resulted in a record deal and a constant inferiority plague placed upon the 'Joos with Berman totally at the forefront of the group. Misinformed music fans now saw the band as a side-project and, even worse, Berman as being not good enough to play with Pavement, many band members being shared between the two bands.
The connection to Malkmus and the now blossoming Pavement was not all negative, however. Drag City, then not the bastion of American folk music it is today, agreed to release the band's debut EPs which has led to a fruitful relationship (the label continues to release the band's records, right up to album number 7 in 2008, (Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea).
The Silver Jews in their later days primarily consisted of David and Cassie Berman who contributed most of the lyrics, and a changing cast of characters. They had numerous indie stars in a rotating line up, including Willie T. of Lambchop, and Brian Kotzer of Tim Chad and Sherry.
David Berman is also a poet and has been published in numerous poetry magazines and journals. He also has a book of poetry and rants entitled "Actual Air," which was released in 1999 and received favorable reviews from The New Yorker and GQ.
On the 22nd of January, 2009, David Berman announced on the Drag City messageboard that their show on the 31st of January in Tennessee would be their last. "Can't be like all the careerists doncha know. I'm forty two and I know what to do. I'm a writer, see? I always said we would stop before we got bad." After 10 years off, Berman reappeared in 2019 as Purple Mountains.
David Berman died from suicide on August 22, 2019 after a long battle with depression.
Send In the Clouds
Silver Jews Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shut all the blinds, turn out the lights:
I feel insane when you get in my bed.
I am the trick my mother played on the world
Seventeen doctors couldn't decide
whether I should be allowed in the game.
What can't monsters get along with other monsters?
Soi disantra, soi disantra…
I know a puppy who walked form Kentucky.
Made to East Virginia by dawn.
He had seventeen ideas in his head.
Windex tears flow down the robot's face.
He's never felt a lover's embrace.
My momma named me after a king.
I'm gonna bury my name in you.
What can't monsters get along with other monsters?
Soi disantra, soi disantra…
The lyrics to Silver Jews' "Send in the Clouds" are introspective and surreal, describing the confusion, loneliness, and self-doubt that often accompany intimate relationships. The opening lines, "Send in the clouds. Bring down the rain," suggest a need for atmospheric change and the hope that something new and refreshing will come along. But the imagery quickly turns dark, with the singer shutting out the world and feeling "insane" when their partner is in bed with them. Rather than feeling intimacy, the singer is overwhelmed by their own personal demons.
The middle section is cryptic yet powerful, with the singer asserting that they are "the trick [their] mother played on the world," a sentiment that could be interpreted in a number of ways but seems to suggest both a sense of originality and a feeling of being trapped or misunderstood. The allusion to "seventeen doctors" who couldn't decide whether the singer could "be allowed in the game" adds to the sense of ambiguity and generates a feeling of frustration and alienation.
The final lines layer on further symbols and themes, including the idea of monsters not being able to get along with one another and the bizarre image of a puppy walking from Kentucky to Virginia with "seventeen ideas in his head." The repeated use of the phrase "Soi disantra" is also intriguing, as it has no clear meaning but adds to the song's overall sense of mystery and unease.
Overall, "Send in the Clouds" is a complex and evocative work that defies easy interpretation. It is a song that speaks directly to the human experience of love and loss, confusion and clarity, and the never-ending quest for understanding.
Line by Line Meaning
Send in the clouds. Bring down the rain.
I want to forget about everything and start anew; I need a new beginning.
Shut all the blinds, turn out the lights:
I want to block out the world and hide from reality, allowing myself to indulge in my deeply rooted emotions and feelings.
I feel insane when you get in my bed.
Being with you brings out the worst in me and makes me feel mentally unstable.
I am the trick my mother played on the world
I am a product of my mother's deceit and manipulation, leading to my very existence being questionable or disapproved of by society.
Seventeen doctors couldn't decide whether I should be allowed in the game.
I have struggled with acceptance and validation from others due to my unconventional nature, with many people viewing me as unfit for what they believe is normal or acceptable.
What can't monsters get along with other monsters?
Why can't those who are viewed as abnormal or different from societal norms accept and support each other, rather than tearing each other down?
Soi disantra, soi disantra…
A phrase that could be interpreted as a plea for help or guidance in understanding and navigating a confusing and isolating world.
I know a puppy who walked from Kentucky. Made to East Virginia by dawn. He had seventeen ideas in his head.
An anecdote about an innocent and carefree creature, who somehow knows more than his surroundings may suggest, implying that sometimes ignorance truly is bliss.
Windex tears flow down the robot's face. He's never felt a lover's embrace.
An image of something artificial or mechanical aligning with human emotions and feeling, but ultimately lacking in the genuine experience or connection that many of us seek.
My momma named me after a king. I'm gonna bury my name in you.
A self-proclaimed royalty, out to make their own mark and have their voice heard above everyone else's, no matter what it may cost them.
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind